[Simmons2pntO]

Ok, I seem to have a problem and am not exactly sure what to do anymore. My dad had just brought home a pretty decent computer his work was throwing out for my little sister to use. She had already had a computer, but it was extremely old and the 10 GB HDD was just about full.

So I formatted the work computer and installed my little sister's HDD into the computer in addition to the other internal drive. I figured I wouldn't have to buy another copy of Windows this way and just boot off of her HDD. But now here is the problem:

With the computers original hard drive plugged in, everything boots up completely fine. But when I put her Hard Drive in, the computer just hangs and brings up the black screen with the blinking cursor in the top left of the screen.

I set the jumpers to "Master" for the 10 GB Hard drive and "Slave" for the original 40 GB hard drive. I set the IDE cables right, Master at the end and Slave in the middle, and when I look in the BIOS both drives are detected and the 10 GB Hard Drive with a good copy of Windows and all her info is the Primary 0 Drive and the 40 GB is the Primary 1 Drive but it won't boot. But if I take out her drive, or set it as the slave drive, everything boots up fine and Windows regonizes it in "My Computer"

So what I am asking is if anyone can help me figure out a way that I can boot up the computer from her drive because I'm pretty sure I've done everything right so far but it just doesn't want to work. I can provide more detailed information if neccessary.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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Let me ask did you format the old hd and then put your sisters drive in as the master drive with her original OS and everything on it?
What is the make and model of her system and of the new system?
If they are different make and models then what you are attempting won't work because of drivers being different.

[rshaffer61]

Let me ask did you format the old hd and then put your sisters drive in as the master drive with her original OS and everything on it?
What is the make and model of her system and of the new system?
If they are different make and models then what you are attempting won't work because of drivers being different.

[Simmons2pntO]

Yes, I formatted the HD in the new computer then put in her drive in as the master drive with her original OS and all the rest of her data.

Her computer was, like I said, a very old computer. It was a Dell Pentium 3 Optiplex GX110? I believe? And the new computer is an HP Pentium 4 Compaq dc5000 MT. The different hard drives are (if it matters):
40 GB Samsung Pango SP0411N (The currently Wiped Hard Drive)
10 GB WD100 Western Digital Caviar (My Sisters Drive with XP and everything)

Edited by Simmons2pntO, 22 May 2010 - 12:53 PM.

[Alzeimer]

From What I am understanding you are trying to boot off her 10go drive with her old Windows setup on it. If you try that it will never boot unless you would have taken the drive from another computer that as the exact same hardware as the new one.

When you boot off your 40go it works because windows was install on that computer and your sister old drive is a slave so no matter if the windows installation is from another computer.

The only thing you can do is leave the 40 go as the master copy all the personal data from the 10go that is the slave to the 40 go and once that done format the 10go and use it as a spare drive.

You will be able to save personal files but not any of the programs installed on the 10go drive, those you will have to reinstall yourself.

[Simmons2pntO]

Well if I have to do that, that's fine I guess. But the main reason I didn't was because I don't have another copy of Windows XP lying around and I don't want to have to go buy another one. Would there be a way to just switch the OS over?

[rshaffer61]

It was a Dell Pentium 3 Optiplex GX110? I believe? And the new computer is an HP Pentium 4 Compaq dc5000 MT.

This is your problem since the systems are different makes the drivers won't load on the other system.
The options i see are to contact HP to try and purchase a original recovery set of disks for that system. These normally cost less then 50 USD for the recovery disk with all the drivers.
Load it on the larger hd and get everything working. Install the smaller drive as a secondary drive and backup the data you need from it.
Then load all programs you need on the larger hd and copy all the data back to the original folders they came from now on the new larger hd.