wes0778 Posted February 27, 2013 Share #1 Posted February 27, 2013 I hope this is possible... The motherboard on my XP Pro desktop PC has given up the ghost. The hard is fine. Is it possible to move the hard drive and trick XP into working in a whole new box, without doing a complete fresh reinstall? There is truly no "pirated" software on it, but I don't know if I would ever find all of the install disks.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilvrT Posted February 27, 2013 Share #2 Posted February 27, 2013 I've done that with Windows 95 and 98 but not with NT or XP ... not sure if it will work or not ... worth a try! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atoolnut Posted February 27, 2013 Share #3 Posted February 27, 2013 My motherboard crashed in Nov...win xp on hard drive..bought used board with new memory..new video card..installed xp found everything just had to update drivers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tx2sturgis Posted February 27, 2013 Share #4 Posted February 27, 2013 I have tried this on an experimental basis a few times and I had bad luck with it. The installed OS on the hard drive is loading drivers during the bootup process, for hardware that now, isnt there. And for the hardware that IS there, there are no drivers available on the drive. If it doesnt boot up, you might try 'safe mode'....but really, I dont think its a worthwhile effort. I would just install Linux in the new box, copy the files from the old drive, and be done with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilvrT Posted February 27, 2013 Share #5 Posted February 27, 2013 I would just install Linux in the new box, copy the files from the old drive, and be done with it. Files are one thing ... programs another and it seemed the OP was concerned about the programs. I could be wrong though ... a second time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etcswjoe Posted February 27, 2013 Share #6 Posted February 27, 2013 I have had it work using the the exact hardware but more times then not it either does not work or XP will ask you to authenticate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmarshall Posted February 27, 2013 Share #7 Posted February 27, 2013 Absolutely you can. I have a nice mid size box, and every three years or so I will upgrade it with a new motherboard and chip. If it's not too old, go to the intel website, and look up your chip. It will tell you which motherboard types (socket LGA 775,1155) etc. Then buy the right board. If it's too old, consider a bare bones combo of motherboard, processor and memory, as long as they'll fit in your box. Older PC's used IDE hard drives; newer ones use SATA. After you hook everything up, boot to the CD and install the new drivers, then re-boot. Your old hard drive, programs, etc will work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wes0778 Posted February 27, 2013 Author Share #8 Posted February 27, 2013 Files are one thing ... programs another and it seemed the OP was concerned about the programs. I could be wrong though ... a second time Yep, programs are the concern. I have all the .doc, .xls, .jpg, etc backed up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilvrT Posted February 27, 2013 Share #9 Posted February 27, 2013 Yep, programs are the concern. I have all the .doc, .xls, .jpg, etc backed up. Then the question becomes... specifically what programs? MS Office, for example, can be replaced with Open Office and I believe there is a different flavor of that as well that comes with Linux. FWIW, we use Open Office on our CSC workstations here and share MS Office files. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tx2sturgis Posted February 27, 2013 Share #10 Posted February 27, 2013 After you hook everything up, boot to the CD and install the new drivers, then re-boot. Your old hard drive, programs, etc will work. But he stated he doesnt have the install disc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGazer Posted February 28, 2013 Share #11 Posted February 28, 2013 Yes, what you are thinking about can be done. What you need to do is start you "new" system with memory, the hard drive, a CD/dvd drive, mouse, keyboard, and the on-board video. XP is gonna start looking for drivers, so what you need to do is put the new MB's driver disk in the DVD and let 'er rip. Start with the MB chipset and video drivers first and then move to the network adapter. Take a peek into Device Manager to see if you have any hardware issues. Install drivers as necessary. When you get the hardware working TEST EVERY THING!!!! and then test it again... When you are sure the system is stable, then you and install any necessary hardware from the old system.... It would also be a very good idea to hit the vendor's/mgf's web site and look for any driver or BIOS updates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGazer Posted February 28, 2013 Share #12 Posted February 28, 2013 I would just install Linux in the new box, copy the files from the old drive, and be done with it. Not to dis the OP, but based on the nature of the question he asked, do you really think he could install Linux by himself? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wes0778 Posted February 28, 2013 Author Share #13 Posted February 28, 2013 Thanks Guys, but this is a low budget situation. I have a perfectly good HP "box" that had a hard drive failure, so I do not have the original install disks for that "box". But so far it looks like running the "repair" option from the XP install disk has worked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tx2sturgis Posted February 28, 2013 Share #14 Posted February 28, 2013 Not to dis the OP, but based on the nature of the question he asked, do you really think he could install Linux by himself? Yes. Its a lot easier these days. If you can insert a DVD, type in your name, and remember a password, you can run Linux. A Linux install disc on ebay is about $5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wes0778 Posted February 28, 2013 Author Share #15 Posted February 28, 2013 Not to dis the OP, but based on the nature of the question he asked, do you really think he could install Linux by himself? No disrespect taken, but I've been playing in this realm since the DOS 2.0 days..... :stickpoke: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunboat Posted March 2, 2013 Share #16 Posted March 2, 2013 hey walt, THOR is on standby awaiting your command. regards don c. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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