Old HDD on new laptop

Hi.
I am probably getting an HP Envy 15 with a single 500GB 7200RPM HDD running Win7, but I currently have a 120GB 55400RPM old WD HDD on my laptop running XP. Is it possible to put the old HDD on the new laptop and get the files over the new HDD? Or run both HDDs together without compatibility issues?

If I put the old HDD running XP on a AMD/ATI machine on a new laptop with already one HDD with Win7 on an i7/ATI laptop, will it work?

 

If the Envy 15 supports two hard drives, you can install the old drive into the second HDD bay, boot off the main HDD, and transfer files from the old HDD to the new one. You will almost certainly not be able to boot from the XP drive.

 

Is it really possible to just boot up win7 and open the old HDD on the second bay with no problems? Just plug-n-play?

 

It should possible. Unless HP does some silly things with their BIOS, it should be just like installing a second HDD in a desktop system (albeit one with data already on it). It should "just work"; there aren't even any jumpers to mess with on SATA drives anymore. If this doesn't actually work, you can always get an external enclosure or a SATA to USB adapter and copy the files using one of those devices.

EDIT: You might need extra interposers or caddies when trying to install the second drive. The price of these might make the enclosure/adapter solution a better idea.

 

yer im doing the same atm...

i have taken my old hdd from my laptop put it into an enclosure and put a brand new hdd back in my laptop to load 7 on to it and then ill connect it and transfer everything over... once done i will use the remaining space (keeping the origional factory install and recovery partition there for safe keeping/warrenty) and then using the rest as a backup external HDD.

and yes it will work, it wont even try to boot the xp drive cos it wont have a boot file for it.

once you boot up to win7 just go to my computer and it will be there right next to you normal hdd.

good luck

 

Thanks!! Those are great news!!

Oh, BTW, do files work installed on the old HDD? For example, if I launch a game, or I launch AutoCAD, which are on the old HDD, do they launch? Or do I have to reinstall?

 

Anything with the voodoo name on it is inferior junk, which is neither backed my the people who make it nor worth the time. I think I would know have making the three biggest mistakes of my life buying them.
Get a Dell, something with a warranty which actually works

Dont buy it, enough said.

K-TRON

 

Phew, then it sure is a good thing that HP decided to call it the HP Envy 15, and not the Voodoo Envy 15.

 

Its all the same junk Lithus, you know that.
As long as Rahul is behind it, and not behind bars, I wouldnt buy from them.

K-TRON

 

The same junk that's produced by Foxconn, Quanta, and Compal and then rebranded into HP, Dell, Apple, and every other brand name? Is that the junk you're referring to?

You know as well as I do that switching from HP to Dell is trading one potential headache for another. You might as well be tossing a die when choosing between brands.

 

So, will it work?

And thanks K-TRON and Lithus, I lnow what it means, but value for money was a good deal.

Can it be done? Run the programs on the old HDD on the new laptop?

 

obviously K-Tron's had some bad experience with voodoo so he's biased towards it... as far as i care.. dell= hp... both are just as bad.. stick with Hp envy 15.. nothing dell has can beat the envy 15 in the same price bracket...

 

No, it won't work.

 

So what solutions are there?
I would not want to lose all those programs...

 

It's a different hardware conf (machine) with a whole new Windows registry. Some programs might actually run with no problems but most of them will need to be reinstalled. You can only transfer/run files that don't depend on information stored into your old registry.

 

Oh, I see. I had feared that.
But thanks! Now I know I am sure I might be loosing some programs on that, but no big of a deal.

And how about "imaging" the old HDD on the new one? Would that avoid the loss?

 

Only the old laptop will properly run the programs installed on it. Creating a new partition with the image of the old drive into the new drive does not change anything.

 

Hmm...bad news, but I will see what I can do about the files.

Thanks a lot for your help!