ChatterBank1 min ago
Microsoft Windows And Hard-Drives
20 Answers
I suggest that any techies move spillable beverages out of reach before continuing to read this post......your unbridled mirth may cause you to drown your keyboard...
Anyhoo....
I have recently acquired a new PC which has Windows Vista (Business) installed. It doesn't suit my purposes and I would prefer either Vista (Home) or XP. I have been quoted a price to install Vista (Home) which I felt was a bit much. So I am exploring other options.
I have diligently saved the HDDs from my previous machines all of which ran XP (3. no PC's & 1. no Laptop). Am I wrong in thinking that Windows XP will be saved onto these HDDs?
I have a HDD docking unit and can read the content of each drive through the new PC. However, because Word/Excel and the remainder of the Microsoft Office Suite is not installed on it, I cannot open any of the files.
Is it possible, without physically swapping the HDDs, to run windows from one of these drives?
If it isn't and I discombobulate the PC and fit one of these older drives, will windows actually run, or is there some other techy-interface gubbins that would be required first?
Please be gentle with me......and, Thanks. :o)
Anyhoo....
I have recently acquired a new PC which has Windows Vista (Business) installed. It doesn't suit my purposes and I would prefer either Vista (Home) or XP. I have been quoted a price to install Vista (Home) which I felt was a bit much. So I am exploring other options.
I have diligently saved the HDDs from my previous machines all of which ran XP (3. no PC's & 1. no Laptop). Am I wrong in thinking that Windows XP will be saved onto these HDDs?
I have a HDD docking unit and can read the content of each drive through the new PC. However, because Word/Excel and the remainder of the Microsoft Office Suite is not installed on it, I cannot open any of the files.
Is it possible, without physically swapping the HDDs, to run windows from one of these drives?
If it isn't and I discombobulate the PC and fit one of these older drives, will windows actually run, or is there some other techy-interface gubbins that would be required first?
Please be gentle with me......and, Thanks. :o)
Answers
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"Am I wrong in thinking that Windows XP will be saved onto these HDDs?"
No you are not, but "installed" would be a more accurate verb than "saved".
"I have a HDD docking unit and can read the content of each drive through the new PC. Is it possible, without physically swapping the HDDs, to run windows from one of these drives?"
No - that's not how PCs work. They need what's termed a "boot drive" which, for historical reasons, needs to be the C: drive.
I'd advise you to buy a copy of Windows XP:
Amazon.co.uk User Recommendation
and then format your new machine and install XP on it, if YOU ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY MUST HAVE WINDOWS XP!!!
No you are not, but "installed" would be a more accurate verb than "saved".
"I have a HDD docking unit and can read the content of each drive through the new PC. Is it possible, without physically swapping the HDDs, to run windows from one of these drives?"
No - that's not how PCs work. They need what's termed a "boot drive" which, for historical reasons, needs to be the C: drive.
I'd advise you to buy a copy of Windows XP:
Amazon.co.uk User Recommendation
and then format your new machine and install XP on it, if YOU ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY MUST HAVE WINDOWS XP!!!
Not unless by some miracle all of the hardware in your new machine was absolutely identical to all of the hardware in the machine that the old hard disk came out of. Otherwise you'll spend ages looking for the correct drivers etc.
I can't with any conscience advise you to do that any more than I'd advise anyone to use Windows XP these days.
Thinking about it, though, what have you done with the copy of Windows XP (by which, I mean the CD / DVD) which came with your old machine(s)?
I can't with any conscience advise you to do that any more than I'd advise anyone to use Windows XP these days.
Thinking about it, though, what have you done with the copy of Windows XP (by which, I mean the CD / DVD) which came with your old machine(s)?
I am not sure why Vista Business does not suit your purposes when Vista Home does because there is hardly any difference from a usability point of view. Vista Business may have a few extra features but if you don't use them they wont affect anything, it will be just like using Vista Home.
But it is NOT a good idea to go back to XP. It is an old operating system which is not supported and is open to security attacks.
Later versions of Windows like 7 and 8 have much more security built in.
If you don't want to use Vista (which was a pile of crap to be honest) then any PC which runs Vista should be capable of running Windows 7.
I would but Windows 7 Home OEM for £70 and install that.
But it is NOT a good idea to go back to XP. It is an old operating system which is not supported and is open to security attacks.
Later versions of Windows like 7 and 8 have much more security built in.
If you don't want to use Vista (which was a pile of crap to be honest) then any PC which runs Vista should be capable of running Windows 7.
I would but Windows 7 Home OEM for £70 and install that.
VHG - This version of Vista Has a lot of stuff I don't need and none of the stuff that I do.
I have full versions of the Microsoft Office Suite etc. on the other drives, and use all of them in my work. It would seem to be more sensible to re-use what I can rather than fork out money for something I already have.....on 4 other hard-drives....LoL
I have full versions of the Microsoft Office Suite etc. on the other drives, and use all of them in my work. It would seem to be more sensible to re-use what I can rather than fork out money for something I already have.....on 4 other hard-drives....LoL
Just to let you know jth. http://
More precisely, to boot a Windows machine from a hard disk, that hard disk has to be either the only one wired to the motherboard or, if more than one present, the one configured as the boot drive from within the machine's BIOS. The machine will then look for the boot sector on that drive and take action accordingly, the final part of the boot process being to open a file called BOOT.ini in that drive's root directory which will specify where the operating system is installed.
What you may find if you connect your old HDD and set it to be the boot drive, that when Windows starts it will detect your new motherboard etc.
At this point Windows might through a wobbly and not start because it has detected a major hardware change. Your only option then would to do a repair install from your installation disks - which I assume from your post that you no longer have!
If you do have or can borrow the disks and still have your product key you may succeed with the repair install - depends on how awkward Windows decides to be.
At this point Windows might through a wobbly and not start because it has detected a major hardware change. Your only option then would to do a repair install from your installation disks - which I assume from your post that you no longer have!
If you do have or can borrow the disks and still have your product key you may succeed with the repair install - depends on how awkward Windows decides to be.
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