[SOLVED] Using old HDD drive without wiping in new pc as 2nd HDD

[nathaphon.stikkelorum]

So I have 2 old system (1 Acer, 1 Dell) and I'm planning to build 1 PC to house all the data on the drive in one place so less space needed and consume less power.
The new pc will be boot out of an ssd and I want to use the 2 hdd out of the 2 system as the media storage without wiping anything (Picture, Movie, Document, etc).
So can I just connect the old hdd to the pc? I want to access thru the home network.

 

[alexoiu]

Yes. Just connect it after installing Windows on the SSD and make sure that in BIOS the SSD is set as the first boot drive.

 

[nathaphon.stikkelorum]

Yes. Just connect it after installing Windows on the SSD and make sure that in BIOS the SSD is set as the first boot drive.

Thanks you very much, it's is as I expected then~ I just don't to lose data with doing something I'm not used to (using old drive with data on it).

 

[DSzymborski]

Thanks you very much, it's is as I expected then~ I just don't to lose data with doing something I'm not used to (using old drive with data on it).

I'd recommend you exploring your backup options; if something happening to a hard drive would cause you to lose important data, that's a surefire sign that you have an inadequate backup regimen. It's a crucial part of basic PC upkeep.

 

[alexoiu]

Thanks you very much, it's is as I expected then~ I just don't to lose data with doing something I'm not used to (using old drive with data on it).

You're welcome. No risk involved. Connect the SSD, install Windows, power off, connect the HDD, start the pc, enter BIOS, check the boot priority and set the SSD if different, save, restart, and that's it. I assume that the HDD is SATA, and not IDE.

 

[USAFRet]

The new pc will be boot out of an ssd and I want to use the 2 hdd out of the 2 system as the media storage without wiping anything (Picture, Movie, Document, etc).
So can I just connect the old hdd to the pc? I want to access thru the home network.

You will run into permissions issues. Those folders are tied to the original user in the old system.

Far, far better to copy the data out of those folders to somewhere else, and wipe that drive.
Later, copy the data back.

Also:

What is your backup situation at home?

What is your backup situation at home? And if you don't do that, why not? Every single day, I read multiple threads here of "How do I get my stuff back?" or "That drive had 5 years of photos of my kids!!" Be it a dead drive, dropped phone, virus, accidental deletion, formatting the wrong...

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