[HCIV]

Hi, My Windows XP hard drive crashed and my system was old with problems anyway so I ordered a new computer with Windows 7 professional. My Wife has a laptop that goes to blue screen every now and then and we think may be on it's way out as well. It runs Vista 32 bit. She has a very expensive program that won't run unless it is on 32 bit. Here is my idea and I want to know if it would work. My thinking is that I could clone her Vista 32 bit drive on an external hard drive and buy another laptop with Windows 7 (or even 8)64 bit and plug the cloned 32 bit Vista drive into the new computer through a USB port and then at start up hit F12 and have the option of booting to the Windows 7/8 64 bit or the cloned Vista 32 bit drive.

I also think I could get another hard drive for my new desktop with Windows 7 professional....take out the hard drive with Windows 7 and put in the new drive and using my Windows XP disk from my old system, instal Windows XP. Then put my Windows 7 drive back in and instal the newly created XP drive as a backup drive and hit F12 at start up and have the option to boot to Windows 7 drive or Windows XP drive.

Am I going to run into road blocks if I try these things?

Thanks,
Harold

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Hello Harold and welcome to Geeks To Go

There are many questions here and your main idea in the first paragraph won't work as a Vista clone would not recognise the hardware parameters on the newly bought windows 7 box or a new laptop.

What is the program in question that is expensive? Does she have it on disk or was it a download?

With regard to the second paragraph it would be better to install XP on the same drive if you really want to.

You could then use the old XP drive as spare space.

[Wolfeymole]

Hello Harold and welcome to Geeks To Go

There are many questions here and your main idea in the first paragraph won't work as a Vista clone would not recognise the hardware parameters on the newly bought windows 7 box or a new laptop.

What is the program in question that is expensive? Does she have it on disk or was it a download?

With regard to the second paragraph it would be better to install XP on the same drive if you really want to.

You could then use the old XP drive as spare space.

[HCIV]

Hello Harold and welcome to Geeks To Go

There are many questions here and your main idea in the first paragraph won't work as a Vista clone would not recognise the hardware parameters on the newly bought windows 7 box or a new laptop.

What is the program in question that is expensive? Does she have it on disk or was it a download?

With regard to the second paragraph it would be better to install XP on the same drive if you really want to.

You could then use the old XP drive as spare space.

It's a program called Palette by Baby Lock and she has it on disk. It is a $1600 program and my Wife has version 6 which we are told will only run on 32 bit up to Windows 7 but not supported on Windows 8. We could upgrade for 600 dollars to version 9 I think which will run on 64 bit Windows 7. So I am looking at getting a new lap top and a $600 upgrade for this program on top of that. I was trying to find a way around that.

I was talking about cloning the vista drive because when we bought that laptop it was not supplied with an re-instillation disk for Vista. I guess if we had the Vista disk we could plug in a new external hard drive and install Vista on the external drive from the new machine and then it would be setup for the proper hardware? (Or even install a fresh copy of my XP software on an external drive from the new laptop if I don't need it on my Desktop to get all my older software working?)

Am I making any sense here?

Edited by HCIV, 15 April 2013 - 09:01 AM.

[Wolfeymole]

Well personally I hate Windows 8 with a vengeance, Microsoft has done it again and screwed things up, however that is of no consequence.

Get yourself a new Windows 7 desktop and a Windows 7 laptop for the Mrs and use the old hard drives in either an enclosure or use a device like this to get all your personal stuff off the drives to your new main machines.

As an aside she could install her program to the new laptop.

http://www.amazon.co...e/dp/B001A5SK56

[Veeg]

Agreed,IMHO i would suggest going with Windows 7 as well,and this usb HDD adapter that Wolfey has suggested is a great tool,and can be used on more than one drive if needed...

[HCIV]

Well personally I hate Windows 8 with a vengeance, Microsoft has done it again and screwed things up, however that is of no consequence.

Get yourself a new Windows 7 desktop and a Windows 7 laptop for the Mrs and use the old hard drives in either an enclosure or use a device like this to get all your personal stuff off the drives to your new main machines.

As an aside she could install her program to the new laptop.

http://www.amazon.co...e/dp/B001A5SK56

Yeah....not hearing good things about 8.

I'm looking at your link and trying to understand.

Is this just a device to get transfer information off a drive....or is it something you can run a operating system off of?

She can't install the program onto a new laptop with a 64 bit windows operating system because the program will only run on 32 bit unless we fork over 600 bucks to upgrade it. I understand why I can't clone the Vista drive and use it on a new machine...but do you think I could:
1.) take a new laptop with 64 bit Windows 7 on it.
2.) Buy a new external hard drive and plug it into the USB port.
3.) instal a fresh copy of XP 32 bit or Vista 32 bit on the external drive.
4.) When done...reboot and hit F12 at start up and have the option of booting to Windows 7 64 bit or Windows XP/VISTA 32 bit?

If I could do that then I would not have to spend 600 more dollars to upgrade the program.

[Veeg]

If you are going to buy another laptop,i am assuming for your wife...then why not just pull the HDD out of the laptop that is using Vista and then use the USB HDD adapter with it...So there would be no need to clone or buy another HDD..


I will have to correct myself this option may not work anyway...

Edited by Veeg, 15 April 2013 - 09:28 AM.

[Wolfeymole]

Ok

You do not have to be tied to a win 7 64bit setup, you could get a machine without any operating system at all and install one yourself in 32bit flavour.

Here is one in fact.

http://www.amazon.co...s/dp/B004Q0T10A

You seem seriously keen to keep XP and Vista around so I have to ask what the specific reasoning is on this please?

[HCIV]

If you are going to buy another laptop,i am assuming for your wife...then why not just pull the HDD out of the laptop that is using Vista and then use the USB HDD adapter with it...So there would be no need to clone or buy another HDD..

Her existing Vista drive is probably on it's way out. Goes to a blue screen every once in a while. The same thing was happening to my desktop before the hard drive fried.

[Veeg]

If you are going to buy another laptop,i am assuming for your wife...then why not just pull the HDD out of the laptop that is using Vista and then use the USB HDD adapter with it...So there would be no need to clone or buy another HDD..

Her existing Vista drive is probably on it's way out. Goes to a blue screen every once in a while. The same thing was happening to my desktop before the hard drive fried.

Then it would be prudent to get that info/files cloned as soon as possible..

Edited by Veeg, 15 April 2013 - 09:29 AM.

[HCIV]

Ok

You do not have to be tied to a win 7 64bit setup, you could get a machine without any operating system at all and install one yourself in 32bit flavour.

Here is one in fact.

http://www.amazon.co...s/dp/B004Q0T10A

You seem seriously keen to keep XP and Vista around so I have to ask what the specific reasoning is on this please?

Well...we would prefer to get a more current operating system if we are going to spend the money (But not Windows 8).

On my Wife's system I am interested in being able to run her expensive program that, as is, will only run on a Windows 7 32 bit system or older. So it would be good if I could have the option of running the new system with the option of running the older 32 bit system on the same machine. Her old laptop is not done yet...but it will be sooner or later and is showing sighs that the end could be near.

As far as my desktop goes...I have a lot of software (mostly games) that runs on XP or older. I'm not sure I can get it all running on Windows 7. I did get Professional because you are supposed to be able to instal a virtual XP with it but am not confident that will work on everything. So I am exploring the possibilities of getting both XP and 7 running on the same computer. It's not as urgent on the desktop as it is on the laptop because of that expensive program.

Edited by HCIV, 15 April 2013 - 09:33 AM.

[Wolfeymole]

Ok the last thing I have to say regarding the desktop is that you run into some problems finding XP drivers for a new machine.

What make of laptop were you thinking of getting for your wife?

[HCIV]

Ok the last thing I have to say regarding the desktop is that you run into some problems finding XP drivers for a new machine.

What make of laptop were you thinking of getting for your wife

A Dell....that's what she has now and they are still selling Windows 7 machines. Intel processor.

Probably something like this:
http://configure.us....=en&s=dhs&cs=19

Edited by HCIV, 15 April 2013 - 09:46 AM.

[Wolfeymole]

The downside is that it is in 64bit flavour but you could get the 32bit either from my earlier link or ask Dell if they could offer it with 32bit on, ask how much that would be first though.

[HCIV]

The downside is that it is in 64bit flavour but you could get the 32bit either from my earlier link or ask Dell if they could offer it with 32bit on, ask how much that would be first though.

Ok. I'm gathering that I can't do what I am thinking then.

One more question.

Is this product that you posted a link to:

http://www.amazon.co...e/dp/B001A5SK56

the same as this product:

http://www.amazon.co...IDE Adapter Kit

I am in America and don't use the UK version of Amazon.

They look the same to me but much different in price.