Upgraded from PIII to P4 - want to use the PIII XP HDD but..

[jed]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

Hi,
I am looking for someone that has had experience swapping Harddrives from
one system to another! I have built a new system P4 3.2. I have been using
a PIII 800mz with windows XP on an 80GB drive. I want to take the Windows XP
HDD from the old Computer (PIII) and install it to the new computer without
having to format and start over. When I install the 80GB drive in the new
computer WinXP starts to boot then Blue screens for a few seconds and
reboots the system (loop) I can put a different drive in the new machine
and install XP on it using the new computer. Is there any tricks that will
allow me to boot the existing XP hdd to the new hardware? I have heard
that you can't change the Hardware with XP without having to reinstall. Is
this the case.

Thanks
J

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

Jed wrote:
> Hi,
> I am looking for someone that has had experience swapping Harddrives
> from one system to another! I have built a new system P4 3.2. I
> have been using a PIII 800mz with windows XP on an 80GB drive. I
> want to take the Windows XP HDD from the old Computer (PIII) and
> install it to the new computer without having to format and start
> over. When I install the 80GB drive in the new computer WinXP
> starts to boot then Blue screens for a few seconds and reboots the
> system (loop) I can put a different drive in the new machine and
> install XP on it using the new computer. Is there any tricks that
> will allow me to boot the existing XP hdd to the new hardware? I
> have heard that you can't change the Hardware with XP without
> having
> to reinstall. Is this the case.
>
> Thanks
> J


Normally, and assuming a retail license (many OEM installations
and licenses are not transferable to a new motherboard - check yours
before starting), unless the new motherboard is virtually identical
(same chipset, same IDE controllers, same BIOS version, etc.) to the
one on which the WinXP installation was originally performed, you'll
need to perform a repair (a.k.a. in-place upgrade) installation, at
the very least:

How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade of Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/directory/article.asp?ID=KB;EN-US;Q315341

The "why" is quite simple, really, and has nothing to do with
licensing issues, per se; it's a purely technical matter, at this
point. You've pulled the proverbial hardware rug out from under the
OS. (If you don't like -- or get -- the rug analogy, think of it as
picking up a Cape Cod style home and then setting it down onto a Ranch
style foundation. It just isn't going to fit.) WinXP, like Win2K
before it, is not nearly as "promiscuous" as Win9x when it comes to
accepting any old hardware configuration you throw at it. On
installation it "tailors" itself to the specific hardware found. This
is one of the reasons that the entire WinNT/2K/XP OS family is so much
more stable than the Win9x group.

As always when undertaking such a significant change, back up any
important data before starting.

This will also probably require re-activation, unless you have a
Volume Licensed version of WinXP Pro installed. If it's been more
than 120 days since you last activated that specific Product Key,
you'll most likely be able to activate via the internet without
problem. If it's been less, you might have to make a 5 minute phone
call.

--

Bruce Chambers

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