Placing a another HDD inside my PC, but it has a different OS...

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CRT dude

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Jun 2, 2013
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I want to add an older HDD in my PC as a secondary.

I want to transfer the data from the old one to my new HDD & then reformat the old HDD & use it as a backup.
Thing is, the old HDD had a different OS on (I also want to retrieve the product key for it before I reformat it).

So when I hook up the older HDD to the sata cables & then start my PC. What will happen?

Will I get an option to choose which HDD to boot or will it automatically choose my current new HDD as my main one & start normally like it always does?


This is my motherboard btw.
http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4642
Not sure if how to get into the bios or what to change if I even need to go into the BIOS that is.
 
Solution
USAFRet


Verify that the existing drive is the only HDD in your boot order.
Power down
Connect the old drive
Power up.
You should now see the old drive as just another drive letter.
You should also be able to access files on that drive. Depending on where they are, you might have to 'Take Ownership'. Some files might live in the original User space, and be permission locked to the old User.
Take ownership of those files/folders.
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JackNaylorPE

JackNaylorPE

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1. When you hook up the new HD nothing will happen.... it will boot normally. Yiou then open disk manager and format the drive.

2. You cab "clone" the image from one HD to another using an imaging program.....the easy ones cost money (Shadow Protect Desktop is the gold standard). Macrium Reflect is free

3. Once cloned data cable switch ports and format old HD

 
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C

CRT dude

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Cloning image??
Whats that?
I already installed a new OS on my new larger HDD & everything works fine on it.


All I want to do is just move over some leftover files from the old HDD into the new one.
When I go to My Computer, won't there be two drives to browse?
Like when I hook up a external Hard drive to my PC?
 
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JackNaylorPE

JackNaylorPE

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disk_image

You can transfer an entire HD contents to a new HD but the OS would not boot. You can however "clone it"

http://www.easeus.com/disk-copy/

This means that after the process is done, the new drive will have all your data on it, all your programs will work and all your data will be in the same place you left it.

Disk Cloning - You live in a mobile home.....when you move to a nee state, a truck tows your house to the new lot .... all ya furniture, closets is right where it was.

What you are doing - packing everything in boxes, moving it to a new house, putting all the furniture and belongings back where they belong.

This saves hours of effort because you don't have to reinstall the OS, run Windows Update 27 times, reinstall all your programs, customize all your toolbars and preferences in all your programs, reinstall all your drivers and finally cut / paste all your data.

The procedure for what you want to do is:

1. Disconnect OLD HD data cable

2. Connect new HD to lowest numbered SATA port.

3. Install OS, Install all hardware drivers from original install disks, run windows update over and over and over again till it says no more stuff.

4. Download and install updated HW drivers.

5. Install all programs and turn off PC

6. Reconnect old HD to 2nd lowest SATA port

7. Copy what ya want from old to new.

This is much, much easier if your drive was partitioned....

C:\ Just OS
D:\ Just Programs
E:\ Just Data

Then you copy the entire partition in one big cut / paste from Old HD to New HD .... just reinstall the programs over themselves to set up registry entries and all your old customizations remain intact. The copy data partition on old to data partition on new and ya done.

Helps to backup your prfiles for say e-mail program and web browsewr to retain all your emails and favorites, bookmarks etc.... MozBackup works great
 
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C

CRT dude

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Jun 2, 2013
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Is cloning the only way to transfer data between the two?

All I want is a few specific files on the old harddrive, I don't need to transfer everything.

Hooking them both up & starting my PC & then transferring between them is out of the question?
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Mar 16, 2013
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Verify that the existing drive is the only HDD in your boot order.
Power down
Connect the old drive
Power up.
You should now see the old drive as just another drive letter.
You should also be able to access files on that drive. Depending on where they are, you might have to 'Take Ownership'. Some files might live in the original User space, and be permission locked to the old User.
Take ownership of those files/folders.
 
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Solution
C

CRT dude

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Jun 2, 2013
36
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10,530
Thanks that worked!
There is an additional drive letter that appear outside the new hard drive that is connected.

I now have two local disk drives & a "System reserved (E:) 69MB out of 99MB" drive.

Is that normal? What is that for?
 
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