Making an Internal hdd work "outside?"

[Boney]

I am trying to build an htpc in the next few months. I have a limited budget so it will take me a few to buy all the parts needed to put it together. My question is that if I go ahead a buy my internal hdd right now for the htpc, Is there any way that I could hook it up to my dell e1505 laptop so that I can get a jumpstart on dumping an operating system, progs, and movies onto it? .. .. . and then just build the rest when i can get all the rest of the parts?

 

[aatf510]

Just grab a USB 2.0 Enclosure. They can usually be found for about $30.

 

[Boney]

Would everything be ok in the OS after having it installed on my laptop ... but then run on the HTPC's mobo,cpu ? Or would i have to do something special.

 

[cubby1223]

Unless you spend the premium on a 2.5" harddrive that fits in the Laptop, you can't do what you're asking.

 

[Boney]

did you even read the op ?

 

[jackschmittusa]

The Windows install from your laptop will almost certainly not work on the other rig if you just copy the hd. You are just asking for problems if you do not do a clean install with the proper drivers.

 

[corkyg]

Jackschmittusa is right on. The normal result of trying to boot with a Windows OS cloned to another drive and put in another computer is a BSOD.

Save yourself time and trouble and do a fresh install with a legit system. It would not be legal to use the laptop's OEM OS on a desktop. You can migrate programs and data files, however.

OEM OS's can't be legally migrated to other systems.

 

[JackRipper]

Originally posted by: Boney

I am trying to build an htpc in the next few months. I have a limited budget so it will take me a few to buy all the parts needed to put it together. My question is that if I go ahead a buy my internal hdd right now for the htpc, Is there any way that I could hook it up to my dell e1505 laptop so that I can get a jumpstart on dumping an operating system, progs, and movies onto it? .. .. . and then just build the rest when i can get all the rest of the parts?

you are asking more trouble trying to get the OS to recognize stuff on the HTPC... almost 100% sure your laptop components and htpc components are not the same... this would work if u were using win98 or older... even then it mite not work 100%...

save the trouble and wait till u have everything to install it on the htpc... what u can do is copy all of ur medial files onto the HD, pop it in an enclosure for mobility purposes (use in between htpc and laptop) then install a small hd on the HTPC later with just the OS and whatever apps u need...

JR

 

[Double Trouble]

If you connect the drive to your laptop (or any other machine for that matter) and install the OS on it, the OS would install all the drivers etc for use with whatever chipset/motherboard/components you have in the machine you're using when installing. If you then take that drive and try to put it inside a (new) htpc machine, you'll end up with lots of problems (even if you could boot at all).

Bottom line, wait until you have everything, then install from scratch on a clean drive -- save yourself the headache.