- Nov 29, 2017
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If i carry my old hard drive to a new pc that i am building will all my files and windows 10 be there?
Need some hard drive info
- Thread starter orlandojones129
- Start date
- Mar 16, 2013
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Probably not.
What are the specs of old and new? The farther apart they are, the less likely this is to work.
It may require a full reinstall.
And...
Read and do this before you change any parts:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-3164428/windows-build-1607-activation.html
- Nov 29, 2017
- 10
- 0
- 1,510
- Nov 29, 2017
- 10
- 0
- 1,510
My old pc specs are intel i5 4600 lenovo sharkbay motherboard and my new are a msi b250m and intel i3 7100
No one can tell you whether the transfer will or will not work. It's something of a crapshoot. By & large it's worth a shot to try; there's little to lose.
Assuming your "old" HDD contains a viable OS, i.e., it's non-defective, bootable, and functional, it's conceivable that you can install that drive in your new build and it will boot & function just fine in that new system. We've accomplished this many, many times over the years. Naturally there are no guarantees.
Based on our experience it helps if BOTH the old & new PCs are non-OEM machines and BOTH PCs are either Intel-based or AMD-based systems. But there's a chance that if the old PC is a OEM machine the transfer of the HDD from that PC to your new "generic" build may also be viable. Again, you can't tell until you try it. Capiche?
Obviously you may have to install different drivers of one type or another in the new system but of course these will be available from your new motherboard's driver installation CD. And you may be pleasantly surprised at Windows (Microsoft's) ability to pick up & install whatever drivers are necessary for your new installation without user intervention. Of course if the transfer is successful the activation issue may call for a need to purchase a new Win 10 license.
We've undertaken successful transfers many times and we nearly always undertake this option when circumstances permit. We generally prefer to clone the contents of the drive to be transferred PRIOR to the transfer operation as a precautionary move so that we have a comprehensive backup of all its data. I would encourage you to do the same assuming you have another disk to serve as the recipient of the cloned contents.
Assuming your "old" HDD contains a viable OS, i.e., it's non-defective, bootable, and functional, it's conceivable that you can install that drive in your new build and it will boot & function just fine in that new system. We've accomplished this many, many times over the years. Naturally there are no guarantees.
Based on our experience it helps if BOTH the old & new PCs are non-OEM machines and BOTH PCs are either Intel-based or AMD-based systems. But there's a chance that if the old PC is a OEM machine the transfer of the HDD from that PC to your new "generic" build may also be viable. Again, you can't tell until you try it. Capiche?
Obviously you may have to install different drivers of one type or another in the new system but of course these will be available from your new motherboard's driver installation CD. And you may be pleasantly surprised at Windows (Microsoft's) ability to pick up & install whatever drivers are necessary for your new installation without user intervention. Of course if the transfer is successful the activation issue may call for a need to purchase a new Win 10 license.
We've undertaken successful transfers many times and we nearly always undertake this option when circumstances permit. We generally prefer to clone the contents of the drive to be transferred PRIOR to the transfer operation as a precautionary move so that we have a comprehensive backup of all its data. I would encourage you to do the same assuming you have another disk to serve as the recipient of the cloned contents.
- Mar 16, 2013
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- 184,590
3 possible outcomes:
1. It just works. Everything boots up and operates as it used to, just in a faster PC
2. It fails horribly. No booting, no matter what you mess with
3. It boots up, but you find lingering issues later.
Last year this time, my main PC upgrade was at #2. Required a full reinstall. But I was prepared, so no big deal
This week, my wifes system upgrade is at #3. It eventually booted up, but lingering issues. Like a i3-8100 with 8GB RAM and an SSD should NOT take 3 minutes to start up. This may require a clean install.
Prepare for if it does not work.
Be thankful if it does.
But do prepare.
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