Build Advice Is it possible to boot off an old install on a new comp?

Just wondered, I was planning on just booting into windows on an old install on a new comp just to run the student win7 iso i have and so over writing the data. I don't want to use the old install full time just eneough to install windows again. I have no way of burning to a disk.

Thanks
Boscoe

 

It should boot no probs and you'll have access to all your files. It might be a bit buggy because of missing drivers but thats about all.

 

Actually, it can matter allot.

If you go from AMD to Intel (or vis verse), you don't stand a chance. Staying with the same CPU manufacturer you stand more of a chance, but then it's down to the chipset. If the chipset is the same it will probably be fine. if it's a new chipset, it's going to be hit and miss. Though, this question is some what redundant because there is only one way to find out.

 

I did manage to boot into my old Win 7 install recently after moving from an AMD quad core to a core i7 system, but it took a while to install drivers. Did a full clean install afterwards, but it is possible.

 

+1. I done exactly the same thing, not intentional just fired up the new rig and it booted into it .

 

Just make sure to uninstall all of the motherboard drivers and when the system says it needs to reboot just shut it down and swap the boards then so the new boards drivers pick up load in windows and not the old ones.

Of course it all depends what you are upgrading from and to, obv if it is the same chipset board shouldn't really matter

 

Okay thanks. All good to know. I'm going from P45 to P67!

 

It depends, I've had some installs which would blue screen as soon as windows tried to load, others halfway, and others have worked no problems

 

you might get a bsod if there is a driver conflict chipset/video etc, if you still have the OS installation disk you can get round it by installing the default windows drivers, booting to the CD disk and running a repair WARNING-turn down 1st option of repair it'll wipe your data off, hit install and accept 2nd R for repair in the windows install

 

Just uninstall the old mobo drivers, like I suggested earlier and you should be good

 

Damn Small Linux on a flash drive = problem solved?

 

It didn't work!...

Windows loading screen finished then the comp just restarted.

 

Did you uninstall all of the drivers ? Especially the mobo drivers? Also can u get into safe mode?

 

Didn't think about unistalling! Can't get in on safe mode. It's a right pain in the asshole atm!

 

I had some trouble loading my new OS as well, constant BSOD upon loading to Windows. Both on XP and 7, safe mode and normal etc.

I changed some mode from AHCI to IDE and got into windows at which point, Windows reinstalled all the correct drivers and I restarted, changed back to AHCI and all was well! Could give that a try.

 

Give what tekki said a try, but to save yourself a lot of headache, I would just boot the old mobo outside the case with the drive and uninstall

 

Very important to uninstall all motherboard-related drivers before you try. It only works if you swap like for like. even then, I discovered (when changing the mobo to a B3 SB version of the same make and model), I had to re-activate all of my software. But all motherboard related drivers were identical. (strangly, W7 didn't require re-activating, though..)