Moving Drives from Old Computer

[mccoady]

I had a computer built for me that includes a new 1TB drive running Windows 7 64-bit for the OS and I would like to move over the drives from my old computer to be used as storage drives. Here's my questions:

1. I have a 750GB drive from my old computer that was running the OS after installing it what is the procedure to reformat it for a storage drive?

2. I also have a 500GB drive from my old computer that was being used as a storage after installing it will my backed up files still be intact or could Windows somehow delete those files?

3. Since my old computer still has a Windows 7 license tied to it I might put in an old drive, load Windows, and either sell it cheap or give it away. When you load Windows with the intention of someone else being the End User do you just quit the install a certain point along the way?

 

[AddRAM]

1. Install the drive and format it. ( Computer-Manage-Disk Management-Rclick on drive and format )

2. Ditto. You should be able to plug it in and after installing the drivers it should open autoplay just like a usb device.

3. No you don`t stop, complete the install. But why don`t you install XP and keep your copy of Windows 7.

 

[mccoady]

2. You're not telling me to format it are you that would be wiping the drive?

3. I thought my Windows 7 copy would be tied to the motherboard?

 

[ignatzatsonic]

The files on that 500 gb storage drive should still be available for you to view, copy, move, delete, whatever when you connect that 500 gb drive to the new PC.

Do you have a Windows license for the old PC and another for the new PC??

Windows OEM licenses are tied to a given motherboard. Retail licenses are not, but a retail license can only be legally installed to 1 PC at a time--not 2 simultaneously.

 

[AddRAM]

2. Do not format the 500 GB

3. Yes, If it`s OEM.

 

[mccoady]

Do you have a Windows license for the old PC and another for the new PC??

Windows OEM licenses are tied to a given motherboard. Retail licenses are not, but a retail license can only be legally installed to 1 PC at a time--not 2 simultaneously.

Yes I have a Windows 7 license for the old computer which was purchased 5 years ago from a local retail store which built them and then stuck their own label on them. This computer came installed with XP Pro and then I bought the Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade version and did a Clean Install.

Yes I bought another Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM from Newegg for the new computer.