So I finally took the plunge and got me a brand new HP with all the bells and whistles… Intel Duo Core 6750 2.66GHz, full-size motherboard (upgradeable to quad-core!), two gigs of DDR2 RAM (will be four soon), and GeForce 512MB 8800GTS graphics. Perfect for gaming.
Now I’d like to take the old hard drives from my other two computers and install them into the new box as slaves. Since they were previously masters, they both contain Windows XP. Obviously I neither want nor need XP on either of these drives.
So what’s the best way to get rid of them without deleting the files I want to keep? Is it possible to run the programs already installed on these drives through Vista? Would I need to put them in the registry? How?
You’ll need to reinstall the programs as your new registry doesn’t know the other programs are there. What I’d recommend is getting the data you DO want from those drives backed up first, then format them, connect as slaves, and install your old programs through Vista. Then restore your backups on whatever space you want. Just be sure you have all your important documents and projects saved on the new computer first.
The best way will be to remove all data not wanted from both drives. I would hook up both drives and then copy all the data from one to the other drives to store it.
1st. You can then use the drive manager to delete the partition on that drive. You can then format the partition for that drive. You can transfer the original data back.
2nd. Copy data from the second drive you need to format to another drive. Use the Disk Management program to delete that partition. You can then format the partition for that drive. Move the data back.
This could be more efficient depending on what your amounts of data and free space is on the drives. You can figure it out if you see what I’m telling you to do.
You might not be able to use them: the old drives are likely Parallel ATA (80-pin ribbon cable) whereas your new PC likely uses Serial ATA connectors. Consider fitting them in external USB boxes and using them as backup devices.
Possibly, but even new SATA motherboards still generally have PATA connectors on the board. If you’ve got the cables from the old system, you’re fine. Heck, most motherboards still have serial ports, and that’s been a dead technology for a decade. And if they don’t have connectors, you can buy a PATA (IDE) controller for about fifteen bucks.
When my in-laws’ computer died and they bought a new one with SATA, I bought a USB drive enclosure to put their old PATA drive into, to help them transfer their data. I realized after I bought it that it wasn’t necessary, because all computers that I’ve seen still have a PATA controller for optical drives. Do SATA optical drives exist?
