Okay so I've got my current family PC which needs upgrading, so I've bought all new parts apart from the HDD and built them in a new tower.
Now comes the tricky part,
is there any way i will be able to keep the current XP installation on the HDDs, and just carry it over to the new build?
I've seen a few different methods and opinions but i was wondering if anyone knew of the best way to go about it with minimal hassle.
You would need a new harddrive and then create an image using Acronis Universal Restore function of Acronis True Image.
It depends on the the XP version you have installed on the HDD.
Is it an OEM version?
If it is then it will only run on the motherboard/BIOS it came with.
What make is the original PC?
Personally I recommend reinstalling Windows for new hardware.
Otherwise, there are tools which force Windows to re-detect all drivers on next boot, but I can't remember the name at the moment.
Answered many times before, just search:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=move+windows+to+new+computer
It's safer to have a backup in case something screws up.
Proper Aussie Wrote: [ -> ]Personally I recommend reinstalling Windows for new hardware.
yes that ↑
much less of a hassle i think
..
but .. why use XP on new hardware? .. shouldnt you be going with win7 ? :)
Okay i decided to leave all the hassle and just get a fresh copy of windows 7. Should i go for 64 bit? The new build specs are 4GB DDR 3, Dual Core 2.8Ghz, 500w PSU, inbuilt graphics.
Yes. With 4GB ram there's no reason not to.
Built-in, not inbuilt. Why is it dual-core anyway? I'd go with a 4/6 core AMD chip, they are cheaper and not much of a difference.