Build A Computer Like My Super PC

FAQ: Can I Use My Old Hard Drive With A New Computer?

This is very frequently asked question, and for good reason. You'd naturally like to keep and use all the stuff you have on your old computer on your new computer. The easiest way to do that might be to just use the old hard drive in the new computer. But will it work? I mean, what's going to happen when the operating system starts up and sees that the whole world as it knew it has -presto- changed?

And the answer is - it might. Or it might not. Or it might if you struggle with the configuration a little. Or it might if you struggle with the configuration a lot.

Actually, it's kind of impressive that it even might work. It's asking a lot of the operating system to hot-swap possibly every single driver for possibly very different hardware and come up smiling. But it very well might, especially with some amount of reconfiguring. And my guess is that the more recent the operating system, the better the odds it will work. I give Windows 98SE an even chance, up to Windows XP a very good chance.

I'd say it's certainly worth a try on old hard drives using Windows 98SE on up. But I would not try it with the old hard drive itself since there's a chance it won't work. Instead, I would clone the old hard drive to a new hard drive using the hard drive cloning steps I include on my Hard Drive Upgrade tutorial. The cloned hard drive does not need to be identical hardware to the old hard drive, so in most cases it makes sense to get a new hard drive which will be much faster and will have much more capacity.

If the new, cloned hard drive works in the new computer then you have the benefit of having as much of your data and applications carried over as possible on a newer, faster, bigger hard drive. If it doesn't work then at least you haven't compromised the contents of your old hard drive.

Just be careful to test everything afterwards to verify it works on the cloned hard drive with the new computer. Verify all the applications work and all the data is recognized. Run tests such as the diagnostics and benchmarks I mention near the end of my assembly pages and verify the results.

Note that Windows XP users may have to re-activate Windows XP if the hardware on the new computer is very different.

This question is similar: "Is there a way to copy all my files and settings from the old computer to the new computer?" Maybe, at least partly. I've never tried it. But this article on How To Migrate To A New PC covers it.

Next: Build A Computer Like My Super PC - CD-ROM And CD-RW

My complete recommendations for building a computer with quality components at unbeatable prices is on my home page at Build A Computer Like My Super PC - Cost To Build A Computer. Here again are the recommendations for a hard drive! Description Where I Would Get It Today Today's Price Comments Western Digital Caviar SE16 640GB 7200rpm SATA 300 MB/s Newegg $69.99 Free shipping! OEM version. Serial ATA II hard drive. Clicking the link takes you directly to it. This hard drive has the large 16MB cache. If you're including a floppy drive in your build then any brand is fine, such as Teac, Mitsumi, or Sony. Amazon has a good selection. If color coordination with the case is a factor then this Sony floppy drive with multiple colored faceplates included is nice. Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 7200rpm SATA 300 MB/s Newegg $99.99 Free shipping! OEM version. Serial ATA II hard drive. Clicking the link takes you directly to it. That's right - 1000GB, a massive 1TB in a single hard drive. Very fast. This hard drive has the very large 32MB cache. Portable Storage SanDisk 8GB USB Flash Drive Amazon $26.45 Free shipping! Clicking the link takes you directly to it. A portable storage device like this can come in handy for for transferring files from one computer to another. It fits easily into your hand or pocket, and works simply by plugging it into a USB port on the computer, which often is on the front of the case. Backup Tips - Protect Your Valuable Data. Antec MX-1 Hard Drive Enclosure Amazon $49.99 Free shipping! Clicking the link takes you directly to it. Put a SATA hard drive in an enclosure like this, and connect it externally to your computer via a USB port or eSata port. Then copy over critical files periodically. 2BrightSparks SyncBack 2BrightSparks Free Free download! Clicking the link takes you directly to the download page. The freeware version is near the bottom of the page. Use a freeware utility like SyncBack to schedule automatic copy operations to your backup hard drive. SyncBackSE, a feature rich version, costs $30. See the SyncBack version comparison chart for details. Online Backup Mozy Free Off-site backups give maximum backup protection. Mozy is free for under 2GB with no credit card required. Unlimited backup space is available for $4.95 per month.

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Introduction/Cost To Build A Computer   Computer Building Price Considerations   faq: OEM Definition   Case And Power Supply   Processor   Motherboard   BIOS Settings   RAM   Video Card   Sound Card   Hard Drive   faq: Can I Use My Old Hard Drive With A New Computer?   CD-ROM And CD-RW   DVD   Change The Front Panel On The DVD RW   Flat Panel LCD Monitor   Other Computer Hardware   Windows Operating System   Firewall   Sharing Cable Modem or DSL   CPU Cooler And Case Fans   Overclocking   How Fast Is It?   Assemble   What Problems Were There?   More About How To Get A Cheap Computer With Top Quality And High Performance   Changes For A Game Computer And Enjoying Computer Games   Changes For A Computer With MP3 Music As A Priority   Media Center PC   Help And Support   faq: How Can I Tell What I Already Have In My Computer?

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