Help computer guys!!

[Telvis]

I just bought a new desktop computer today. It is mainly for my wife. She didn't want to lose any of her stuff or programs off the old one but the hard drive had become full and the computer was way outdated. The guy at the computer place said to just install the hard drive from her old computer into the new one and set the jumper swich to slave. I did that. The data is available but not like I had hoped. I figured everything would run like it did on the old computer but with the additional space of the new hard drive and faster processor. Should I have made the new hard drive the slave and the old drive the master? I wanted this to be an easy transition. I guess that's too much to ask for. I am no computer guy. I would appreciate any advice I can get. Please speak in plain english. Keep in mind I'm no expert. My wife has not felt well lately and I wanted to surprise her. This thing will frustrate her the way it is. I will have to reinstall the hard drive back into the old one and set it back up if I can't get this to work right.

[Khyron]

plain english, i'll try.

The old hard drive will not work on the new system as the old Windows. It just can't. Windows2000 and WindowsXP can not switch from one machine to another.

Even if it's windows 98 or dear god ME the OS is crap.

FIles will transfer over, programs <9 out of 10> will need to be reinstalled.

Sorry if this is not the answer you had hoped for.

[Telvis]

The old computer was running on XP pro the same as the new one. Does that make a difference?

[Khyron]

It makes a difference as far as "at least you know the directory stricture"

but that’s it, as stated before, the hard drive from the old can't be the primary on the new.

<Geek warning> The OS has files to the IDE / SATA controllers and as such, will not boot, you'll get a lovely "UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME blue screen"

Transfer the MY DOCUMENTS, FAVORATES <under documents and settings > username>

any folders and other directories you made in the root C:\

and reinstall any programs you may have.


and before another geek chimes in, Sysprep Sux

[Telvis]

I understand that the old drive won't work on my new computer. The rest might as well have been chinese. Can I transfer the stuff from the old rive to the new one while it's installed in the new computer? If so please try to give instructions in simple english. I would be very grateful. I know how to do the settings and transfer wizard deal but I will have to put the drive back in the old computer and make a disk. It would be nice if I could just transfer everything with it set up like it is.

[Khyron]

You can transfer the data with the way it's hooked up.... so I’m going to make some assumptions here...

New systems hard drive is going to be
Local Disk
   C:

CD-ROM
    D:

Old Hard drive
     E:

Double click my computer, Double Click Local Disk C:
take that window and move it to the side

Double Click Local Disk E: <or your old hard drive
Take that windows and move it to the other side.

Right click the directory on E: that you want to transfer. Select Copy

Click the windows of your C:

right click and select Paste.

Do that to all the data you want to transfer

[Khyron]

P.S. do you have Yahoo messanger or something?

[Telvis]

I will try it in the morning. I don't have any messenger program set up on my computer. I ahve it but have never set up a user name and account.

[Arthu®]

hmmm can't he just make his old hd master. Than it should run from that. Or am I really that stupid for thinking that? Than he could just format the new hd and have a whole bunch of more space. But don't even think that what I am saying is correct until someone else says it as well. Anything but a computer expert.

Arthur

[Khyron]

hmmm can't he just make his old hd master. Than it should run from that. Or am I really that stupid for thinking that? Than he could just format the new hd and have a whole bunch of more space. But don't even think that what I am saying is correct until someone else says it as well. Anything but a computer expert.

Arthur

Nope, I answered that I believe already, Windows XP and Windows2000 put the IDE / SATA controllers into the boot up sequence. During boot up, the machine actually "Forgets" were the hard drive is located and will cause the computer to blue screen with a UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME error.

True with Windows 95, 98, and ME you could reload drivers and call it a day, but with the added security and such with an NT platform you can't do it. In very rare cases, a motherboard will have the exact same IDE / SATA controllers and it can be done... for example. An IBM 600E laptop has the same controller as an IBM T20, so you can do this, but chances are. It just will not work.

[Khyron]

*GEEK WARNING* Side note, the reason 95, 98, ME can do it is also because they are not "really" an operating system; they are still a GUI <Graphical user Interface> to DOS.

Windows 2k and windows XP are true OS's, and are therefore more dependant on their hardware.

[Telvis]

I spent most of last night setting the new coputer up and downloading drivers for printers and other devices. I transferred the files that I could and installed the virus software. Now I just have to find all the discs and install all of the programs onto the new computer. What a pain! Hopefully we won't have to buy another computer for a while.

[psykicpup]

belive there is a gadget you can buy that willl transfer all info on one 'puter to a new one easily - pass the local 'puter shop onr the w3ay to work in the morning ...if its still in the window I will post the namr tomorrow PM