Old Hard-drive

Technology and Gaming Help and Support
#1

Ok, I was having problems with my computer (https://forums.blackmesasource.com/showthread.php?t=3623) and I think it’s the graphics card that was broken, so I was wondering:

Should the Hard-Drive still be usable in a new computer so I don’t lose anything or should I still buy a new Hard-Drive and use this one as a second drive to restore anything I might want on it?

I’m thinking of building a new computer instead of just buying a pre-made one, so I’ll probably have a few more questions in the process. So ya… please be patient with any idiotic statements I make.

#2

Windows OEM installations might get a little pissy if you try booting with different hardware. New, high-capacity hard drives are relatively cheap nowadays, so if you’re planning on building a new computer, you’d might as well get one. If your old drive is 320GB or less, you might even notice increased performance due to newer drives’ higher data density.

#3

It’s not the price I’m worried about, mostly it’s the inconvenience of getting a new gaming rig and having to reinstall everything and losing all those save files as well as anything else that may have been on it.

So might as well just buy a new Hard-Drive and not worry about anything on this one or is there a way to get off any of the files I would rather not lose?

#4

You shouldn’t have any issues pulling files from your current drive to a new one.

#5

This.

RabidMonkey gave me his old tower minus the hard drive. I put in my hard drive but because the rest of the tower was WAY different than the operating system remembered upon its last boot, it wigged out.

Spend the $60 bucks and get a new hard drive for your basics, and use your old hard drive as a secondary for your play stuff.

WAY way worth it. I was up and running faster than I thought I would be.

#6

Ok, so when using new Hardware it’s best to just start clean. Thanks!

does some search
Whoa, aimed too high. The first one I found was like $200. Found some cheaper ones, though.

#7

I’ve worked with dozens of computers moving the hard drive to a new system and a lot of the time there are no issues. I had one laptop that’d BSOD when we moved the hard drive, but that could have also been due to the Whiskey that was spilled on it.

Try moving it over first and if it boots, then you’re in business. Just install the new drivers and you’re golden.

I wouldn’t waste money on a new drive just yet.

#8

Hmm…

I might still look into a new Driver because my current one appears to be a 250gb and it looks like you can get a lot bigger and more efficient ones pretty cheap.

#9

250gb is not bad, not long ago I only had 80gb. Although I can’t imagine not having my 640gb drive now.

#10

If you’ve barely had any issues moving a drive with an OEM Windows installation (transferring a retail license is a little different) or with clashing drivers, then you might want to work on a couple dozen more.

#11

I feel you. My old computer had a 250 GB that the mobo could only read 136 of. Now I have a 640 in this new one, and I can’t see myself without that much space.

#12

I have a 40 GB sitting right next to me. Not even worth buying an enclosure for.

#13

Depends really, old hard drives are useful for backing up important data on.

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