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Adding a hard drive

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Dolphnhatr

Technical User
Dec 10, 2003
1
US
I want to put a hard drive from my existing computer into another computer. I want to use this hard drive as the master. How can I switch the existing hard drive to a slave and install the one I have as the main drive.
 
Just set the jumpers accordingly (if not printed on drives, you can find them on drive manufacturer's website) - and if newer drives/IDE cable, make sure new master is connected to end connector.

But - you may have trouble booting from the moved hard drive in the new machine, as its operating system will have drivers installed for its current hardware (the mobo drivers are most important factors). You don't say which operating system - but all versions of Windows may not boot (and you can do some preparatory work before you move drive which might help - like removing everything from device manager that's likely to cause a conflict. Windows will need to install new drivers in new machine - can help if its not confused by old). Be prepared to reinstall windows if necessary to get this to work.
 
Dude

You are asking for a whole lotta trouble there.

Don't forget and current devices eg. Printers, scanners, graphics cards have all there drivers loaded in the original active partition on the original hard drive. Better to keep running off the original HDD as the primary.
What will be the benefit of running off the new HDD. There may be a better way to acheive your end goal.

grincho
 
This all depends on how valuable the data is on this moved drive.
If the data isn't important then the best cause of action would be to format and reinstall windows with the appropriate drivers.
Having a second bootable drive in the system will have no detrement as long as you leave it out of the boot sequence, personally , once up and running with the other drive I would transfer all the important data front the now slave, to the new master, then format the slave and transfer the data back over onto the clean drive (not essential, just my opinion)
Martin

Replying helps further our knowledge, without comment leaves us wondering.
 
If I were going to be in this situation like you mentioned, I would (like previously mentioned) have ALL drivers available to load (for the SPECIFIC o/s) because when you put a drive in as a Master in any system, it will most likly NOT know all the answers to all the devices on its own. I like having another system activly on the internet with either a cd-burner or floppy drive to copy the drivers from, to the changed system.

Save your data

The reliability of electronic components is inversely proportional the needs of the user.

Paulies
 
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