Hard Drive Swap

[jocko]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

I am a member of a local user group. The group’s computer has a removable
rack mount hard drive as its primary master, with XP ( Pro, formatted as
NTFS) as the os. I would like to be able to take the group’s hard drive home
to install software for demonstrations, etc. If I install a similar removable
rack in my home computer, configured as the primary master, would I be able
to boot to the group’s hard drive?
Thanks

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

Q. "If I install a similar removable rack in my home computer, configured
as the primary master, would I be able to boot to the group’s hard drive?"

A. Probably not unless your motherboard and other hardware is virtually identical
to the hardware of the group's computer.

Changing a Motherboard or Moving a Hard Drive with XP Installed
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/moving_xp.html

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect Your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/default.aspx

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Jocko" wrote:

| I am a member of a local user group. The group’s computer has a removable
| rack mount hard drive as its primary master, with XP ( Pro, formatted as
| NTFS) as the os. I would like to be able to take the group’s hard drive home
| to install software for demonstrations, etc. If I install a similar removable
| rack in my home computer, configured as the primary master, would I be able
| to boot to the group’s hard drive?
| Thanks

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

Unless the computers were as good as identical, you would have to do a
repair install.. the best way is to set the removable drive as a slave to
what is already the primary HDD in your machine.. this would require setting
it back as a master before rebooting on its home computer..


"Jocko" <Jocko@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news78996C7-1649-4005-9A76-1560DBC16A7E@microsoft.com...
>I am a member of a local user group. The group's computer has a removable
> rack mount hard drive as its primary master, with XP ( Pro, formatted as
> NTFS) as the os. I would like to be able to take the group's hard drive
> home
> to install software for demonstrations, etc. If I install a similar
> removable
> rack in my home computer, configured as the primary master, would I be
> able
> to boot to the group's hard drive?
> Thanks

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

> "Jocko" <Jocko@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news78996C7-1649-4005-9A76-1560DBC16A7E@microsoft.com...
>>I am a member of a local user group. The group's computer has a removable
>> rack mount hard drive as its primary master, with XP ( Pro, formatted as
>> NTFS) as the os. I would like to be able to take the group's hard drive
>> home
>> to install software for demonstrations, etc. If I install a similar
>> removable
>> rack in my home computer, configured as the primary master, would I be
>> able
>> to boot to the group's hard drive?
>> Thanks

"Mike Hall" <mike.hall.mail@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:ukW%23QvgsEHA.2660@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
> Unless the computers were as good as identical, you would have to do a
> repair install.. the best way is to set the removable drive as a slave to
> what is already the primary HDD in your machine.. this would require
> setting it back as a master before rebooting on its home computer..

Jocko:
Mike's suggestion is a good one in terms of (temporarily) setting your
group's HD as a Slave to your primary HD (or for that matter a Secondary
Master or Secondary Slave) - whatever is physically convenient - in order to
access the drive in your computer. The chances are you'll have no difficulty
installing programs on the group's drive once you're able to access the
drive in your machine. But every once in a while you run into a situation
where a program will not allow you to install it on a drive other than C:.
Admittedly a rare occurrence, but I have run into this.

But before you change the jumper, attempt to boot with the group's drive.
The likelihood is that you won't be able to, but I've booted to a
transferred HD a number of times, even where the new computer's major
components (motherboard, processor, RAM, etc.) were completely different
from the originating computer. In theory, it shouldn't have booted, but it
did.

Art

 

[jocko]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

Art
The version of XP in the group computer is a corporate, or volume
license, and the version on my home computer is a retail version. I can
understand that if one or the other versions are OEM I would have a problem
installing the OS on a non OEM machine. This is not the case. I don't
pretend to have the knowledge on this that you have, so maybe you could tell
me what would cause an issue in swapping drives? How is the OS keyed to a
particular BIOS or MB. It was suggested by a club member that a hardware
profile be created on the club drive for the hardware on the home computer.
That would allow you to choose between the 2 different sets of hardware
groups.
With regard to Mike's suggestion to install the club drive as a slave to
my primary master drive, I don't understand how I could boot to the club
drive because it wouldn't be in the boot .ini. (I think that is what it is
called.) In other words would the club drive be listed on the Operating
System Selection Screen on boot? If the club's drive cannot be booted to,
how can software be installed on it?
Our user group meets in a school where all of the drives are in removable
trays. None, or few if any of the computers are identical as far as MB's or
BIOS's are concerned. There are no printers or other periphrial devices on
the computers, and the drives are happy in any of the boxes there.
I will just have to give it a try and see if it works. I appreciate the
help, and would like to understand why this might not work.
Thanks, Jocko

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

Jocko:
See my inline comments:

"Jocko" <Jocko@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:254F6808-AE85-486F-AE60-B1EA9228D2AD@microsoft.com...
> Art
> The version of XP in the group computer is a corporate, or volume
> license, and the version on my home computer is a retail version. I can
> understand that if one or the other versions are OEM I would have a
> problem
> installing the OS on a non OEM machine. This is not the case. I don't
> pretend to have the knowledge on this that you have, so maybe you could
> tell
> me what would cause an issue in swapping drives? How is the OS keyed to a
> particular BIOS or MB. It was suggested by a club member that a hardware
> profile be created on the club drive for the hardware on the home
> computer.
> That would allow you to choose between the 2 different sets of hardware
> groups.
> With regard to Mike's suggestion to install the club drive as a slave to
> my primary master drive, I don't understand how I could boot to the club
> drive because it wouldn't be in the boot .ini. (I think that is what it is
> called.) In other words would the club drive be listed on the Operating
> System Selection Screen on boot? If the club's drive cannot be booted to,
> how can software be installed on it?
Mike's suggestion is probably the most practical approach given your
situation. If I properly understood your objective, it is to add one or more
of your programs to the club's hard drive which would subsequently be
returned to the club's computer from whence it came. Understand that you
would NOT be booting to that drive when you install it on your machine. You
would boot to your primary drive and the club's drive would simply be a
secondary drive in your machine. You could then access that drive and add
programs to it. After doing so, you would return the drive to your club's
computer. Thus, no boot/system files on that drive would be changed and for
all practical purposes the drive would be identical to the one you removed
from the club's computer with the exception of the programs you added to it.
Art

> Our user group meets in a school where all of the drives are in removable
> trays. None, or few if any of the computers are identical as far as MB's
> or
> BIOS's are concerned. There are no printers or other periphrial devices
> on
> the computers, and the drives are happy in any of the boxes there.
> I will just have to give it a try and see if it works. I appreciate the
> help, and would like to understand why this might not work.
> Thanks, Jocko
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

Following what I said earlier, move the install files of the software you
wish to 'demo' to the club drive, place the club drive back into its home
system, and run the install programs.. it is a safe way to do it, and will
prevent any repair installs..

You came here for advice and it has been given.. whether or not you choose
to take any is entirely your call..


"Jocko" <Jocko@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:254F6808-AE85-486F-AE60-B1EA9228D2AD@microsoft.com...
> Art
> The version of XP in the group computer is a corporate, or volume
> license, and the version on my home computer is a retail version. I can
> understand that if one or the other versions are OEM I would have a
> problem
> installing the OS on a non OEM machine. This is not the case. I don't
> pretend to have the knowledge on this that you have, so maybe you could
> tell
> me what would cause an issue in swapping drives? How is the OS keyed to a
> particular BIOS or MB. It was suggested by a club member that a hardware
> profile be created on the club drive for the hardware on the home
> computer.
> That would allow you to choose between the 2 different sets of hardware
> groups.
> With regard to Mike's suggestion to install the club drive as a slave to
> my primary master drive, I don't understand how I could boot to the club
> drive because it wouldn't be in the boot .ini. (I think that is what it is
> called.) In other words would the club drive be listed on the Operating
> System Selection Screen on boot? If the club's drive cannot be booted to,
> how can software be installed on it?
> Our user group meets in a school where all of the drives are in removable
> trays. None, or few if any of the computers are identical as far as MB's
> or
> BIOS's are concerned. There are no printers or other periphrial devices
> on
> the computers, and the drives are happy in any of the boxes there.
> I will just have to give it a try and see if it works. I appreciate the
> help, and would like to understand why this might not work.
> Thanks, Jocko
>
>

 

[jocko]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

Thanks guys.
Jocko