A drive question

O

olderndirt

New Member
Two computers, each with SATA drive and Windows XP. Can the drive from one be installed as the secondary to the other without having to be wiped clean? Is it possible to just remove XP then, after installation, be able to move files between the two drives? The computer with the added drive would still be using its original as C: drive.
 
You can easily mount the one drive in the other computer, you just will not be able to boot from that XP installation as the hardware between both computers is most likely different. You can move the files around without booting from it or removing XP. It should show up fine.
 
Adrive question

That sounds promising. My primary concern is the Flight Simulator which is resident on what would be the secondary drive and my ability to activate it from there.
 
Ah, you will have to re-install Flight Simulator on the primary OS. You will not be able to run most (if not any) of your applications off the transplant drive. They will all have to be re-installed on the primary OS. You will be able to move files about - documents, music, videos, pictures, etc...

Now, if your two computers are identical models - say two identically spec'd Dell Optiplex 330s - then you could technically boot from the other Windows drive. This will only work if the computer that it came from is an identical make/model.
 
Technically if you mount other HDD to another all applications from the slave HDD need to be installed to the new HDD for proper use. Good thing is you may get all your saved files form the slave HDD.

some applications that don't need system files or registries may run on your new system.

:)
 
Zatharus said:
you will have to re-install Flight Simulator on the primary OS. You will not be able to run most (if not any) of your applications off the transplant drive. They will all have to be re-installed on the primary OS.
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This is not always the case, as samonteroel stated.

I upgraded my HDD on my old Socket 939 machine and I left the old disk intact and set it to Slave.

Many of my games and applications would still run from the old drive if I navigated to the install folder and clicked on the .exe
 
No prob and for the record i have about 3 HDD drives in my sig comp and two have OS on them and they both are able to read and play games on the same computer
 
The only reason I have a computer is for Flight Simulator so my primary objective is have it accessible on the better computer. Right now it's on the drive of another machine so how about this. Is it possible to extract just the folders applicable to Flight Simulator - many aircraft and much scenery - then reload the actual FS 4 disc program on to the new computer HD. I have a little APRICORN cloning device but can't see where that'll be of any use in this situation.
 
That may work. Many times, add-ons like those that don't need authorizations can just be copied over from the other install. You most likely will run into trouble if you have to enter a serial number to use any of those scenery packs or aircraft.
 
All of my Flight Simulator downloaded files are in two separate folders, airplanes and scenery, and all zipped. Any payware, I downloaded, required a 'key' authorizing the download but that was it. So, here's my cunning plan. Reload the FS on the new computer's HD, slave the other HD in the new computer and move as much of the FS related files/folders to the new HD. Reload any apps for which I have a CD and forget the rest. Wipe the old HD clean, clone it from the new HD with all the reloaded stuff then install it in the new computer as the C: drive. If it and the computer are happy then I'll have two drives with whom the computer is happy. Plans are fun, now tell me the bad news.
 
olderndirt said:
All of my Flight Simulator downloaded files are in two separate folders, airplanes and scenery, and all zipped. Any payware, I downloaded, required a 'key' authorizing the download but that was it. So, here's my cunning plan. Reload the FS on the new computer's HD, slave the other HD in the new computer and move as much of the FS related files/folders to the new HD. Reload any apps for which I have a CD and forget the rest. Wipe the old HD clean, clone it from the new HD with all the reloaded stuff then install it in the new computer as the C: drive. If it and the computer are happy then I'll have two drives with whom the computer is happy. Plans are fun, now tell me the bad news.
Click to expand...

This would actually be your best route if what I'm thinking your saying is correct. You have computer "A" with HDD "A" that had FS. Your going to move HDD "A" to computer "B", install FS on computer "B", copy your add-on files for FS from HDD "A" to HDD "B", then format HDD "A" and use it as a secondary in computer "B"?
 
That's the general idea. I'm thinking I can use the 'File and Settings Transfer Wizard' resident on both computers along with a Null Modem Serial Cable to facilitate some of this. Ideally I'd eventually like to have the drive FROM which I'm moving files to be relatively empty and able to store files in the slaved postion. For most of the important things I have a CD to use for reloading, the XP is already installed and some things will just have to be rediscovered.
 
Well if you just want to use the older drive from system "A" as a backup and you already have Windows on HDD "B", I wouldn't even bother with reloading the OS or anything like that. You could just use HDD "B" for the OS and remap your "My Document's" to you secondary, HDD "A", after you move your FS files and wipe the drive.
 
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