New Computer, Old Hard Drive

I purchased a new Custom made computer loaded with Windows 7, 64bit. My old computer has a 80 BG hard drive containing Windows XP and 20gb of family pictures. The Hard drive with XP is a 32bit system. When I tried to put my old hard drive in my new computer as a second operating system, all the hard drive connections were different as were the connections for my DVD Drive. I purchased a kit to convert IDE connections to SATA but I still cannot get my computer to recognize the new hard drive. I'm not an expert with computers but I am more than a novice. My motherboard is a ASUSTeK M5A78L-M/USB3

Hi

If you search on Computer Management and then select Disk Management, do you see anything identified as a foreign disk?

If so, right click and select 'import foreign disk'.

Regards
UKMedia

UKMedia

Not currently using new computer. Will try your suggestion on Thursday

Thanks.

What do you want to have when it's all said and done??

The new computer with Windows 7 on one hard drive and Windows XP on another drive?

Or??

Generally, if you take a working system drive from an old PC and put it in new PC, you'll have problems. But I'm not clear on exactly what you are trying to do.

I had thought it would be nice to have Windows 7 as my main OS but also be able to boot to my old drive for things that are on my Windows XP drive. I am now considering a virtual drive on my new hard drive which will allow me to load Windows XP.

Thanks for your help.

Clark

XP would run fine in VMware - I have the full set, going back to WFW 3.11. Trouble is, it's still seen as an install so you might run into activation problems. If the old XP pc still works, I'd say just use that.

An XP Repair Install is how it is adjusted to boot on new hardware, but almost none of the new hardware has drivers in the XP installer so you'd have to be able to provide them at F4 prompt via floppy or slipstream them into the XP disk. SATA Drivers - Slipstream into Windows XP CD
SATA Drivers - Load in Windows XP Setup on Dual Boot

If it would boot then you'd still have to find XP drivers for all the hardware which might be impossible. I can find any drivers for Win7 even after being told they aren't available, but I don't think I'd even try for XP. But it depends on how attached you are to it, and how much of a project you want to undertake. We can help you if you want.

Since Kaktussoft compiled the tutorial on Paragon Adaptive REstore CD which we've used here since beta to adjust WIn7 to changed hardware, we should ask him if it might work since it prompts for missing SATA drivers up front. Then it swaps out drivers from the Win7 driverstore, but also will prompt you for key missing drivers to at least get the OS to boot. I don't remember it being used for XP but it was released while XP was still going strong.

I take it that means you think it might work. I'm familar with the product as I've been using it here since it was released and preserved it's download before you wrote the tutorial.

It will indeed prompt for SATA driver if needed because it can't even begin until it can access the drive. It then may ask for other key drivers but which may not be boot-dependent.