[SOLVED] Is it possible to replace a hard drive with another one that is not empty?

Dec 30, 2022
2
0
10
My hard drive is near to give up, I have another laptop that have a healthy drive same type like the previous.
On both hard drives windows 10 is installed and activated and each hard drive have the drivers of a different motherboard, including 120 GB of data. is it possible to replace the hard drive without having to format the healthy drive?
 
Solution
Well, the laptop that have a healthy drive is an old laptop. it have a sound problem and an old CPU that doesn't work well with graphic programs like adobe software's. After I scanned my hard drive and found that the errors are permanent and it's getting worse everyday, I moved all my data to the healthy drive. So now I'm thinking or I move my data to the cloud and then format the healthy drive or I will just replace it if it won't cause me any problems. I'm afraid that since the healthy drive have drivers and registry keys for a different motherboard that will cause conflict when it's introduced to the new board. So what's the best thing to do ?
Save all your personal data off to some other location. Some other drive, cloud...

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
My hard drive is near to give up, I have another laptop that have a healthy drive same type like the previous.
On both hard drives windows 10 is installed and activated and each hard drive have the drivers of a different motherboard, including 120 GB of data. is it possible to replace the hard drive without having to format the healthy drive?

This may (likely will) involve a whole new OS install.
As opposed to the above comment, Windows does not always 'figure it out'.
Especially between different laptops.


Why not just install the needed applications on Laptop #2, with the OS it already has?
 
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Dec 30, 2022
2
0
10
This may (likely will) involve a whole new OS install.
As opposed to the above comment, Windows does not always 'figure it out'.
Especially between different laptops.


Why not just install the needed applications on Laptop #2, with the OS it already has?
Well, the laptop that have a healthy drive is an old laptop. it have a sound problem and an old CPU that doesn't work well with graphic programs like adobe software's. After I scanned my hard drive and found that the errors are permanent and it's getting worse everyday, I moved all my data to the healthy drive. So now I'm thinking or I move my data to the cloud and then format the healthy drive or I will just replace it if it won't cause me any problems. I'm afraid that since the healthy drive have drivers and registry keys for a different motherboard that will cause conflict when it's introduced to the new board. So what's the best thing to do ?
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
Well, the laptop that have a healthy drive is an old laptop. it have a sound problem and an old CPU that doesn't work well with graphic programs like adobe software's. After I scanned my hard drive and found that the errors are permanent and it's getting worse everyday, I moved all my data to the healthy drive. So now I'm thinking or I move my data to the cloud and then format the healthy drive or I will just replace it if it won't cause me any problems. I'm afraid that since the healthy drive have drivers and registry keys for a different motherboard that will cause conflict when it's introduced to the new board. So what's the best thing to do ?
Save all your personal data off to some other location. Some other drive, cloud, whatever.

Put whatever drive works best in the laptop that is without issues.
New OS install, and then all your applications, etc.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Armamentoz
Solution