Back-up?, Reloading Options

[WILL]

My computer finally bit the dust. I think it overheated because I heard a pop and everything froze. rebooted and nothing but a beep. Took off the cover and the heat sink and fan had separated from the processor. Forced to buy a cheap get your mail and surf the net special while awaiting the funding for the new Gaming Model I hope to assemble soon.

Help question #1. I backed up everything from my old computer before it gave out on a backup (usb device) Do I have the option of reloading the individual files or do I have to reload everything? The old computer was a HP with the older browers etc and the new one is an emachine with windows7 and windows64 (dont laugh- i said i had to get an emergency cheapo).

Help question #2. Would it be better to take out the old hard drive out of the old computer and add it to the new one? Would I be able to switch between the 2 easily? Would there be any technical considerations (different cables, software issues etc) I know HP was infamous for using proprietary components at one time)

Thanks

[Sundog]

Come on! Computer (PC) experts!! Help this lad out!!!

Everybody knows that a day without COD is a day without life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness!

He needs help!

STAT!

[Miller]

Hey, Sorry for the delay in response. Christmas has been busy for the Miller otherwise I would have replied sooner.

#1 You should be able to reload the files individually I would think. Did you backup on to the usb device using a special backup program? Or did you just copy and paste the files on to the usb backup device?

#2 If you have data on the old hard drive that you want to access than yes, you should be able to just move that old hard drive and add it to the new computer.

The only thing that I would do is make sure that the old drive is set to slave and the new one is set to master. That way the new hard drive will boot windows 7 instead of booting off of the old hard drive. There is usually a jumper that you change on the hard drive to set it to master or slave. It should be marked on the hard drive itself as Master or Slave and some other setting that I can't remember right now.

It's important to set it in your bios as well what hard drive you want to boot from.

So change the jumper on the hard drive and change the settings in your bios.

Whether you can run your old hard drive on the new mother board depends on the connection.

If your old hard drive only has an IDE connection and the new motherboard only accepts SATA than I don't think you'll be able to run the old hard drive on the new computer. Sometimes the hard drives will have a connection for SATA and IDE. Your motherboard should come with an IDE connection on your motherboard for your old hard drive but I'm not sure if this has changed to only sata connections?

Anyway, I'm pretty sure this information is correct but it just depends on your motherboard and the connections on your old hard drive.

Let us know if we can help more and Merry Christmas

[WILL]

Thanks.

[mongo]

Hi Will,

Go online and see what is available to ghost or backup your hard drive. Now you will have to wait longer to buy a good system, emachines are exactly that, go online, email, shop use as calculator with a monitor for a view screen. I hate to ask what you paid for the emachine.

[WILL]

Finally got everything going again. Don't know enough about this OS and 64 bit stuff to know if i can run UO. Upgraded PS, Vid Card to run WaW.

Figured out I can get a SATA to IDE converter (didn't think about that before), install old hard drive and use a boot program to run a dual OS. Hopefully there is nothing wrong with the old hard drive. Investment to see is cost of cable.

[Miller]

Glad to hear you are up and running Will. I had my own major computer problems a few months ago and it's completely frustrating until everything is back to the way it was.

Sounds like you'll be running a pretty nice gaming rig