New hardware old software

[UnseenK]

So, basically I'm getting all new PC gear tomorrow, and the only thing I'm keeping from my last PC is a hard drive. I was just curious, will I have any issues simply putting my components together with my old hard drive? Is there anyone I need to remove/uninstall to prevent my PC from going crazy? I mean surely I need to uninstall my graphics card drivers, but what else?

In case you're wondering why I don't just reformat my hard drive, it's because I'm getting a SSD in about a week or two and I'm going to be installing Windows 8 on that, so I don't want to go through all the trouble of reformatting this hard drive when I'd have to reformat it again when I got the SSD.

 

[John Connor]

I don't understand. Are you using the HDD as a second drive and the SSD will contain Win 8?

 

[QuietDad]

You can save yourself some grief by installing the new drivers on the old system BEFORE you take it out and put it in the new system. Makes the initial boot more likely to work because the chipset and motherboard drivers will be there at first boot.

 

[UnseenK]

I don't understand. Are you using the HDD as a second drive and the SSD will contain Win 8?

I'm using the HDD as the primary drive right now, until my SSD arrives in a week or two. I'm just wondering if I can just remove all of my old hardware minus the HDD (gpu, cpu, motherboard, psu, ram) and simply put in my new hardware and expect it to work on the same HDD.

Is there any prep worked needed on the software side of things that need to be done before install the hardware on the the same HDD I used before and after my upgrade?

I really hope this isn't confusing anymore.

 

[John Connor]

The installed OS on the hard drive won't work with new hardware. Your talking about drivers and registry settings.

 

[QuietDad]

Two things you need to think of. Does the new PC even support the HDD of the old PC? HDD's used to be primarily IDE and have moved to SATA. Some newer PC's don't have IDE ports in them. While you can get IDE PCI cards, Some Wont work till the OS is booted and drivers are loaded.

Second issue is the OS on the old drive may need the drivers for the motherboard chipsets, the new integrated video/lan/audio drivers on the new mother board. If you install the driver CD of the NEW computer on the old computer before you take the drive out, the boot up goes much smoother. Otherwise you can take your chances and just swap it. If it doesn't boot, youu can reinstall Windows selecting UPDATE isnstead of install a new copy.

I do this ALL the time. Its easier win WIN7 than it is with WIN98.

 

[UnseenK]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136283

That's my hard drive. My new PC will support it.

I can't just like, uninstall the drivers for my current motherboard and then put the new one in?

So, it's better to install the drivers of the new motherboard, put the new motherboard in, and then uninstall the old drivers?


Edit: Will this method work? http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/135077-windows-7-installation-transfer-new-computer.html

 

[Bubbaleone]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136283

That's my hard drive. My new PC will support it.

I can't just like, uninstall the drivers for my current motherboard and then put the new one in?

So, it's better to install the drivers of the new motherboard, put the new motherboard in, and then uninstall the old drivers?


Edit: Will this method work? http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/135077-windows-7-installation-transfer-new-computer.html

Yes, that's the recommended method for preparing an existing Windows installation for transfer to new hardware. Carefully read the article before proceeding, and keep in mind that sysprep can only be run on "clean" installations. Sysprep won't run if your Windows is an "upgrade" installation i.e., Vista upgraded to Windows 7 or if an "in-place" upgrade installation (aka a repair installation) has ever been performed.

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[Bubbaleone]

If running sysprep isn't an option, then you'll need to replace all manufacturer specific drivers with "Standard" Microsoft drivers. Open Device Manager, click View and select Show hidden devices, then right-click on any device and select Properties. Under the General tab are listed the Device type, Manufacturer, and Location. Look at the Manufacturer; if, for example, it doesn't say "Standard" i.e., Standard disk drive, Standard IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers, etc., then it's a manufacturer specific driver and needs to be uninstalled. Once you've uninstalled all manufacturer specific drivers; reboot the computer and Windows will install the standard Microsoft drivers.

There's still some additional cleanup work to perform after the standard drivers have been installed: Turn off Windows Update then configure Explorer to show all file extensions, hidden files, and system files. Open an elevated command prompt and run this command to delete the hiberfil.sys file: powercfg -h off. Next, press the Win key + Pause/Break then go to Advanced system settings > Advanced > Settings > Change > No page file > set, and then reboot. Once back to the desktop; open the Windows\Prefetch folder and delete all items listed. The last step is to run the Windows cleanup utility and delete everything listed. When you've finished; shutdown the computer and then remove the drive, which is now prepped for installation with the new hardware.

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[UnseenK]

Sysprep should work then, I'm using a clean install and iirc I've never had to do a Windows repair. Thanks for the help guys.