Are you looking to swap parts from an old computer to a more recent device to add extra storage, replace another drive or increase performance? You’ve probably already come to the conclusion that a drive from another computer would solve your problems, but you’re not sure if it’s safe to move a used drive from one computer to the next.
You can put a used SSD or HDD drive in another computer as both a primary or secondary drive as long as the other computer is compatible with the SSD/HDD. When the drive is connected Windows will try to install the proper drivers for the new hardware, and if it doesn’t you might need to reinstall the operating system and re-activate Windows.
There are various types of HDD/SSD interfaces and if they’re different from one another the computer might respond by not booting or crashing immediately. Continue reading below as we’ll go through the things you need to take into consideration before doing a drive replacement or upgrade.
If you only want to use the SSD or HDD as external data storage, I recommend purchasing a docking station for hard drives. This is the one I use for all of my hard drives.
How Do You Move a Hard Drive From To Another Computer?
Moving your drive from one computer to the next isn’t a tremendous task, but it requires all parts to be compatible in order to function as intended. Otherwise, you won’t get very far as compatibility issues will cause the computer to reject the new drive – or even crash.
The first step is to identify whether the computer you’re moving your drive to is compatible with the drive or not. This will save you a lot of time and frustration. It’s important to save the frustration, as we might be using a lot of it down the road.
Here’s a checklist of things you need to check.
SSD or HDD?
Is the disk you’re moving an older hard disk drive or a more recent solid-state drive? Solid-state drives are much smaller than HDDs.
You should be able to identify this by opening Run and typing dfrgui on both computers (then check the list to see what type of drive it is) or Googling images of the two types of drives and comparing them to yours.
In the column Media type, you will find information regarding your drive and what type it is.
Drive Connector (Interface)
Now that we’ve differentiated the two core drives, which are solid state drives and hard disk drives, we need to look at the different versions of drives within their respective category.
Simply knowing that both computers have solid state drives isn’t enough because a solid state drive can come in different forms. Without the right interface, you won’t be able to connect the drive to the computer.
The most common drive interface for both SSDs and HDDs is SATA. Your drive will most likely be SATA-compatible, but to ensure compatibility you should open up your computer to see if the drive is connected to a SATA port.
You should be able to follow the cable connecting the drive to the motherboard and then read any labels near the connector to see if it’s labeled as SATA.
Your other computer must also be compatible with SATA if that’s the case.
Drive Form Factor
When talking about components, the term form factor refers to the size and shape of the device. This will determine whether or not a component can be attached to a computer or not. You can, however, connect devices with the help of adapters and other workarounds even if they’re not the same form factor.
The two most common form factors are:
- 2.5″ – This is the form factor used by the majority of solid state drives but also recent hard disk drives.
- 3.5″ – This is the form factor used by the majority of old hard disk drives.
In small devices, such as ultra-thin laptops and tablets, you’ll find a small form factor solid state drive called M.2. Unlike the “larger” 2.5 or 3.5″ drives, the M.2 drives are flat and much smaller. You’ll spot the difference if you happen to find an M.2 drive in your computer.
When you’ve determined the form factor, check if the computer you’re moving the component to can support the form factor. If the computer has a drive bay that can fit the size and shape of the drive, then you’re good to go.
Some computers have adjustable drive bays that can be modified to fit both 2.5″ and 3.5″ drives. Purchasing a suitable adapter for your drive is an option if you don’t find a fitting slot to put your drive in.
If they’re not the proper size, the screws won’t be placed correctly and you won’t be able to secure the drive in its position. This doesn’t prevent you from using the drive, but it’s not the most practical solution.
To counter this, I’ve seen users duct tape their drives in place – but I recommend purchasing a mounting tray that can be put inside the slot and hold your drive. I think it’s better to install the computer as it was intended.
Does Removing a Hard Drive Remove All Stored Data?
Moving a drive, regardless if it’s a hard disk drive or a solid state drive, will also move all of the stored data on that drive. You can think of the drive as a less convenient USB stick or external drive.
If you move a drive from one computer to the next, the computer that the drive was connected to initially will no longer hold the files that were stored on that drive. You won’t be able to access them through that computer.
The files can, however, be accessed from the other computer once the drive has been connected and powered. You don’t even have to connect the drive fully in order to access the files, you can simply plug it into a free USB slot in the computer by using a drive docking station.
If you choose to move and install the drive into the new computer with data stored on it, keep in mind that doing so doesn’t always end up being the seamless transaction one would think.
Using the newly-installed drive to boot the operating system can work but it can also cause a bit of trouble. Installing it as a secondary drive used for storing files and software is a simpler approach.
Once the drive has been installed as a secondary drive, the files on it can be copied to the primary hard drive. You can then format the secondary drive to get a clean slate – and move the files you’d like back to it.
Can You Move a Hard Drive Between a Desktop Computer and a Laptop?
We talked about form factors and connectors earlier in the article. This information becomes valuable here too, as those are the two primary variables that will determine if a solid state drive used in a laptop is compatible with a desktop computer and vice versa.
You can move a hard drive between a laptop and a desktop computer as long as both devices have the same type of slots to connect the drive to.
Most desktop computers have 2.5″ SATA SSDs, and many laptops do too. In such a scenario, the solid state drive can be swapped between the two devices without issue.
Ensure compatibility before you try to do the swap, just as we mentioned earlier. As long as the two devices support the same type of drive, then you’re good to go. The drive itself doesn’t limit itself to one type of device – so any device that will support it, be it a laptop or desktop computer, can do so.
What Happens If You Put Your Hard Drive In Another Computer?
The outcome of moving a hard drive from one computer to another can vary significantly depending on the circumstances. If everything has been accounted for and the move was done correctly, few things should happen.
Once the drive has been placed in the other computer and reinstalled, you’ll have an access to an additional drive. If you intend to boot Windows from the device, connect the device and run the installation from a USB stick if you can’t access Windows.
Other than that, moving a drive will enable you to access the stored data through the other computer. Because the drive is detecting an entirely new environment, it will try its best to adapt by installing the appropriate drivers for all of the components, and features.
Sometimes the hard drive will successfully adapt to the new environment and find the proper drivers, other times it will not.
If the computer isn’t compatible with the drive, nothing will happen. You won’t be able to connect it and it won’t be detected by the computer.
You can always remove the drive and put it back in the computer it was connected to in the first place if you should wish to do so.
Can You Move a Hard Drive To Another Computer Without Reinstalling Windows?
Your used hard drive that’s sitting in your old computer is now being moved to the new computer, but you don’t want to reinstall Windows on the device and continue to use it in your new computer. How would that work?
You can move a hard drive from one computer to another without reinstalling Windows if you don’t intend to use the disk as a booting device, but just for additional storage.
Booting Windows from the swapped hard drive will cause problems as Windows needs to be installed and configured according to the specific hardware in the computer. Failing to do so can lead to blue screens and crashes.
More on the topic down below.
Can You Move a Hard Drive With Windows 10 To Another Computer?
You don’t want to move a hard drive with an installed copy of Windows on it if you intend to use it as your primary drive and boot device. The Windows installation on that specific drive is configured to the old machine’s hardware and settings.
Those settings won’t apply to the hardware in the other computer. Doing such a move without reinstalling Windows on the drive once it’s connected to the new computer is not likely to function at all. You need to set up the operating system properly in order for it to function as intended.
When you install new components in a computer, Windows will notice that a new part has been connected to the computer and install the appropriate drivers for the component to work.
But everything changes when you move the actual hard drive to a computer with completely different components. Windows will think that everything has changed and try to install drivers for all the connected components.
While this can end up working once in a while, I don’t think it’s worth it as you could end up running into problems down the line. If the hardware in the new computer is identical to the hardware in the old computer, then you’ve got a good chance of getting it to work.
And if you intend to use the drive as a secondary drive used for storage, and you already have a copy of Windows installed on the primary drive, then you’re not as likely to run into problems.
But the bottom line is that you should reinstall Windows when moving a drive you plan to use as your primary drive.