upgrading to a new computer. Can I take my HDD with me?

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
C

CommanderLuna

Honorable
Apr 29, 2013
3
0
10,510
first post on this site so go easy :)

I am currently in the proccess of getting a new custom computer with these specs

•Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3 Motherboard
•AMD ATI Radeon HD 7870 2GB Graphics Card
•CIT Blue Vantage Gaming Case
•1 x 300MBs Wireless PCI Card WiFi Network Adaptor
•Xigmatek Apache CPU Cooler
•Xigmatek 600W PSU
•8GB Corsair Vengeance 1866MHz Gaming RAM
•3.8GHz AMD FX-6200 6-Core CPU

I am purchacing it with no hard drive, and wondering if I can take the HDD in my current PC which is a respectable 1TB with windows 7 home premium that came with the system. also pretty sure it is sata.

my old system : HP pavllion s5780uk, 4gb ram, nvidea geforce 405 (2 years old and not great when I got it, time for something that actually gives some oomph)

the only good thing about my current system is the drive as stated, would I be able to simply put in the current 1TB sata drive into the new custom PC and my win 7 OS and system Files would remain active? I have read that windows 7 will look for new drivers for the hardware but am not so sure, many places are saying that a clean install or serial numbers are required for the OS to run properly after being placed in new hardware, while others say it can just do it automatically.

the reason why I am not having the PC built with a HDD is because my budget is pretty much spent on aquiring the PC as it stands, and another hard disk is not needed if this current one can be placed with no hassle and the OS working with all my files intact.

have seen a thread before about transfering hard drives, but it was for vista and quite old hardware, looking for a fresh more up-to-date response

thank you in advance and awaiting response.
 
Solution
festerovic
$80/£50 is a decent price for a 1TB being installed in the new system. If you are not getting the windows from the system builder, there really is not a reason to have them do it, though, and you could potentially get a better bigger drive for the same money if you bought a bare drive. My suggestion would be to get an SSD (any would be better than a HDD) for the OS, and put all the programs and such on the 1 TB you already own, using it as a secondary drive. This would get you the best performance.
Sort by date Sort by votes
festerovic

festerovic

Distinguished
Jul 16, 2008
2,504
1
21,165
Well, first off, the HP you are coming from does have windows installed, however, its a single OEM license. This means you can't use it on another machine. Legally, you will need to get a new windows install.

Second, you will likely have some problems if you just put it in the new PC. If you were to do that, I myself would reformat the drive and install fresh when you put it in the new PC. You may get lucky, but you may get degraded performance or some stuff not working right.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
USAFRet

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
Mar 16, 2013
171,771
18,133
184,590
Old HDD into a new system, hoping Windows will work as before.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it works partially.

Personally, I always do a clean install. Why carry along all the cruft that exists in the old box?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
C

CommanderLuna

Honorable
Apr 29, 2013
3
0
10,510
Right okay thank you for the quick responses.

"Well, first off, the HP you are coming from does have windows installed, however, its a single OEM license. This means you can't use it on another machine. Legally, you will need to get a new windows install."

yes I was quite afraid that was the case, not an OS expert myself but ha dheard from some that it would pick up new hardware as if it were an upgrade, though highly doubtful now of my system as i have tried upgrading some hardware (more sticks of same size ram and speed) inside it before and it would not function properly (if this was afault of the PSU,Bios or OS i could not find out in the end.)

I am able to attain a version of windows 7 for free and transfering my files is not so much f a problem with an ethernet cable. the only thing now then is that would you guys suggest I get a HDD built into the new system then and save myself all the hassle? -£50/80 or so...
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
festerovic

festerovic

Distinguished
Jul 16, 2008
2,504
1
21,165
$80/£50 is a decent price for a 1TB being installed in the new system. If you are not getting the windows from the system builder, there really is not a reason to have them do it, though, and you could potentially get a better bigger drive for the same money if you bought a bare drive. My suggestion would be to get an SSD (any would be better than a HDD) for the OS, and put all the programs and such on the 1 TB you already own, using it as a secondary drive. This would get you the best performance.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
C

CommanderLuna

Honorable
Apr 29, 2013
3
0
10,510


thank you, I feel this is the best solution though more pricey, i shall do this when i have enough funds and see if anything goes down in price in the meanwhile.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom