Putting old hard drive into new computer

[galadys]

Hello everybody,
I have two SATA II 500gb 7200rpm hard drives that i'm putting into my new build. My C: drive already has windows 7 installed, the other drive does not. Can I place them into the new pc without having to re-install everything? If not, should I reformat the drives then re-install windows on it? thanks. i already have all my important files backed up, so wiping them would not hurt me too bad.

[Acebmxer]

What was the old system (AMD or Intel) that the drive came from and going into? Either way yes you should be ok adding the hdds in and booting from the one with windows installed. It should fine the new hardware and restart a few times and then a few more times as you install the newer drivers for the new system.

It is suggested to do a fresh install so this way there are no reminits of the old system that could cause conflicts.

[galadys]

old and new will be AMD.

[satisfaction_uk]

Dont look at this as a task but an opportunity.

I periodically back up all of my important data and do a fresh install after completing a MOD wipe disc format of the hard drives. This process means that I get rid of a load of crap from programs that I may have installed for evaluation purposes and then uninstalled because they were of no practical use. It also allows any operating errors due to the above to be fixed during the fresh install process. It is also a good idea at this time to open up the case and give everything a good clean, its suprising how much dust and fluff that gets into a computer case especially around the fan. This can be a lot worse if you have fluffy pets. Then check components that need updating and finally all of the connections. Doing this once a year is good mantenance regime and in extreme cases may prevent a overheating breakdown or a fire.