Existing C: Drive and a new system

  • Thread starter Thread starter Omicron
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Omicron

Hello all,
Can I take an existing C: drive running Windows 7 32-bit and place it
into a brand new computer?
This new computer will have a completely different motherboard, video
card, etc., etc from the existing system.
If it CAN be done, what potential problems will I face and/or what
changes or modifications will I need to do to get it to run properly?
I'm trying to avoid the hassle of re-installing all my software,
email, etc., etc.

To summarize:
Can I build a new system from scratch, BUT take my existing Windows 7
C: drive from my old system and put it into my new box, thus becoming
the new machine's C drive?
Thank you for an help and advice.
Regards.
 
Hello all,
Can I take an existing C: drive running Windows 7 32-bit and place it
into a brand new computer?
This new computer will have a completely different motherboard, video
card, etc., etc from the existing system.
If it CAN be done, what potential problems will I face and/or what
changes or modifications will I need to do to get it to run properly?
I'm trying to avoid the hassle of re-installing all my software,
email, etc., etc.

To summarize:
Can I build a new system from scratch, BUT take my existing Windows 7
C: drive from my old system and put it into my new box, thus becoming
the new machine's C drive?
Thank you for an help and advice.
Regards.
Click to expand...

I think you have a good chance of it working. I've not done it since
using XP and a MB died, but it worked then. It did take a long time to
boot up the first couple of times, and there were many drivers that I
had to search for to get things back to where I wanted them, but I was
pleased with the final result.
 
Charlie Hoffpauir said:
I think you have a good chance of it working. I've not done it
since using XP and a MB died, but it worked then. It did take a
long time to boot up the first couple of times, and there were
many drivers that I had to search for to get things back to
where I wanted them, but I was pleased with the final result.
Click to expand...

Making incremental copies of drive C would be very useful for that
sort of thing.
 
Omicron said:
Hello all,
Can I take an existing C: drive running Windows 7 32-bit and place it
into a brand new computer?
This new computer will have a completely different motherboard, video
card, etc., etc from the existing system.
If it CAN be done, what potential problems will I face and/or what
changes or modifications will I need to do to get it to run properly?
I'm trying to avoid the hassle of re-installing all my software,
email, etc., etc.

To summarize:
Can I build a new system from scratch, BUT take my existing Windows 7
C: drive from my old system and put it into my new box, thus becoming
the new machine's C drive?
Thank you for an help and advice.
Regards.
Click to expand...

The issue is going to be Activation. The danger is, the OS will
"jam up" and not even offer you a grace period, to activate the
new configuration. Windows is going to know it's on different
hardware. (I think when I tested this in a VM a while back, I
received a "72 hour warning". But I have heard of other
activation adventures, where the machine was virtually
unresponsive. You got a desktop screen, but the machine
was sick.)

This should give you some idea how hard it will be. Notice that
the working combinations of installer DVD type and existing OS
type, are restrictive. For example, if you did "Disk Cleanup"
and zapped 1GB worth of SP1 Service Pack files, there'll be
no uninstalling SP1 for the purposes of enabling Repair Install
to work. Some people (me included), use Disk Cleanup after SP1,
to get rid of the uninstall option for SP1. It looks like that
is a mistake, when reading this...

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/3413-repair-install.html

Since my copy of Windows 7 is OEM on a laptop, and not a real
installer DVD, I don't have a chance to do that anyway. So
it doesn't matter to me. But someone with a real (retail)
installer DVD, would care.

It's always possible there is another primer like that
around somewhere, so keep looking.

Paul
 
 From my perspective the "hassle" of having to install a fresh copy of
Windows 7 is vastly outweighed by the uncertainty that any instability
in the new system is being a result of queered drivers.

Spend the hour setting up the new system with a fresh install and be
done with it.
Click to expand...

Hello Grinder,
The hassle, as I noted in my original message, is not the installation
of a fresh copy of Windows 7.
It is the installation of 100+ software packages, which encompasses
getting all the disks, getting all the serials, keys, etc., spending
the hours of necessary time installing them, entering the data as
noted, etc., etc.
I can assure you that if it was ONLY a matter of installing the
operating system, we'd not be having this discussion.
I agree, however, that potential instability is not worth the risk,.
That is the reason I asked the original question - to find the views
of you fine folks regarding said instability, dangers, pitfalls, etc.
 
"Omicron" wrote in message

Hello all,
Can I take an existing C: drive running Windows 7 32-bit and place it
into a brand new computer?
This new computer will have a completely different motherboard, video
card, etc., etc from the existing system.
If it CAN be done, what potential problems will I face and/or what
changes or modifications will I need to do to get it to run properly?
I'm trying to avoid the hassle of re-installing all my software,
email, etc., etc.

To summarize:
Can I build a new system from scratch, BUT take my existing Windows 7
C: drive from my old system and put it into my new box, thus becoming
the new machine's C drive?
Thank you for an help and advice.
Regards.


No you can't do that, it probably wouldn't even boot. Windows 7 will be
configured for whatever processor was in that computer and possibly chipset
information, also differences in the amount of memory too. You have to
reformat and reload windows onto the new machine.

Shaun
 
"Omicron"  wrote in message


Hello all,
Can I take an existing C: drive running Windows 7 32-bit and place it
into a brand new computer?
This new computer will have a completely different motherboard, video
card, etc., etc from the existing system.
If it CAN be done, what potential problems will I face and/or what
changes or modifications will I need to do to get it to run properly?
I'm trying to avoid the hassle of re-installing all my software,
email, etc., etc.

To summarize:
Can I build a new system from scratch, BUT take my existing Windows 7
C: drive from my old system and put it into my new box, thus becoming
the new machine's C drive?
Thank you for an help and advice.
Regards.

No you can't do that,  it probably wouldn't even boot.  Windows 7 will be
configured for whatever processor was in that computer and possibly chipset
information,  also differences in the amount of memory too.  You haveto
reformat and reload windows onto the new machine.

Shaun
Click to expand...

OK then,
Seems the general consensus is that trying to use my existing drive,
containing Win 7 and all my software, on a new computer is risky at
best and will fail at worse.
Thanks to all for your responses.
You guys are most helpful.
Take care.
 
Hello all,
Can I take an existing C: drive running Windows 7 32-bit and place it
into a brand new computer?
This new computer will have a completely different motherboard, video
card, etc., etc from the existing system.
If it CAN be done, what potential problems will I face and/or what
changes or modifications will I need to do to get it to run properly?
I'm trying to avoid the hassle of re-installing all my software,
email, etc., etc.

To summarize:
Can I build a new system from scratch, BUT take my existing Windows 7
C: drive from my old system and put it into my new box, thus becoming
the new machine's C drive?
Thank you for an help and advice.
Regards.
Click to expand...

Expect to have to do a repair install. I've never done it with 7 but
I've done this with XP more than once, no problem beyond the repair
install.
 
Expect to have to do a repair install. I've never done it with 7 but
I've done this with XP more than once, no problem beyond the repair
install.
Click to expand...

Ive done it with Win7. It still has the same "warts" of any NT-based OS
on this, expect to play massive driver games.

You may be in for about 3 days of "redrivering". The M$ drivers often
don't do well on advanced hardware functions.

I'm not going to get into the "nit-pick" legalities of moving an OEM Win
install onto new hardware (if this is the case). From my own dealings
with M$, they really don't give a rat's ass if you used one of the
(open) Dell OEM opsys discs (available about anywhere) to install
Windows on a home-built machine (or to straighten out a really botched
box). The only downside is that you *can't* get support out of M$ for
anything on that.... but that's what "websearch" is for.

Just something to be aware of:

SATA "modes"
Too many permutations on that to get into on just a post, but you may
have to play "BIOS Games" on things like "IDE Simulation", AHCI, etc.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Host_Controller_Interface

Be prepared to muck around in BIOS if the drive doesn't boot; and be
ready to update the BIOS on your new mobo.

--
"Shit this is it, all the pieces do fit.
We're like that crazy old man jumping
out of the alleyway with a baseball bat,
saying, "Remember me motherfucker?"
Jim “Dandy” Mangrum
 
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