one last question, and its important

DerWahnsinn93 · 08-13-2008, 01:17 PM

well i finished my new system, and i put in my hard drive from my old comp.. i have important files on that hard drive, and it has XP on it, if i install vista on it will it format the drive or something? oh and i cant access the XP it loads for like 2 seconds then goes back to bios.

**stressfreesoul** · 08-13-2008, 01:53 PM

If you install Vista it will reformat your hard disk or at least the largest contigious space. It depends on how big the HDD is. For example, if you had a 500Gb drive, but only 200Gb was in use, you could partition 200Gb of the remaining 300Gb for the Vista install. Or You could just back up what you need to keep on CD or DVD if you have a lot, then use the whole drive.
The reason you cant access XP on that hard disk, is because the hardware has changed too much for it. You can perform a repair install, click on this link to learn more.

**wrench97** · 08-13-2008, 02:12 PM

Or you could use the upgrade version of Vista to only overwrite the XP install, however note that sometimes you will need to reinstall some programs that don't register correctly.

DerWahnsinn93 · 08-14-2008, 02:31 AM

well would the upgrade to vista delete my personal files like pictures?

**sobeit** · 08-14-2008, 02:45 AM

vista will create a folder called windows.old when you install vista over winxp. You can recover files and other stuff from it. It cannot be used to reinstall anything, including windows if you decide you do not like vista.

Per microsofts eula, you are not eligible for the upgrade version of vista since the os on the harddrive is from your old system. However, since it is a new motherboard it is considered a new system so you are eligible for the oem version of vista.

08-13-2008, 01:17 PM	#1 (permalink)
DerWahnsinn93 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 48 OS: Vista	one last question, and its important well i finished my new system, and i put in my hard drive from my old comp.. i have important files on that hard drive, and it has XP on it, if i install vista on it will it format the drive or something? oh and i cant access the XP it loads for like 2 seconds then goes back to bios.

08-13-2008, 01:53 PM	#2 (permalink)
stressfreesoul Semi-Absent (life, eh?) Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: County Durham UK Posts: 1,852 OS: XP, Win7 RC x64, Ubuntu x64 multiboot My System Blog Entries: 7	Re: one last question, and its important If you install Vista it will reformat your hard disk or at least the largest contigious space. It depends on how big the HDD is. For example, if you had a 500Gb drive, but only 200Gb was in use, you could partition 200Gb of the remaining 300Gb for the Vista install. Or You could just back up what you need to keep on CD or DVD if you have a lot, then use the whole drive. The reason you cant access XP on that hard disk, is because the hardware has changed too much for it. You can perform a repair install, click on this link to learn more. __________________ TSF Folding@Home, find out how to do your bit in the fight against Cancer "Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut" xbox Live tag: storiedmedal Warning!! GTA IV addict! Join my game at your peril!

08-13-2008, 02:12 PM	#3 (permalink)
wrench97 Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania Posts: 18,622 OS: Win7	Re: one last question, and its important Or you could use the upgrade version of Vista to only overwrite the XP install, however note that sometimes you will need to reinstall some programs that don't register correctly. __________________ Power Supply and Selection

08-14-2008, 02:31 AM	#4 (permalink)
DerWahnsinn93 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 48 OS: Vista	Re: one last question, and its important well would the upgrade to vista delete my personal files like pictures?

08-14-2008, 02:45 AM	#5 (permalink)
sobeit TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: NEAR Posts: 7,433 OS: windows/linux	Re: one last question, and its important vista will create a folder called windows.old when you install vista over winxp. You can recover files and other stuff from it. It cannot be used to reinstall anything, including windows if you decide you do not like vista. Per microsofts eula, you are not eligible for the upgrade version of vista since the os on the harddrive is from your old system. However, since it is a new motherboard it is considered a new system so you are eligible for the oem version of vista. __________________ there's been global warming since the ice age