Meh, this is the off topic forum and I can't think of anything more off topic so....
Today my computer USB ports stopped working, so I used that as an excuse to buy a new one. Question though, can I copy my old hard drive over to the new one? I'd hate to have to redownload all my files. Last time I put my old C drive as a back up drive in a computer, I couldn't access any of the files atall.
copying old HD to new computer?
Débuté par
Wolfva2
, sept. 06 2013 06:30
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#2
Posté 06 septembre 2013 - 10:28
OdanUrr
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Yes, you can. I've done it myself any number of times. That is provided your hard drive isn't damaged and even then you can recover information.
#3
Guest_Puddi III_*
Posté 06 septembre 2013 - 10:39
Guest_Puddi III_*
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You can copy the files but they wouldn't have any registry information for any associated programs, or you can make an iso ghost copy of the drive but you still wouldn't have the registry info intact ultimately because with a new comp you'd at least need to reinstall your OS... I think.
#4
Posté 06 septembre 2013 - 02:17
Wolfva2
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So what you're saying is I'd have to load the OS from my old system? Bleh, I wish I wasn't 'puter illiterate. I feel like a monkey trying to pull a pebble from a bottle...
#5
Guest_Aotearas_*
Posté 06 septembre 2013 - 02:39
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That depends, if it's just a load of files like movies or other raw data, you can just plug it in and access them.
If it has installed programs, you'd need to move the files and change the registry. There are some third party programs that can mirror hard drives, but you can do it manually too by manually uninstalling them from one hard drive and then reinstalling them on the other.
It can be a bit complicated, so I'd say search for hard drive mirroring how-to's and choose whichever method sounds feasible for you.
If it has installed programs, you'd need to move the files and change the registry. There are some third party programs that can mirror hard drives, but you can do it manually too by manually uninstalling them from one hard drive and then reinstalling them on the other.
It can be a bit complicated, so I'd say search for hard drive mirroring how-to's and choose whichever method sounds feasible for you.
#6
Posté 06 septembre 2013 - 02:46
Eurypterid
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As noted, you can copy over data easily. As for programs, if they have registry entries, you'll need to install them on the new rig in order to have the registry entries in your new OS. If you want an exact copy of everything, including your old OS, then you'll need to wipe your new HDD and clone your old one onto that drive. I don't think this is what you have in mind though. So your only real option is to copy all your data files over and (re)install all your programs onto your new rig.
#7
Posté 06 septembre 2013 - 02:55
bmwcrazy
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So you just want to rescue your files, like documents, videos, music, and porn, right?
You should be able to by simply plugging the old HDD in the new computer. Unless you were going from a Mac to PC or PC to Mac, I'm not sure why it didn't work the last time you did it.
You should be able to by simply plugging the old HDD in the new computer. Unless you were going from a Mac to PC or PC to Mac, I'm not sure why it didn't work the last time you did it.
#8
Posté 06 septembre 2013 - 04:24
AlanC9
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Wolfva2 wrote...
Last time I put my old C drive as a back up drive in a computer, I couldn't access any of the files atall.
Meaning that the drive didn't work at all, or that it did work but your old files were unreadable? Also, SATA or IDE?
Modifié par AlanC9, 06 septembre 2013 - 04:36 .
#9
Posté 06 septembre 2013 - 04:35
AlanC9
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Filament wrote...
You can copy the files but they wouldn't have any registry information for any associated programs, or you can make an iso ghost copy of the drive but you still wouldn't have the registry info intact ultimately because with a new comp you'd at least need to reinstall your OS... I think.
Reinstalling the OS was often necessary back in the XP days -- the Hardware Abstraction Layer would blow up in your face sometimes -- but I think Vista and later OSs are much more forgiving of this sort of thing. Might need a repair install of the OS, but it'll probably work.
I'd just plug the old drive in as the new PCs primary drive and see if the thing boots.
Modifié par AlanC9, 06 septembre 2013 - 04:36 .
