Sticking a WinXP hard drive into a Mac Pro?

[barrysmithens]

Hey guys,

I recently got a Mac Pro. I also have an existing computer that's running Windows XP.

I'm wondering if I can just take the hard drive out of the Windows computer, and stick it into the Mac Pro, and run Windows off of it?

This is assuming that I:
1) Use BootCamp to burn a CD of Mac drivers (already done)
2) Install some sort of boot menu that lets me pick between OSX or Windows (I'm not sure how to do this)
3) Call Microsoft and have them transfer my XP license, because it will stop working when it doesn't recognize the new hardware.

And as a follow-up question, am I right to believe that Parallels will be able to run Windows off of the newly inserted hard drive?

Thanks!

 

[slughead]

Hey guys,

I recently got a Mac Pro. I also have an existing computer that's running Windows XP.

I'm wondering if I can just take the hard drive out of the Windows computer, and stick it into the Mac Pro, and run Windows off of it?

This is assuming that I:
1) Use BootCamp to burn a CD of Mac drivers (already done)
2) Install some sort of boot menu that lets me pick between OSX or Windows (I'm not sure how to do this)
3) Call Microsoft and have them transfer my XP license, because it will stop working when it doesn't recognize the new hardware.

And as a follow-up question, am I right to believe that Parallels will be able to run Windows off of the newly inserted hard drive?

Thanks!

#2 is already done, just hold down 'option' while booting

as for everything else, it should be fine, and yes, parallels will work great off the drive


HOWEVER

You can't swap HDs from model to model while using XP. It'll give you the blue screen of death or at least be hella unstable.

You'll have to reinstall windows on the HD in order to boot off it and run it in a stable manner.

That's a Windows issue, not a mac one.

 

[electronbee]

you should be able to transfer the license no problem so long as you actually own it. I have a windows xp machine and I upgrade hardware often. xp detects this change in hardware and the registration screen pops up and I just enter in my information as I did for my first configuration and you are done.

 

[sushi]

To the OP, pretty much anytime the chip set (Northbridge & Southbridge) changes, or a major change in CPU/logic board, you need to reinstall Windows XP for it to work correctly.

There are ways around this, but usually it is just simpler and easier to reinstall Windows XP when the HD is put in the Mac Pro.

 

[Maxwell Smart]

To the OP, pretty much anytime the chip set (Northbridge & Southbridge) changes, or a major change in CPU/logic board, you need to reinstall Windows XP for it to work correctly.

There are ways around this, but usually it is just simpler and easier to reinstall Windows XP when the HD is put in the Mac Pro.

This is just what I was about to post. Unfortunately since Windows 2000 this is the way it works. Macs are nice cause you can just pop in the drive into any mac (assuming it's the same architecture), but MS stopped it with Windows ME. Sorry for the disappointment.

 

[techster85]

another thought that has probably already been through your head....is your drive a SATA drive? and if it is, would you want to pull the heart out of one computer to put another drive in a new computer when you could just go to newegg and get a similar if not larger drive for relatively little money?

And if you are going to have install no matter what you do, you might as well just buy a new drive and leave your PC in working condition...