hi, we have two desktop pcs. one has a motherboard fault and the other has a 4GB hard drive.

i understand general spcs would be useful here, but what are the chances of swapping the larger (can't remember by how much but significantly) hard drive from the faulty pc to working one?

what specific things should i be on the lookout for??

thanks for anhy help

James

The parts are yours - you can do what you want with them. Physically installing or swapping is the easy part. The bigger issue is the licensing of the programs, including Windows, installed on the drive with the dead board. They are not yours. You are just the licensed user. If these are name brand computers, then generally the license for the software that came with the computer, stays with the computer. This is an agreement made between the software maker and the PC maker. For example, Microsoft agrees to sell Dell and HP Windows and Office at super-volume discount prices, and the PC makers agrees to license it to one PC - the effect is to keep initial ownership of a computer down. You agreed to it when you started using it. EULAs are tricky, for sure.

As far as what else to look for, the list is too long for what we know now - it would be easier from here if you told us about the 2 PCs.

Note that if you are simply looking for more storage, adding the larger drive as a second drive is usually very easy.

If the goal is to use that copy of Windows by installing the drive into the other computer, besides the legality issue, it will certainly fail as all the hardware will be different - the installed drivers will be for the other PC, and will not work.

Hi, thanks. I just want to have the extra storage.

i could install the larger drive along with the original?

i'm trying to get some detail of each to help with the pocedure

hi, here pics of the two pcs.

faulty one



working one



do i unscrew/remove this black item



and connect it with these plugs?



what precautions should i take? what should i expect when turning the working machine back on with the extra hard drive installed? should i/can i format it?

here are the specs for the broken pc, if that helps at all.



thanks, James

I've got the drive out, do i just plug it into the other machine?

You are in the right area but let's slow down a bit and assess things.

Most motherboards support 2 EIDE ports and cables for a total of 4 EIDE drives, typically 1 or 2 HDs, and 1 or 2 opticals (CD/DVD).

You need to determine how the PC is setup now, so we can integrate the new drive into it.

The new drive will either be a Slave drive on the Primary EIDE cable, or a Master or Slave on the Secondary cable.

The Master/Slave is determined by two things - the jumper and the position on the cable - so you cannot just plug in the drive, it must be to the correct connector too.

You need to look at the back of the existing HD and optical and see how the jumpers are set.

what am i looking for here? the yellow/black/black/red wired connector going into the existing HD is labelled P5 and the spare is P4. the EIDE cable goes into the HD and extends to have another plug on the end.

Don't worry about he P4 and P5 stuff - that is power and any of that type connector will do for power.

An IDE data cable laid out in front of you will have 3 connectors. The one in the middle is the slave and it will be offset from dead-center a bit and sit closer to the master connector. The connector opposite the master, connects to the motherboard.

The boot drive WILL sit on the Master connector of the Primary cable. I usually make a second hard drive the Master on the secondary cable, then hang my opticals as slaves.

Remember to unplug the power supply from the wall before digging inside.

And again, you need to look at the Master/Slave jumpers on the back of each drive.

They can be set in two configurations. CS for cable select where the Master/Slave assignment is determined by the position of the drive on the cable. Or MA/SL for Master/Slave where the Master/Slave is determined by the jumper, and by the position on the cable. You cannot mix CS and MA/SL on the same cable.

Originally Posted by Digerati

Don't worry about he P4 and P5 stuff - that is power and any of that type connector will do for power.

An IDE data cable laid out in front of you will have 3 connectors. The one in the middle is the slave and it will be offset from dead-center a bit and sit closer to the master connector. The connector opposite the master, connects to the motherboard.

The boot drive WILL sit on the Master connector of the Primary cable. I usually make a second hard drive the Master on the secondary cable, then hang my opticals as slaves.

Remember to unplug the power supply from the wall before digging inside.

i think i'm with you at this point. The IDE data cable is the one which looks like a ribbon, and this shows the slave connected to the HD and the master spare?

Originally Posted by Digerati

And again, you need to look at the Master/Slave jumpers on the back of each drive.

They can be set in two configurations. CS for cable select where the Master/Slave assignment is determined by the position of the drive on the cable. Or MA/SL for Master/Slave where the Master/Slave is determined by the jumper, and by the position on the cable. You cannot mix CS and MA/SL on the same cable.

i'm not sure here. I though Jumpers were the P4 & P5 connectors. this shot is the one not being used, which then goes to one in the back of the HD.



Does this mean the slave IDE is being used with the Master jumper :s. i'm really sorry, i don't know the terms and correct names for things as yet

I am not jumping in here, Digerati, just posting a link so he knows what you are talking about.


Guide to Installing IDE devices