Trying to install a HD into newly built computer

[jrhall5150]

I am trying to move an existing Windows 7 HD into a new computer I just build. I have a ton of programs and other things on there for work I don't want to reinstall or have to set up again. However when I put it into the new computer it won't ever boot. It gives me all sorts of errors and tries to go through the solution repair without any luck. If I put it back into my old computer there is no problem. Am I just out of luck or is there anything I can do to save this beyond formatting it and starting over? Can I image the drive, format and then recover the image in the new computer? Thanks.

 

[Entomber]

You can try partitioning your drive and installing Windows fresh on the partition, without losing the data you have on your current drive. However, any programs that you have will likely not work properly since they'll be missing a lot of registry and other information essential for it to work. I would highly recommend that you format the drive after backing up any important work files, and then install Windows cleanly.

In addition to reinstalling your regular programs, you may have to buy a new Windows license just to use Windows on your new computer; the license is not always transferrable.

 

[reedo_43]

The hardware is too different between the 2 computers. You can not just move a hard drive. You can try booting into safemode to see if it boots and then the can install the drivers for the new computer. A fresh install will always be better.

 

[USAFRet]

I am trying to move an existing Windows 7 HD into a new computer I just build.

Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't.
You have found the latter. And a full reinstall is the only way forward.

Imaging is no different than moving the physical drive.

 

[jrhall5150]

This is unfortunately what I figured. I have an SSD for the new computer and a 3TB drive for programs. I already have all the documents backed up and saved, but was hoping to avoid losing all my settings, programs, etc etc. I have a new license for Windows so can format the SSD and install it cleanly, then I can start installing the programs and everything else as I think that is going to be my only option.

 

[Solandri]

I've only seen moving the HDD from one computer to another work about 1 in 10 tries. Enough that it was worth trying, but to expect failure. Nowadays I just convert the old computer into a virtual machine.

• 
  ■Download VMWare Converter and install it on the old computer.
  https://my.vmware.com/web/vmware/info/slug/infrastructure_operations_management/vmware_vcenter_converter_standalone/5_5
  ■Plug an external HDD into the old computer with enough space to contain the HDD you're trying to convert. (e.g. if the computer's HDD is 1 GB, you'll need an external drive that's bigger than 1 GB. Not strictly true if the computer's HDD has a lot of free space.) You can also do it over the network, but the external HDD is more reliable (you don't want the process to fail because someone turned on the microwave oven disrupting your wifi).
  ■You can try running Converter straight, but I've had better luck creating a new admin account and running it from within that. It seems a lot of the stuff loaded with an old and working account can interfere with the conversion process.
  ■Convert the running machine into a virtual machine image stored on the external HDD. This can take a few hours.
  ■While you're waiting, install VMWare Player onto the new computer.
  https://my.vmware.com/web/vmware/free#desktop_end_user_computing/vmware_player/4_0
  ■When the conversion is done, plug the external HDD into the new computer and copy the virtual machine image to it. Unplug the external HDD and keep it in a safe place as a backup.
  ■Start up Player, open the virtual image you just copied. Make a snapshot. This will safeguard you against any mistakes you make while reconfiguring the VM. You can delete the snapshot later when you're comfortable with how things are running and you know what a snapshot is.
  ■Cross your fingers and turn it on. It works about 80%-90% of the times I've tried it, and you end up with your old computer running in a window on your new computer. You'll probably have to reactivate, and it's a good idea to uninstall unneeded hardware drivers. But if you just want it as a safety net you can leave it as is.

You'll want to install your programs and such into the new computer. But this will give you peace of mind that you'll still have access to everything that was on your old computer (I always seem to forget to copy bookmarks). And you can go ahead and junk the old computer, or reformat and reinstall it and give it to charity.

Edit: If the old computer is a 64-bit OS, your new processor needs to support VT-x and virtualization has to be enabled in the BIOS. Go to wikipedia's "list of i3" or "list of i5" or "list of i7" processors, find yours, and see if it supports VT-x (most do).

Edit: couple more changes to procedure for added safeguards.

 

[USAFRet]

Cross your fingers and turn it on. It works about 80%-90% of the times I've tried it, and you end up with your old computer running in a window on your new computer.

And needing 2 OS licenses. 1 for the host, 1 for the guest VM.

 

[Solandri]

And needing 2 OS licenses. 1 for the host, 1 for the guest VM.

Only if you plan to use it extensively. If you just want it there as a safety net, you don't even need to reactivate it. An unactivated copy of Windows 7 just stops getting updates, disables your background pic, and puts up a "this copy of Windows is counterfeit" message.

 

[USAFRet]

If you're not going to use it, why have it?

Much better to just do an actual install, and then create and save an image of that install. A dupe install in a VM is mostly useless.

 

[Solandri]

If you're not going to use it, why have it?

Why do skydivers carry a second parachute if they're not planning to use it?

It's for peace of mind that if you should happen to need it, it's there and available. You can reformat the old computer and donate it it, confident that you got everything you need off of it. You can also use it to spread out reinstalling all your programs over several days, instead of having to do it all in one night before you can get back to productive work.

Much better to just do an actual install, and then create and save an image of that install. A dupe install in a VM is mostly useless.

Don't think I ever said not to do a fresh install. You do a fresh install on the new computer, but you keep a virtual copy of the old computer around as a VM for security and convenience.

 

[USAFRet]

Right. But you still have to install an OS on the host system first. Then the VM application. Then the guest OS.

Once you proceed with the host OS....just continue with that.
I have several VM's, used for various purposes. Linux, Server 2012, etc. As well as images of the various base OS installs of PC's here.
Not trying to argue here, but using a VM as a backup seems to me to be a waste of time. An image, sure. A VM? Not so much.

 

[Solandri]

Not trying to argue here, but using a VM as a backup seems to me to be a waste of time. An image, sure. A VM? Not so much.

An image does no good if the information you forgot to transfer over is within a program. e.g. One of the people whose computer I helped upgrade realized a week later that she didn't know her Evernote username and password. She'd set it up years ago, set it to remember her login info, and completely forgotten it.

If all she had was a backup image, she'd have had to get her old computer back from the charity she donated it to, restore the image, start up the computer, start up Evernote so she could see her username, then initiate a password recovery.

But I had set her up with a VM of her old computer. So all she had to do was start the VM, start up Evernote, and get her username from there.

Another example is my brother in law. When he upgraded from a Macbook to a PC laptop, I copied all his data files over for him. 6 months later he needed a file which had been on the Macbook, but couldn't find it in the 60 GB of files I'd copied over. He didn't remember the filename and had no idea where it was within the directory structure of all the files I'd copied over, but he remembered exactly how to get to the file on the Macbook using the program which generated the file.

Unfortunately, the Macbook had been reformatted and was on the other side of the country being used by a relative. Fortunately I'd also converted his Macbook into a VM. He fired it up, started up the program, and 2 minutes later he found the file he needed.