How to use old hard drive with windows 7 on a new computer?
HI
We have an old computer in which windows 7 was installed, we need to use the hard drive with windows 7 on a new computer, after installing it we have noticed that the computer keeps showing the recover system and then restarting it but we never could start windows normally, is there any way to accomplish that?
We have an old computer in which windows 7 was installed, we need to use the hard drive with windows 7 on a new computer, after installing it we have noticed that the computer keeps showing the recover system and then restarting it but we never could start windows normally, is there any way to accomplish that?
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Connect the disk as a 2nd disk to the PC. You can then access the data on it.
If as has been mentioned above, it is OEM, then you usually can't move the disk to another PC. You'll have problems with activation. If you live in the EU or Switzerland, you may be able to activate by phone. In other regions of the world you can forget it.
If it isn't OEM, then use a tool like those offered by paragon, for example it has a tool where you can migrate OS's. Their tools have options to restore to dissimilar hardware. With it the old drivers should get stripped from the system, and and you can inject the new drivers, particularly the important ones like the Chipset and Disk controller drivers. You'll still have to reactivate the OS once moved.
http://www.paragon-software.com/downloads/home/
If as has been mentioned above, it is OEM, then you usually can't move the disk to another PC. You'll have problems with activation. If you live in the EU or Switzerland, you may be able to activate by phone. In other regions of the world you can forget it.
If it isn't OEM, then use a tool like those offered by paragon, for example it has a tool where you can migrate OS's. Their tools have options to restore to dissimilar hardware. With it the old drivers should get stripped from the system, and and you can inject the new drivers, particularly the important ones like the Chipset and Disk controller drivers. You'll still have to reactivate the OS once moved.
http://www.paragon-software.com/downloads/home/
Hi,
I think that what you could do is virtualize the old HDD, and in effect virtualize the old instance of Win 7. Then when you need it, though I don't know why you would want to use it that way, you could runt the virtual Win 7 inside of the new computer as a virtual PC. The utility to use to copy the old HDD to virtual is called Disk2VHD which should be available free from Microsoft. Look here: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee656415.aspx Once you have it saved as a VHD, there is nothing to keep you from formatting the disk and placing the VHD onto it. I haven't had experience with OEM stuff though. It has worked with several computers but I never ran into the problems that the other responders mentioned - not to say I couldn't. If it is just data that you are wanting off of the old HDD, you could just back up the sections that you need, quick format the drive and restore the sections that you need. Then you would never have to use the old Win 7 again.
I think that what you could do is virtualize the old HDD, and in effect virtualize the old instance of Win 7. Then when you need it, though I don't know why you would want to use it that way, you could runt the virtual Win 7 inside of the new computer as a virtual PC. The utility to use to copy the old HDD to virtual is called Disk2VHD which should be available free from Microsoft. Look here: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee656415.aspx Once you have it saved as a VHD, there is nothing to keep you from formatting the disk and placing the VHD onto it. I haven't had experience with OEM stuff though. It has worked with several computers but I never ran into the problems that the other responders mentioned - not to say I couldn't. If it is just data that you are wanting off of the old HDD, you could just back up the sections that you need, quick format the drive and restore the sections that you need. Then you would never have to use the old Win 7 again.
@dimensionav - Thank you and good luck with your new computer.
Not looking for points....just confirming what he said.