hard drive swapping /Linux

justo · 05-15-2007, 10:46 PM

We had spoke of this thing recently so I tried it this evening. You can load Linux (In this case it was PC Linux 2007) on a hard drive in one PC and use the HD in another.Well from my experiment you have to do it the right way. I loaded PC Linux on an AMD CPU ASROCK board.I used the load awhile then tried the HD in an Intel CPU Biostar board.No go. So if you try this here is what to do. Load to the HD but do not boot up with the load.Switch PCs then boot up the first time. It will likely set the drivers to the second PC.I know I have switched and it worked.

**Bartender** · 05-16-2007, 06:33 AM

Thanks for doing the testing, justo!

I know that it can be done (sometimes, anyway) with a HDD that's been loaded and run, but success or failure must have something to do with the parts inside the two PC's being fairly similar...

~~PureEvilDan~~ · 05-16-2007, 12:47 PM

Not really,

As long as the drivers are in the kernel, then you can plug a Linux hard drive in any machine.

Its the kernel "drivers"/modules you need to watch out on.

justo · 05-17-2007, 02:57 PM

I do not understand what you mean about the kernel drivers modules?

bkubes · 05-17-2007, 03:53 PM

The kernel and kernel modules hold all of the hardware drivers as well as some other things.
It's highly customizable, you could make a kernel that only has support for your specific hardware, or you could make one that would run functionally on a wide variety of computers; this is usually how Live CDs are made.

05-15-2007, 10:46 PM	#1 (permalink)
justo Registered User Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: TEXAS Posts: 203 OS: VISTA/XP/WIN2K/PC LINUX/MCN LINUX THERMALTAKE XASER2.Several home mades.	hard drive swapping /Linux We had spoke of this thing recently so I tried it this evening. You can load Linux (In this case it was PC Linux 2007) on a hard drive in one PC and use the HD in another.Well from my experiment you have to do it the right way. I loaded PC Linux on an AMD CPU ASROCK board.I used the load awhile then tried the HD in an Intel CPU Biostar board.No go. So if you try this here is what to do. Load to the HD but do not boot up with the load.Switch PCs then boot up the first time. It will likely set the drivers to the second PC.I know I have switched and it worked.

05-16-2007, 06:33 AM	#2 (permalink)
Bartender Mentally divergent Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Chehalis, WA, USA Posts: 1,285 OS: W2K, Ubuntu 8.04	Re: hard drive swapping /Linux Thanks for doing the testing, justo! I know that it can be done (sometimes, anyway) with a HDD that's been loaded and run, but success or failure must have something to do with the parts inside the two PC's being fairly similar...

05-16-2007, 12:47 PM	#3 (permalink)
~~PureEvilDan~~ Register user Join Date: May 2005 Location: England Posts: 229 OS: Gentoo AMD XP 2400+ 1GB Ram / WinXp Intel 805D 2GB Ram My System	Re: hard drive swapping /Linux Not really, As long as the drivers are in the kernel, then you can plug a Linux hard drive in any machine. Its the kernel "drivers"/modules you need to watch out on.

05-17-2007, 02:57 PM	#4 (permalink)
justo Registered User Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: TEXAS Posts: 203 OS: VISTA/XP/WIN2K/PC LINUX/MCN LINUX THERMALTAKE XASER2.Several home mades.	Re: hard drive swapping /Linux I do not understand what you mean about the kernel drivers modules?

05-17-2007, 03:53 PM	#5 (permalink)
bkubes Registered User Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 62 OS: Windows XP,Linux	Re: hard drive swapping /Linux The kernel and kernel modules hold all of the hardware drivers as well as some other things. It's highly customizable, you could make a kernel that only has support for your specific hardware, or you could make one that would run functionally on a wide variety of computers; this is usually how Live CDs are made. Last edited by bkubes; 05-17-2007 at 03:56 PM.