Old OS on new system

[jsnpringle]

im looking to get a new from pc specialist but i want to just use the same hard drive im using at the moment because is has all my thing and most of all my OS.

Just wanting to know if its as easy of plug in and go cause its set up or if its really annoying.
Side note pc specialist make you get a hard drive of some sort with the build a: why and b: does this mean it will be set up for me reviving it meaning i can just add my HDD's

 

[aldan]

this question has been beaten to death in this forumn.had you searched the forumn you would have found that no,it is extremely unlikely that your old os would work.not going into details,but a fresh install of your windows is necessary.

 

[dshort01]

This is a very dangerous proposition. You didn't mention which OS. It is far from ideal and may fail. I would invest a small amount more and buy a second hdd so at least you can transfer your data and install the OS. I suspect you want to save money. Windows 10 and modern BIOS are more able than ever to install the correct drivers you need to at least boot, however, very risky I would not recommend it. Happy to discuss this more if you want to reply. Just need to know which OS is installed on your HDD. Too, plenty people here willing to offer their suggestions as well. BTW, this is something I would never try.

 

[Wolfshadw]

With older operating systems, a fresh install was almost always necessary when moving a hard drive from an old computer to new hardware. Windows 10 is much better at updating itself and getting your computer working, but even so, I always recommend a fresh install of the OS. I know it can be a pain since you have all your settings the way you want and all of your programs installed, but to be honest, you'd still be better off with a clean install.

As for your questions in regards to PC Specialist:

A) Probably because they can and they don't want an over-abundance of hard drives (or any other component) lying in storage.
B) Unless you're ordering an OS as well as the computer, it's likely just going to be in there. Since I don't know how they're setting it up, I can't recommend this, but what I would do is pull that drive from the new computer and install it into your current one. Use that drive to back up your data (documents, images, media, favorites, etc...). Then I would pull the old hard drive from the old system, install it into the new system and perform the clean install of the OS. Once the new system is up and running, install the old hard drive back into the new system and restore your back ups.

-Wolf sends

 

[CountMike]

Depends on OS, Windows 10 are very likely to work on new system, some drivers may have to be changed though.