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Upgrade from old computer

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  • Computers
  • Hard Drives
  • eMachines
Last response: in Computer Brands
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January 14, 2014 3:31:07 PM

Hi, I am looking for a possible upgrade from my old computer that has seen better days. What I would like to do is swap my hard drive into a new one providing the jump configurations are correct.

The current computer I have is an eMachines t5088
http://

Does anyone have a good recommendation? I believe the hard drive is a Sata 2, but the link above pretty much sums up the configuration it has.

The two things that I have thought of was to either buy a bare bone kit or an old HP/IBM off of eBay. But I'm not sure if I can swap hard drives because I don't know if there is any hardware restrictions in place, meaning that I can only use this hard drive with this computer due to windows validation or such.

If I do buy an XP refurb from eBay, would the computer cause havoc because I'm swapping a vista hard drive into it?

I'm sorry if I sound like a noob to people, but I've never done hardware repair before other than install memory and GPU.

More about : upgrade computer

January 15, 2014 4:35:22 AM

You won't be able to use the Vista operating system on another computer. You will still be able to access your data from the HDD but the continued use of the Vista OS in another machine is pretty much not gonna happen (without even considering license issues).
I will also suggest avoiding XP based machines for pretty much the same reason Vista can't happen easily (if at all), no longer supported by Microsoft. I'd really push for a Win7 based machine.

You say you've installed memory and graphics, was that in the EMachine? Do you use it for more than basic computing; web browsing, emails, youtube, flash games, that kind of thing? What would you say (a guess works) is the most intensive work you subject your computer to?
Sorry for all the questions, just trying to get an idea of what might be the best direction here

And now to take a big step backward and look at the whole picture. It would seem that you are satisfied with the performance you have been getting from the EMachine - are you experiencing noticeable performance issues now (as opposed to how it had performed) or are your current needs such that you feel an upgrade is appropriate
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January 15, 2014 6:41:45 AM

C12Friedman said:
You won't be able to use the Vista operating system on another computer. You will still be able to access your data from the HDD but the continued use of the Vista OS in another machine is pretty much not gonna happen (without even considering license issues).
I will also suggest avoiding XP based machines for pretty much the same reason Vista can't happen easily (if at all), no longer supported by Microsoft. I'd really push for a Win7 based machine.

You say you've installed memory and graphics, was that in the EMachine? Do you use it for more than basic computing; web browsing, emails, youtube, flash games, that kind of thing? What would you say (a guess works) is the most intensive work you subject your computer to?
Sorry for all the questions, just trying to get an idea of what might be the best direction here

And now to take a big step backward and look at the whole picture. It would seem that you are satisfied with the performance you have been getting from the EMachine - are you experiencing noticeable performance issues now (as opposed to how it had performed) or are your current needs such that you feel an upgrade is appropriate


I installed an nVidia card to the eMachines that I have since the video slot on it stop working. I do not really use the computer for intensive stuff except for watching youtube videos, burning dvd's, and running virtual box. The memory was for a different computer not discussed in this post.

That was the question I was trying to say yesterday. Would there be a problem swapping a hard drive to another computer, because the hard drive and the new computer have different windows keys on them. I wasn't sure if this was just a Windows 8 thing, or if it applied to all versions. (I haven't bought a new computer yet, just the eMachines that I currently still have.)

To answer your question, I was happy with the performance of the eMachines computer. The only problem now is that it is dead and cannot be fixed. Therefore an upgrade is in need.

One more thing, if I do get a windows 7 PC (tried W8 and hated it), could I just simply copy my files over with Windows transfer and use my old hard drive as a slave for extra storage? And for sure not to get XP for the end of support in April.
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January 15, 2014 12:29:20 PM

I'll suggest looking at some refurbished desktops then for a few reasons, the primary one being the availability of Win 7. I found this Lenovo ThinkCentre M57p Intel Core 2 Duo 2300MHz 400Gig HDD 4096mb DVD ROM Windows 7 Home Premium Desktop Computer for $215, I might suggest something along those lines. No, it isn't a powerhouse but I would think it will perform well for your uses (and, IMO, the price is good - add another $70 for 1 year on-site support, I'd think you'd be 'golden')

Back to your hard drive and it's data... there are different methods and software solutions for copying data from one HDD to another. I'll look into those to see if I can't find one to recommend. A common problem you may run into is if you have installed programs you want to keep using - those will need a full re-install onto the new HDD. The reason for that is that registry changes are made by the program during installation. Those changes will not carry over and then there is the possibility of older programs that can no longer work with new hardware. I'm not trying to worry you here, just a 'head's up' as to what you could run into. We will work with you (in as much as possible) to get you functioning but those are always concerns to keep in mind
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January 16, 2014 6:51:54 PM

Look on eBay for Core i3 based machine with maybe 4GB to 8GB of RAM. Dedicated graphics really shouldn't be an issue because you're not running any games. Look for something with Windows 7 (NOT Vista or XP). XP is going out of support in April and will not get any more security updates from Microsoft (hacker heaven). Win7 is fast, secure, stable, and reliable and doesn't go out of support until 2020.
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