Can I use a leftover laptop hdd in a desktop?
- Thread starter Jack_H14
- Start date
Sam_missles
Reputable
- Nov 16, 2014
- 314
- 0
- 4,810
No. Laptop HDDs have different ports. If you just want the files you could do a file transfer to a full-size HDD.
You can use it, but it may be slow. See if it is 5400rpm or 7200rpm. It is probably the same physical size as a SSD.
You would not want to use it to boot from because it has windows configured for your laptop on it. You can hook it up to your desktop and copy the files off of it or just use it if you want to.
nukemaster
Titan
- Nov 23, 2004
- 19,626
- 6
- 74,965
Half right and half wrong.
Laptop(2.5 inch) IDE drives have different ports that combine power and data.
SATA 2.5 inch drives had the same ports as a desktop one. They only use 5 volts, but still retain the same ports.
2.5inch SSDs(same form factor as 2.5 inch sata hard drives) are the same for most desktop and laptops(while some can be thinner and come with a spacer to make them thicker.)
Notebook optical drives to have different plugs(SATA drives use a condensed plug combining 5 volts and DATA), but adapters are available to fix this issue.
smaller and thinner laptop drives use a smaller plug to save space. msata and other various card type ssd's are different and require adapters if your board does not have a slot for them.
I use 2 x 2.5 inch drives and one 3.5 inch drive in my media center as well as a notebook optical drive(with the adapter needed for that part). No issues at all. My computer for gaming has 2 x 2.5 inch ssds and a notebook(slim slot load) optical drive as well.
Using an old drive is fine, just remember to remove the old operating system data so your system does not try to boot off of it.
I recommend you first get your notebook drive working then copy files the current drive. Erase the notebook drive and copy data back to it. At this point you can clean install Windows if you wish to on the desktop drive. Disconnect the laptop drive when installing a new OS just to make sure it is not touched.
If you lack space on the desktop drive for your files, you may have to play musical partitions on the notebook drive to move files to another partition and remove the windows partition then merge them after. This takes 3rd party software most times and you have to take care to not do anything wrong.
It is unlikely that you will be able to "reuse" a Windows installation on another computer. No harm in trying, but it will prolly either lock-up or blue screen on Windows boot. If you have the MS installation media (not Dell, Lenovo, etc. OEM) and it is Win 8, 8.1 or 10, you can do a clean install of Windows on the new computer with the old Windows product key, but not with Win 7.
Yogi
- Jul 14, 2013
- 85
- 0
- 10,660
So basically I need to buy a new os? I don't have a windows key. I honestly just wanted the drive for the OS lol
Also what is the best method for wiping an HDD then? My old one has windows vista on it I believe and has been sitting around for a while, with nothing I need on it
Also what is the best method for wiping an HDD then? My old one has windows vista on it I believe and has been sitting around for a while, with nothing I need on it
TRY IT in the desktop first. There is a slim chance that it WILL boot.
Even if the Windows 8 doesn't work, all of your data is still accessible. Just plug it into another computer SATA port. If you only have a USB port, get a USB External Drive Enclosure and put the HDD into it. Plug it into a USB port and get your data.
If you really want to "Wipe" the HDD HERE (Link) is a program that will do it.
Yogi
jsmithepa
Polypheme
- Jun 14, 2014
- 13,096
- 263
- 60,840
NOW the confession.
Every D ick & Harriet got this grant idea, just move OS from old to new, BAM! saves me 100 quick one.
Unfortunately Microsoft didn't get rich by letting you do something like that. In fact back in the 80's Bill Gate wrote that famous Open Letter to users, PAY UP!
ffg7
Judicious
- Apr 7, 2015
- 5,928
- 2
- 34,665
Jack_H14, you can use that drive on a desktop as I've done that a couple of times. the os drive might work as a boot drive depending on the motherboard chipsets of both the laptop motherboard & new desktop motherboard. 1 of the members on another site I also moderate has done it on some dell desktops.
Not true with Win 8! Win 8 (retail) can be transferred or reinstalled on another computer as many times as you like. You just cant run it on more than 1 machine at a time.
Now Win 7 is a different story because it is registered to the first mobo that it is installed on, and, "technically", cannot be reinstalled on any other mobo, but MS does not strictly enforce this policy. Many have swapped mobos or whole computers, called MS and received a new installation code.
Yogi
I don't know if this really works or not but I've heard that you can put a laptop drive in a desktop machine, boot into "Safe Mode" (by tapping F8 key before Windows attempts normal start-up). Once started in Safe Mode, go to Device Mgr and delete all mobo drivers. Next, exit safe mode and reboot. "Supposedly" Windows will automatically install the needed drivers when starting up. Like I said, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS ACTUALLY WORKS OR NOT, AND SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A LAST RESORT! It seems to me that Windows would, at the least, require the installation media to "look up" the required drivers.
Yogi
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