moving a hard-drive [resolved]

[jlbovo]

ok, this might not be a really smart question but i need to know before i try it...my dad gave me his old computer and the cr-rom drive on it must not work. i was tryin to install winXP on it but kept getting a file copy error. so im assuming that it's because of the bad cd-rom drive. well the big picture is that i want to get that hd out of that computer and plug it into this computer as a 2nd drive. and the continue to install winXP like usualy....so will it work ? thanks in advance - justin

[dglienna]

I would copy the cab files, and actually, the whole CD would be better, while in the other machine. then put it back in your machine to attempt to install it.
It will a compatibility check to make sure that the computer will work with XP.

You could also attempt to copy the drive in your machine. Sometimes this will work.

[McCain]

It will NOT work if you install XP on a harddrive and then move that harddrive to another computer. (Well, it could work if the computers had identical hardware...)
Why don't you just replace the bad cd-rom instead?

[jlbovo]

so, they are different computer and processors, so i doubt all the hard-ware is the same. alright replace the cd-rom drive. i dont need anything fancy. not even a cd-r. just a regular one that reads. i want to use it for school...are there any good computer part sites any one knows ? -justin

[dglienna]

there are many. you could order through the mail, or find a local store. radio shack may even have what you need. Did you have another question, or is that it?

[<ABX]

I have had some problems with Windows XP and it reading CD's when installing... my drives work fine in windows (I did a test when i finally got windows installed)

Why not just borrow a cdrom drive from the other computer to install windows?