Change hard drive on replacement computer

[Bill_Holland]

I have a Dell Dimension 5000 computer which I really like, the operating system is XP.

My son wanted to install some more RAM for me so he removed the existing RAM to see what type it was and when he replaced it the computer would not boot properly, just an orange light where a green light should be on the front and also an orange light on the motherboard. Seems this problem could be the power supply or motherboard?

He has now bought me another Dell Dimension 5000 exactly the same but with more RAM.

There is a hard drive on this one running XP.

Can you tell me if I can simply replace the hard drive on this replacement computer with the hard drive from the broken one and would this then give me all my programmes/software that I was runnning on the old one?

Or should I leave the hard drive in place and put my old one in as well (if this can be done?)

Or is it a lot more complicated than this?

 

Hoping someone can help.

 

Thanks

[KenB]

Hi Bill and welcome to ExTS

 

Can you tell me if I can simply replace the hard drive on this replacement computer with the hard drive from the broken one

If you are lucky the new system will have the same motherboard as the old one and if this is the case you stand a very good chance of doing what you want.

Give it a try.

 

Or is it a lot more complicated than this?

Usually - yes.

If putting it straight in doesn't work for you then it is possible with XP to use an installation disk and do a "Repair Install" of the operating system.

This solves the probem of the OS not recognising the installed hardware.

 

Do you have an XP installation disk for your old system ? ( not recovery disks )

[Bill_Holland]

Thank you for your reply, the first part was what I was hoping to hear.

The replacement is the same model and looks exactly the same.

I suppose I would have to look at some label on both motherboards to find something like a model number?

I don't know if I have an installation disk but I will start looking, the computer must be 8 years old at least but I really like it.

I print a lot of photos and use an old Dell Trinitron CRT monitor which must be now over 10 years old.

I tried to understand colour management but couldn't so I played about with everything I could find and managed to get the printed photo to look like what I saw on the screen. I hoped that these settings whatever they were would be stored on the hard disk so that when I changed it my pictures would still look fine.

I apologise for boring you with all this and thanks again for helping

 

Bill Holland

[Plastic Nev]

Hi Bill, the only sure way about the motherboards is to remove the cover on both and and visually check, being both are the same model and possibly similar age there is a good chance the motherboards will be the same.

 

If the old one was still working you could have used software to find both motherboards specifications, but with it not working we can't.

 

Nev.

[KenB]

Hi Bill

 

I suppose I would have to look at some label on both motherboards to find something like a model number?

The easiest thing to do is to try the old hard drive in the new computer and see if it boots up.

I suggest that you disconnect the power and data cables from the new one and use them to attach to the old drive.

It will not harm it even if it is not compatible.

 

Not sure what you were asking re "colour management" :confused: