Adding old hard drive to new PC


  1. ray668od
    Posts : 1
    windows 7
       New #1

    Adding old hard drive to new PC


    I recently bought a new Dell XPS 8700, and it came preloaded with windows 8. I have my old hard drive from a Gateway running Windows 7. Can I install the old hard drive in the new Dell, and boot off of that older hard drive? If so, how can I do that?
    Thanks so much for any assistance.
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  3. Anshad Edavana
    Posts : 562
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
       New #2

    Can I install the old hard drive in the new Dell, and boot off of that older hard drive? If so, how can I do that?
    Short answer to your question is "no". Your old machine and the new one are using different chipsets so Windows will refuse to boot ( you may receive a BSOD or black screen ). While there are ways to overcomes this, i don't recommend it because ;

    1. The Windows 7 license is tied to your Gateway machine and it is not transferable. You will need to purchase a new Windows 7 license and reactivate the OS.

    2. Usually Gateway machines will be preloaded with drivers and apps designed for that particular machine.


    If you want to get rid of Windows 8 from Dell and install 7, i would recommend a clean install. If the Dell is came with "Win 8 Pro", you can legally downgrade it to 'Windows 7 Pro" without paying a single penny.

    Understanding downgrade rights

    Downgrade rights details


    If the system came with "Win 8 Core" edition, you are not eligible for free downgrade. You should purchase a retail edition of "Windows 7" and install it.
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  4. gregrocker
    Posts : 50,642
       New #3

    As the new Win8 PC will have Secure Boot and a UEFI BIOS then you'll need to boot into BIOS setup to disable Secure Boot and, if the old HD was not installed in UEFI mode, enable Compatibility (CSM), Legacy BIOS and Legacy Boot.

    Then Make Windows 7 bootable after motherboard swap .
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