Hard Drive Swap w OS?

[db95834]

I am refurbishing a Dell 780 Optoplex. I have a Compac with A 500GB Seagate Hybrid Drive.
Can a boot sector have drivers for more than one controller.
So that I could swap the Drive, and operating system into the new computer.
I think I am going from ICH5 or 6, all the way to ICH10. I've swapped drives into newer, and older computers before, but maybe I was just lucky.

Q? Could I load the Drivers for the ICH10 system while it's plugged into the earlier controller, swap it, and then power up?
Supposedly I can use the repair console from my vista installation CD. -but would that replace the earlier driver and make the drive unreadable in the earlier computer?

I just don't want to get stuck.
Thanks guys,
DON

 

[MaybeDerek]

It is not a good idea to boot from a Hard Drive Operating System that was built on another computer. You will almost certainly get errors, and it could yield your install of Windows un-bootable. These computers (and drive controllers) are most likely very dissimilar, and it is unlikely that a workable solution to switching a drive between them exists. If you wanted to try you could build windows, and then run Sysprep, a Windows tool that will attempt to strip down the operating system in order to move it to another machine.

There are lots of Sysprep tutorials online. I do not think that this is a good way to achieve what you want to do, however. Running any sort of operation on a Hard Drive to get it to work in two machines will alter your installation of windows drastically, and may not be what you want.

What exactly is your goal for this project? Is it just that you don't have enough hard drives?

 

[db95834]

It is not a good idea to boot from a Hard Drive Operating System that was built on another computer. You will almost certainly get errors, and it could yield your install of Windows un-bootable. These computers (and drive controllers) are most likely very dissimilar, and it is unlikely that a workable solution to switching a drive between them exists. If you wanted to try you could build windows, and then run Sysprep, a Windows tool that will attempt to strip down the operating system in order to move it to another machine.

There are lots of Sysprep tutorials online. I do not think that this is a good way to achieve what you want to do, however. Running any sort of operation on a Hard Drive to get it to work in two machines will alter your installation of windows drastically, and may not be what you want.


What exactly is your goal for this project? Is it just that you don't have enough hard drives?

::::::::::::::::::::::
Thanks MDerek;
Good Guess. Money is an issue too.
I have only one hybrid drive.
I had a series of ASUS motherboard PC's with pullout drive carriers. They all had very similar chipsets. I just thought maybe there was something simple that I was ignorant of. I'm sure going from ICH6 all the way to ICH10 is too huge a chipset change.
I ruined my old OS, and lost years of notes and data with Sysprep. I think anytime someone plans on using Sysprep, they should begin by putting it back into the box, AND backing up all data FIRST.
Then you start to think about using Sysprep. After you have nothing to lose!
I guess right now my plan would be:
1- throw in a hard drive and windows install cd. Verify that it is detected, AND begins instal. Stop right there.
2- mirror my data off my hybrid drive, onto another HD.
3- Do a clean instal. uggg
I have Seagate Disk Wizard, but it will not mirror any of the data on it's primary drive. Even the other partitions.
Do you have any experience with it?

 

[db95834]

It is not a good idea to boot from a Hard Drive Operating System that was built on another computer. You will almost certainly get errors, and it could yield your install of Windows un-bootable. These computers (and drive controllers) are most likely very dissimilar, and it is unlikely that a workable solution to switching a drive between them exists. If you wanted to try you could build windows, and then run Sysprep, a Windows tool that will attempt to strip down the operating system in order to move it to another machine.

There are lots of Sysprep tutorials online. I do not think that this is a good way to achieve what you want to do, however. Running any sort of operation on a Hard Drive to get it to work in two machines will alter your installation of windows drastically, and may not be what you want.

What exactly is your goal for this project? Is it just that you don't have enough hard drives?

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
So Yes I'm trying to avoid purchasing another Hybrid drive right now. Or any H drive's right now.
The hybrid drive is the fastest one I have at this time.
I am trying to get 8GB of RAM, and my 500Gb Seagate hybrid drive installed into a dell optiplex 780 mini tower.
With a SSD ready cache.
Could I just build a small partition on the drive?
Copy all my data into it.
Do a clean instal, but format the partition where my windows Operating system is installed right now.
?Would the new HD controller, and Installation disk recognize the existing partitions on my old hard drive?

I think step one is Backup, all data...
Thanks for the suggestions!
db.

 

[akseli]

Yes, if you create a new partion on the disk, you can dump anything you want to keep, there, and then make fresh install on the main, big partion. Partitions are handled by OS and Windows will, once installed see the old secondary partion and you can copy back anything you like from there.

In installing phase you just need to set Windows to install on the main partition. I think fresh install will format the existing partion, but it won't touch the small partion it's not installing itself into.

So if all your relevant data is easy to copy into separate partion, and you have media to make fresh install, that's very good way to do it, better in fact as taking old install and trying to transfer it into a new computer.

 

[db95834]

Yes, if you create a new partion on the disk, you can dump anything you want to keep, there, and then make fresh install on the main, big partion. Partitions are handled by OS and Windows will, once installed see the old secondary partion and you can copy back anything you like from there.

In installing phase you just need to set Windows to install on the main partition. I think fresh install will format the existing partion, but it won't touch the small partion it's not installing itself into.

So if all your relevant data is easy to copy into separate partion, and you have media to make fresh install, that's very good way to do it, better in fact as taking old install and trying to transfer it into a new computer.

 

[db95834]

akseli said:

"Yes, if you create a new partion on the disk, you can dump anything you want to keep, there, and then make fresh install on the main, big partion. Partitions are handled by OS and Windows will, once installed see the old secondary partion and you can copy back anything you like from there.

In installing phase you just need to set Windows to install on the main partition. I think fresh install will format the existing partion, but it won't touch the small partion it's not installing itself into.

So if all your relevant data is easy to copy into separate partion, and you have media to make fresh install, that's very good way to do it, better in fact as taking old install and trying to transfer it into a new computer. "

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Thanks akseli. I am describing this for others;
I cleaned up my 500gb hybrid drive. Moved my data into a smaller, approx 200gb partition.
(backed up my data)
Used a MS Vista DVD to format the partition where my prior operating system was, and then attempted to select the new 300gb partition for installation.

I got warnings! So the install disk recognized the partition, but it would not install upon it. I could increase decrease, modify the partition. But no install.

I had to use another PC to copy all my data onto an old slow hard drive, that I use now for data.
I re-formatted the 500gb seagate hybrid drive. And used the MS Vista install DVD to build 1 partition, and then it recognised, and installed onto it.

Vista Install DVD goes wonky when it is faced with a Hybrid Drive.
I believe this one has 500gb of normal platters, and an 8gb SSD incorporated as an extra buffer.

Thanks for the advice. I'm sure it will be useful in future.
db

 

[aorsin]

It is not a good idea to boot from a Hard Drive Operating System that was built on another computer. You will almost certainly get errors, and it could yield your install of Windows un-bootable. These computers (and drive controllers) are most likely very dissimilar, and it is unlikely that a workable solution to switching a drive between them exists. If you wanted to try you could build windows, and then run Sysprep, a Windows tool that will attempt to strip down the operating system in order to move it to another machine.

There are lots of Sysprep tutorials online. I do not think that this is a good way to achieve what you want to do, however. Running any sort of operation on a Hard Drive to get it to work in two machines will alter your installation of windows drastically, and may not be what you want.


What exactly is your goal for this project? Is it just that you don't have enough hard drives?

::::::::::::::::::::::
Thanks MDerek;
Good Guess. Money is an issue too.
I have only one hybrid drive.
I had a series of ASUS motherboard PC's with pullout drive carriers. They all had very similar chipsets. I just thought maybe there was something simple that I was ignorant of. I'm sure going from ICH6 all the way to ICH10 is too huge a chipset change.
I ruined my old OS, and lost years of notes and data with Sysprep. I think anytime someone plans on using Sysprep, they should begin by putting it back into the box, AND backing up all data FIRST.
Then you start to think about using Sysprep. After you have nothing to lose!
I guess right now my plan would be:
1- throw in a hard drive and windows install cd. Verify that it is detected, AND begins instal. Stop right there.
2- mirror my data off my hybrid drive, onto another HD.
3- Do a clean instal. uggg
I have Seagate Disk Wizard, but it will not mirror any of the data on it's primary drive. Even the other partitions.
Do you have any experience with it?
[/q
Hi I have experimented with sysprep and for me it seems that is the problem moving your hard drives. I deleted the panther folder in windows and deleted anything about sysprep in the registry. Then I shut down swapped the drive and booted up. When windows starts it will detect the new hardware and install the drivers for them. Windows is adaptable in that the designers have incorporated a sensing mechanism in windows to ensure it is configured correctly to run in it's environment. Hope this helps someone