Change OS hard drive

Forums › Microsoft Windows › Change OS hard drive

runes4tw

3 posts

Wannabe Geek

#72762 2-Dec-2010 10:43

I need to change the operating system from 1 hard drive to another.
Will the install files still work, for instance my microsoft office, or will I need to buy another.
Switching from windows XP pro to win xp home. (clean install which is why I am installing onto a different disk)

and also all my games are downloaded from the web, and installed on download, (as to avoid illegal copy, and so that if you change PC you also have to buy it again) so will I have to pay for all my games again so they can be reinstalled, which would suck, cos it's like $400 easily. and I dont want to lose progress.

Will it keep install files?

I have to change the OS like this so dont say upgrade or anything please.

Thanks

xpd

Geek of Coastguard
14116 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4578

Retired Mod

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#412009 2-Dec-2010 10:55

If youre doing a clean install, then you'll have to reinstall everything from scratch (some things might work just by copying them over fromt he old drive but not Office)

If you still have the original installation dics etc then obviously theyll work quite happily once installed.

Where have you been buying your games from ? If its Steam or GOG, then youre fine, just download and reinstall them, theyll already be on your account.

As for progress in the games, find out where they keep their save games etc and copy them across once the games installed again.

XPD / Gavin

LinkTree

Athlonite

1828 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 210
Inactive user

#412265 2-Dec-2010 21:06

can I ask why you need to down grade to XP home from Pro

trig42

5889 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2094

ID Verified

#413130 5-Dec-2010 20:10

Dodgy non-working Corp key for Xp Pro perhaps?

A lot of saved game data is kept in the Documents and Settings\local settings or \application data folder (or even in My Documents).

As said above, for Office, if you have the installation package, you will be fine just reinstalling it from that.

Downloaded games - if Steam or other online based service, they should have a record in your account of what you have bought, and you will just have to re-download them (Stem used to have a folder where the downloads were sotred - don't know if it still does though. Anything else, you should have some email or something confirming your purchase and linking you to a download (or providing you with an unlock key).

ninjabrood

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

#418319 17-Dec-2010 00:52

(Stem used to have a folder where the downloads were sotred - don't know if it still does though. Anything else, you should have some email or something confirming your purchase and linking you to a download (or providing you with an unlock key).

steam games are stored in /steam/steamapps
These are examples of some games that are stored in the steamapps with the user profiles and patches stored in /%USERNAME%

Half life
Counter strike
Team fortress

All non valve game and valve games (that were made after 2008 e.g. left for dead) are stored in the common folder