Question Swapping laptop's HDD ?

[tivu100]

Hi. My sister gave me her old 12 years old laptop that runs Windows Vista, (freshly restored to out of factory state). My sister barely uses the laptop, so despite its age, its condition is amazingly mint. Feel bad about recycling this machine.

Since Windows Vista is support is discontinued, and the specs is too weak to run Windows 10, I am thinking to install Linux Mint, and use this to learn and experiment with disk partitioning, dual booting, networking...

Instead of nuking the data and the Vista OS on this 160GB hard drive, I am thinking of swapping with my spare older 512GB SSD for speed and more storage.

My question is:
Can I plug 160GB hard drive with Windows Vista back in the same laptop in the future, without reinstallation?

 

[USAFRet]

My question is:
Can I plug 160GB hard drive with Windows Vista back in the same laptop in the future, without reinstallation?

Yes.

What is the make/model of the SSD you're putting in?

 

[tivu100]

Yes.

What is the make/model of the SSD you're putting in?

( 7 year old) Crucial SATA SSD. I am not sure whether it would work. The reason that I ask the question in this thread, before taking out the old hard drive, to connect and install OS on the SSD, risking the old HDD may require reinstallation of OS in the worst scenario.

Thanks for answering the question.

 

[USAFRet]

( 7 year old) Crucial SATA SSD. I am not sure whether it would work. The reason that I ask the question in this thread, before taking out the old hard drive, to connect and install OS on the SSD, risking the old HDD may require reinstallation of OS in the worst scenario.

Thanks for answering the question.

A SATA SSD should work no problem.

 

[TerryLaze]

risking the old HDD may require reinstallation of OS in the worst scenario.

If you don't change anything on the HDD you can put it back on the same place in the laptop and nothing will have changed, meaning it will still boot into windows and be activated.
But 12 years old HDD + how many years you will leave it laying around...you should take a clone/image of that HDD and keep that on a newer disk for safe keeping.

 

[TerryLaze]

Since Windows Vista is support is discontinued, and the specs is too weak to run Windows 10,

I would still try it, I mean if you want windows on it at all.