The Geek Forum
Main Forums => New Geeks on the Block => Topic started by: LegionODoom on July 16, 2011, 06:43:48 AM
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I'm a very low-level geek and have a little issue migrating to a Dell desktop a friend of mine gave me. My Gateway is maxed (1 GB Ram, single-core Pentium CPU), so he gave me his Dell with a dual core CPU and 4 GB. All I want to do is take my Western Digital HDD and put it into the Dell. But when I boot it up, it goes into a loop and can't fully boot windows. I assume I need some drivers or something for the Dell installed on the HDD?
I figure it's an easy fix and something that I could do if someone points me in the right direction.
Thanks a ton.
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Sometimes, it helps to do a little digging before asking a question...
Looks like I may have found my issue. The Dell is set up to run Win 7 64. Found out after I went to Dell site and entered the service tag number. My HDD has XP installed, so I assume it can't use that mobo. Sound about right?
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So glad you could answer your own question.
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Wha? Your Dell is "set up" to run Win 7 64 so you can't run a different OS? That's a thing?
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Well, I'm not so sure now that you've put some doubt in my mind. Is that a thing?
All I know is that it won't boot from my SATA hdd running Win XP.
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I don't see why it wouldn't be able to run a different OS. As long as the Dell runs SATA. The BIOS should have the necessary drivers for the HD. But, maybe it doesn't.
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Sometimes transplants work. Sometimes they don't.
Does it get past POST? Does Windows start and then reboot? Are you able to run in safe mode? Do you realize that your 32-bit OS will probably not see all of the 4GB? That it may only see 1GB? Or 2? But probably not 4? Hm? What kind of video card is installed on the 64-bit machine? Is it by any chance a... 64-bit card? Maybe even integrated graphics? 64-bit integrated graphics? That your 32-bit Windows XP is trying to use with 32-bit drivers? Not to mention all the other drivers? Do you see what I'm getting at? Hm? Do you? Do you know that only dogs can hear me now?
[StewieGriffin.jpg]
32-bit XP will have no problem running on a 64-bit machine, but it has to be installed on that machine. What you're doing is attempting a transplant. Frankly, you'd be lucky if you could successfully transplant ANY Windows OS, even from one 32-bit to another 32-bit machine of the same manufacturer. Windows does not like to be transplanted.
Well, anything after Win98, that is.
If you can get to Safe Mode, you might have a chance. If you have an XP installation disk, you can try repairing XP on the new machine. But it's probably a waste of your time.
Windows 7 isn't all that expensive.
Linux is free.
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I'm not going to help you but I wanted to thank you for reminding me to bring my SATA to USB cable home so I can copy stuff from my old PC to my new one.
So thanks for that