Old HDD + New Comp

Community Forums/General Help/Old HDD + New Comp

Jaydubeww(Posted 2010) [#1]
I have a old hdd that i would like to use with my other pc. The thing is, the old hdd was with a computer with win xp. The new computer will be vista. Can I install the old hdd on the vista pc and still access the data on it?


GfK(Posted 2010) [#2]
Yes.

Assuming its an IDE drive (as its "old"), set the jumper switch on the back of the drive to SL (slave) and plug it into the second channel on IDE0.

I'd recommend doing a backup of all the important stuff on the drive, then formatting it. Holding a redundant operating system on there is a bit pointless.

Oh and Vista? No. Just.... no. Get Windows 7.


xlsior(Posted 2010) [#3]
Yes -- although like Gfk pointed out, the old drive is likely IDE while the new computer may only support SATA drives.

If that's the case, you can still get an IDE to SATA converter adapters to give a modern SATA connector to an old IDE drive.

You may also be missing the appropriate power connectors in your new computer: newer PC's often only come with the SATA power adapters, not the old MOLEX ones that IDE drives require.

All in all it may be a lot easier to just get yourself an external USB drive enclosure that supports an IDE drive, and put it in there.

If you don't know what you have:



The top drive is IDE (Also called ATA or PATA)
the bottom drive is SATA


xlsior(Posted 2010) [#4]
And here's the differnet power connectors:



The SATA connectors are typically black, the IDE ones are typically white.
The cable pictured is a converter to go from the old MOLEX used by IDE drives to SATA necessary for modern drives. You also have them the other way around for if your power supply only has SATA power connectors and you'll need the MOLEX to connect an old drive.

Last edited 2010


*(Posted 2010) [#5]
Another thing to take into consideration is you might have to play around with the drive letters in windows if you have more than one partition on your vista drive as Windows may allow drive D to the other hard disk as the primary partition on that would be D all the stuff you installed on D would then become E:\... and windows itself may BSOD when looking to it all on D:.

If there is one partition on each drive you will be safe :)