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Can I install my existing Windows 9x hard disk drive in a new machine?
Can I install my existing Windows 9x hard disk drive in a new machine?
| Can I install my existing Windows 9x hard disk drive in a new machine? |
| Posted By: Dan Penny | Date Added: 08-11-2005 11:04 PM | Views: 775 |
Can I install my existing Windows 9x hard disk drive in a new machine?
Yes. One important aspect of this however is preventing the hardware settings of the "old" machine, from affecting the new hardware.
You should have the appropriate new hardware drivers on hand before you start the switching process. ie; drivers for the new motherboard chipset, on board (or seperate) sound, video/display, LAN (NIC card/chip) or modem, etc. Drivers for this new equipment should have come with it when purchased. Also have your Operating System CD handy if these CD files aren't copied to your hard disk. Windows may need additional .dll or similar files for the new hardware.
While your 9x hard disk is still in the old machine, and BEFORE you shut down for the LAST time in that machine;
Open Regedit
(Start, Run, type in regedit and press enter or click OK.)
Navigate to the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Enum
Right click on the Enum key/icon (in the left pane) and choose Delete. Click on OK for the confirmation. Close Regedit. Shut down windows normally and remove the hard disk from the old machine.
What this does is clear all of the old hardware settings for the old machine from the Windows Registry. All of the system hardware should be newly detected as opposed to only the new motherboard etc as Windows may assign system resources (IRQ's etc) differently based upon this new hardware.
Install the hard disk in the new machine being careful of disk Primary and Secondary jumper settings and cabling. Go through the normal bios hardware detection and preferred settings such as boot sequence etc.
When you boot this drive ( as C: ) in the new machine windows will run it's Hardware/PnP detector to find all your hardware. Load the drivers as required. Many drivers and .inf files will already be resident in the c:\windows\system and c:\windows\inf folders if you're using (the same as before) seperate sound, display, modem, etc plug in cards.
No confusion about settings for equipment that isn't connected anymore, thus no double registry entries.
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