Poseidon
Fudgepack DeQueef
+3,253|6809|Long Island, New York
So. I'm doing a major upgrade in May/June (2x 9800 GX2's, 780i, Q9450) and I'm wondering - since these new components are essentially like me building an entirely new rig, how will I be able to swap my OS over? It's currently on a WD 150 GB Raptor...and I'm wondering, how can I swap my HDD + OS over to the new rig without losing any data?
Vilham
Say wat!?
+580|7038|UK
just use the same harddrive no??
Poseidon
Fudgepack DeQueef
+3,253|6809|Long Island, New York

Vilham wrote:

just use the same harddrive no??
That's what I mean. I WANT to use to new hard drive.

...Lemme try and lay this out.

Current:                                                                              Swapping to:

E6600                                                                                  Q9450
680i                                                                                     780i   
8800 GTX                                                                             2 9800 GX2's
WD Raptor 150 GB with Vista Home Premium x64                   

What I'm wondering is - can I simply put my HDD in the new computer and be able to have all my data and my OS running fine? What will I need to do?
cospengle
Member
+140|6758|Armidale, NSW, Australia
You will need to check that you are running the right drivers for your new hardware. Windows will automatically detect your new hardware, but you'll probably want to DL the latest drivers for each new component from the manufacturers' websites.
SenorToenails
Veritas et Scientia
+444|6402|North Tonawanda, NY

Poseidon wrote:

Vilham wrote:

just use the same harddrive no??
That's what I mean. I WANT to use to new hard drive.

...Lemme try and lay this out.

Current:                                                                              Swapping to:

E6600                                                                                  Q9450
680i                                                                                     780i   
8800 GTX                                                                             2 9800 GX2's
WD Raptor 150 GB with Vista Home Premium x64                   

What I'm wondering is - can I simply put my HDD in the new computer and be able to have all my data and my OS running fine? What will I need to do?
I do not believe that windows will boot on a different boot device.  If you are changing your motherboard, chances are it won't work.

Edit:  If the drive is just data, it should.  But as a boot drive?  I bet not.

Last edited by SenorToenails (2008-04-10 22:04:41)

-TL-
Srs lurker
+25|6764|Oklahoma City
The hard drive should transfer fine (I've done it), but you'll likely have to re-activate windows.
edit:

SenorToenails wrote:

Edit:  If the drive is just data, it should.  But as a boot drive?  I bet not.
I've simply moved boot drives over.

Last edited by -TL- (2008-04-10 22:08:00)

SenorToenails
Veritas et Scientia
+444|6402|North Tonawanda, NY

-TL- wrote:

I've simply moved boot drives over.
Really?  To a different boot device?  I have never had that work.

Edit:  I guess it's doable.  See here.

Last edited by SenorToenails (2008-04-10 22:11:45)

SenorToenails
Veritas et Scientia
+444|6402|North Tonawanda, NY

-TL- wrote:

Are you talking about the logical drive? I believe Poseidon was referring to the physical raptor hard disk.
No, I'm referring to physical drives.  I have tried this before, and I always ended up with a blue screen "Invalid Boot Device" or something along those lines.
-TL-
Srs lurker
+25|6764|Oklahoma City

SenorToenails wrote:

-TL- wrote:

Are you talking about the logical drive? I believe Poseidon was referring to the physical raptor hard disk.
No, I'm referring to physical drives.  I have tried this before, and I always ended up with a blue screen "Invalid Boot Device" or something along those lines.
I suppose there are a number of variables that could cause a drive to not transfer properly, but yeah, I've moved a boot drive onto a new MB and processor.

So, Poseidon, I guess your best bet is to just try it and see if it works.

Last edited by -TL- (2008-04-10 22:20:52)

G-NOT_(:0)
Banned
+19|6271

Poseidon wrote:

So. I'm doing a major upgrade in May/June (2x 9800 GX2's, 780i, Q9450) and I'm wondering - since these new components are essentially like me building an entirely new rig, how will I be able to swap my OS over? It's currently on a WD 150 GB Raptor...and I'm wondering, how can I swap my HDD + OS over to the new rig without losing any data?
Okay, first of all, what kind of OS do you have? Second, do you have your OS disc and key?

We can work this out, I just need to know what you have and what not.
Nessie09
I "fix" things
+107|6941|The Netherlands
When I did an upgrade to another motherboard with a dualcore instead of single, vista would BSOD me every time it tried to boot.
You could be luckier though, but it's not guaranteed it will work.
nukchebi0
Пушкин, наше всё
+387|6595|New Haven, CT
I did this when getting my new computer. I just cloned the old drive to the new one after formatting the new one, and although I had to reactivate Windows, it worked fine.

Why are you buying a new rig right now with what you have currently? It seems like a waste of money when Nehalem and the 10-series will provide much more tangible performance increases.
GC_PaNzerFIN
Work and study @ Technical Uni
+528|6686|Finland

When I swapped my nforce mobo to x38, Vista booted just fine and works without any problems.
3930K | H100i | RIVF | 16GB DDR3 | GTX 480 | AX750 | 800D | 512GB SSD | 3TB HDD | Xonar DX | W8
.Sup
be nice
+2,646|6725|The Twilight Zone
Even if you run windows repair and you manage to get into Windows its not worth it. You will get a lot of errors.
https://www.shrani.si/f/3H/7h/45GTw71U/untitled-1.png
Poseidon
Fudgepack DeQueef
+3,253|6809|Long Island, New York

G-NOT_(:0) wrote:

Poseidon wrote:

So. I'm doing a major upgrade in May/June (2x 9800 GX2's, 780i, Q9450) and I'm wondering - since these new components are essentially like me building an entirely new rig, how will I be able to swap my OS over? It's currently on a WD 150 GB Raptor...and I'm wondering, how can I swap my HDD + OS over to the new rig without losing any data?
Okay, first of all, what kind of OS do you have? Second, do you have your OS disc and key?

We can work this out, I just need to know what you have and what not.
Vista Home Premium x64. And yes, I have the OEM version. If it won't work on the OEM version, I could always just either 1) Pick up the full version or 2) Borrow it from a friend

nukchebi0 wrote:

I did this when getting my new computer. I just cloned the old drive to the new one after formatting the new one, and although I had to reactivate Windows, it worked fine.

Why are you buying a new rig right now with what you have currently? It seems like a waste of money when Nehalem and the 10-series will provide much more tangible performance increases.
1) Job with lots of cash inflow...

2) I'm a PC enthusiast, and it's just about time for me to upgrade anyways

3) As everyone in the tech world knows, if you keep on waiting for new things to come out, you'll never have your stuff. I'm gonna be selling my 8800 GTX right now, and when the 9900's come out, I'm gonna sell my GX2's.

GC_PaNzerFIN wrote:

When I swapped my nforce mobo to x38, Vista booted just fine and works without any problems.
Hmm. At this point, it seems like a crapshoot. I think I'll buy a copy of Vista Home Premium Full Version to ensure that it works, and then sell it once I'm all set.
Kurazoo
Pheasant Plucker
+440|6956|West Yorkshire, U.K
Why dont you just backup all your data and do a fresh install?
mikkel
Member
+383|6873
If the harddrive controller on your new motherboard is identical to the one on your old one, there's a good chance that you can swap over. In all likelihood, though, they won't be identical, and you need to make sure that you uninstall the controller drivers completely before swapping to the new hardware, as Windows will then boot with a basic controller driver that should work for most hardware.

If you do this, though, there's every chance that residual drivers will cause massive system instability, and it is seriously recommended to throw Windows on a clean partition after switching to motherboards of different make and model.
jsnipy
...
+3,277|6794|...

You are going through all that effort to begin with why not just do a fresh install? As an enthusiast, I would have though you would have crossed this bridge already

You stated you had OEM version, its not likely to pass activation.

Ghost your image off to be safe.
Aries_37
arrivederci frog
+368|6847|London
I made a thread just like this a few days ago

My advice is a fresh install, like sup said even if you get into windows after a repair install you get little problems hidden here and there.
Bertster7
Confused Pothead
+1,101|6853|SE London

Remove drivers. Make an image of the drive. Build new PC. Transfer image to new hard drive.

Job done.

As mikkel has pointed out - there is a chance it'll all go tits up because of residual drivers. But this is fairly rare, provided you do remember to remove all your drivers and your hardware is not too radically different.

(I'd do a fresh install)

Last edited by Bertster7 (2008-04-11 12:37:02)

steelie34
pub hero!
+603|6653|the land of bourbon
a windows repair might help to after transferring the image.  this rebuilds the driver store and should solve any driver related failures after the transfer.  you could lose some program functionality afterwards though, but maybe worth a shot if you're reluctant to do a fresh install.  and there are ways to restore the software hive of the registry too.
https://bf3s.com/sigs/36e1d9e36ae924048a933db90fb05bb247fe315e.png
G-NOT_(:0)
Banned
+19|6271

Poseidon wrote:

G-NOT_(:0) wrote:

Poseidon wrote:

So. I'm doing a major upgrade in May/June (2x 9800 GX2's, 780i, Q9450) and I'm wondering - since these new components are essentially like me building an entirely new rig, how will I be able to swap my OS over? It's currently on a WD 150 GB Raptor...and I'm wondering, how can I swap my HDD + OS over to the new rig without losing any data?
Okay, first of all, what kind of OS do you have? Second, do you have your OS disc and key?

We can work this out, I just need to know what you have and what not.
Vista Home Premium x64. And yes, I have the OEM version. If it won't work on the OEM version, I could always just either 1) Pick up the full version or 2) Borrow it from a friend
Okay, now I can help you out. First of all, when I did a complete makeover, I had a bunch of CD-R's with me, and i saved all my important info and what not, (pictures, documents, personal stuff, etc etc..) Then I reformatted my HD and used xp pro for my OS, and installed that, then the mobo drives, and other important drives. Then, I took all my CD-R's and installed them into my HD storage space, which was a 250 gb and used my 2x150 Raptors in Raid 0 for my OS and games.

It's fairly simple, but you can't have all your stuff saved cuz, since your getting a new mobo, which requires one I.D and you have to reformat in order for it to work. So, just get a some CD-R discs and save them, and reformat your drive when you reinstall your Vista Home, and you'll have no problems. This is the preferred way, in which you will be successful.
nukchebi0
Пушкин, наше всё
+387|6595|New Haven, CT

Poseidon wrote:

G-NOT_(:0) wrote:

Poseidon wrote:

So. I'm doing a major upgrade in May/June (2x 9800 GX2's, 780i, Q9450) and I'm wondering - since these new components are essentially like me building an entirely new rig, how will I be able to swap my OS over? It's currently on a WD 150 GB Raptor...and I'm wondering, how can I swap my HDD + OS over to the new rig without losing any data?
Okay, first of all, what kind of OS do you have? Second, do you have your OS disc and key?

We can work this out, I just need to know what you have and what not.
Vista Home Premium x64. And yes, I have the OEM version. If it won't work on the OEM version, I could always just either 1) Pick up the full version or 2) Borrow it from a friend

nukchebi0 wrote:

I did this when getting my new computer. I just cloned the old drive to the new one after formatting the new one, and although I had to reactivate Windows, it worked fine.

Why are you buying a new rig right now with what you have currently? It seems like a waste of money when Nehalem and the 10-series will provide much more tangible performance increases.
1) Job with lots of cash inflow...

2) I'm a PC enthusiast, and it's just about time for me to upgrade anyways

3) As everyone in the tech world knows, if you keep on waiting for new things to come out, you'll never have your stuff. I'm gonna be selling my 8800 GTX right now, and when the 9900's come out, I'm gonna sell my GX2's.
It seem like there is a fine line between constantly upgrading and wasting money unnecessarily.

Where do you work?
Poseidon
Fudgepack DeQueef
+3,253|6809|Long Island, New York

nukchebi0 wrote:

Poseidon wrote:

G-NOT_(:0) wrote:


Okay, first of all, what kind of OS do you have? Second, do you have your OS disc and key?

We can work this out, I just need to know what you have and what not.
Vista Home Premium x64. And yes, I have the OEM version. If it won't work on the OEM version, I could always just either 1) Pick up the full version or 2) Borrow it from a friend

nukchebi0 wrote:

I did this when getting my new computer. I just cloned the old drive to the new one after formatting the new one, and although I had to reactivate Windows, it worked fine.

Why are you buying a new rig right now with what you have currently? It seems like a waste of money when Nehalem and the 10-series will provide much more tangible performance increases.
1) Job with lots of cash inflow...

2) I'm a PC enthusiast, and it's just about time for me to upgrade anyways

3) As everyone in the tech world knows, if you keep on waiting for new things to come out, you'll never have your stuff. I'm gonna be selling my 8800 GTX right now, and when the 9900's come out, I'm gonna sell my GX2's.
It seem like there is a fine line between constantly upgrading and wasting money unnecessarily.

Where do you work?
It's not un-necessary...I get below 10,000 3DMarks with this machine. That's bad (in my eyes).

And I work with my dad who's in the medical business, and at a game retail shop. I started a few weeks ago.

Edit: Ok, I get 11,400 3dmarks. Not bad, but this rig is still becoming outdated extremely fast.

G-NOT_(:0) wrote:

Poseidon wrote:

G-NOT_(:0) wrote:

Okay, first of all, what kind of OS do you have? Second, do you have your OS disc and key?

We can work this out, I just need to know what you have and what not.
Vista Home Premium x64. And yes, I have the OEM version. If it won't work on the OEM version, I could always just either 1) Pick up the full version or 2) Borrow it from a friend
Okay, now I can help you out. First of all, when I did a complete makeover, I had a bunch of CD-R's with me, and i saved all my important info and what not, (pictures, documents, personal stuff, etc etc..) Then I reformatted my HD and used xp pro for my OS, and installed that, then the mobo drives, and other important drives. Then, I took all my CD-R's and installed them into my HD storage space, which was a 250 gb and used my 2x150 Raptors in Raid 0 for my OS and games.

It's fairly simple, but you can't have all your stuff saved cuz, since your getting a new mobo, which requires one I.D and you have to reformat in order for it to work. So, just get a some CD-R discs and save them, and reformat your drive when you reinstall your Vista Home, and you'll have no problems. This is the preferred way, in which you will be successful.
Alright. Thanks man. Guess I'll be picking up a copy of Vista Home Premium later in the week.

Last edited by Poseidon (2008-04-11 20:56:58)

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