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Swapping Hard Drives

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  • 27-06-2014 7:30am
    #1
    Fizzy Duck
    Registered Users Posts: 186 ✭✭


    I have 2 Dell Optiplex GX620s. One has a faulty motherboard which results in a bluescreen shortly after its turned on. The other is fine. The faulty one has a 160GB Seagate HDD though and I'd like to have that as the main HDD in the functioning computer. How easily is this done? Could someone tell me how?

    Regards
    F.D.


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    #2
    Explosive_Cornflake
    Registered Users Posts: 2,124 ✭✭✭Explosive_Cornflake


    Very. Should be no b issue as the hardware is the same.
    Only need to physically move the drive. No software actions necessary.
    Should be a service guide on the dell for changing the drive, but you should be able to figure it out.
    I have 2 Dell Optiplex GX620s. One has a faulty motherboard which results in a bluescreen shortly after its turned on. The other is fine. The faulty one has a 160GB Seagate HDD though and I'd like to have that as the main HDD in the functioning computer. How easily is this done? Could someone tell me how?

    Regards
    F.D.


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    #3
    Fizzy Duck
    Registered Users Posts: 186 ✭✭Fizzy Duck


    Explosive_Cornflake wrote: »
    Very. Should be no b issue as the hardware is the same.
    Only need to physically move the drive. No software actions necessary.
    Should be a service guide on the dell for changing the drive, but you should be able to figure it out.
    I have 2 Dell Optiplex GX620s. One has a faulty motherboard which results in a bluescreen shortly after its turned on. The other is fine. The faulty one has a 160GB Seagate HDD though and I'd like to have that as the main HDD in the functioning computer. How easily is this done? Could someone tell me how?

    Regards
    F.D.

    Hardware is not exactly same. Older 40gb HDD uses the ribbon cable. Newer one uses the blue ata? cable. Tried taking old one out and hooking up new one but its never recognised on start up. Both have Windows 7 installed.


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    #4
    Sam Russell
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 19,715 Mod ✭✭✭✭Sam Russell


    Are the mother boards different? Does the working one have ATA connection?

    To get the HDD recognised, you need to change the set-up in the bios to get the HDD recognised by the motherboard before it boots up. Hit the F2 or F8 or F12 keys as it starts to boot (it differs from bios to bios). One of them will give you a menu, and then work from there. Only have the new HDD connected at this time.


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    #5
    FJFreelance
    Registered Users Posts: 42 ✭FJFreelance


    Fizzy Duck wrote: »

    Hardware is not exactly same. Older 40gb HDD uses the ribbon cable. Newer one uses the blue ata? cable. Tried taking old one out and hooking up new one but its never recognised on start up. Both have Windows 7 installed.[/QUOTE]

    That ribbon cable is IDE which is the old interface for Hard Drives, you wont be able to install this in newer machines without a converter or does your computer have this?


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    #6
    Sam Russell
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 19,715 Mod ✭✭✭✭Sam Russell


    Some mother boards have both connectors on them. If the OP looks, he might find the ATAS connector.


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    #7
    Fizzy Duck
    Registered Users Posts: 186 ✭✭Fizzy Duck


    The motherbards are identical. They both have two sets of cables, so they should be easily interchangable. When I enter the system setup though it fails to recognise the new drive. There are numbers on the new cables for 'P3' or 'P5'. I have tried in both but it won't start unless the old drive is reconnected and the new drive disconnected.


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    #8
    FJFreelance
    Registered Users Posts: 42 ✭FJFreelance


    Fizzy Duck wrote: »
    The motherbards are identical. They both have two sets of cables, so they should be easily interchangable. When I enter the system setup though it fails to recognise the new drive. There are numbers on the new cables for 'P3' or 'P5'. I have tried in both but it won't start unless the old drive is reconnected and the new drive disconnected.

    should be as simple as enabling the ports they are connected to in the bios. If they are still not working you may need to adjust the master slave settings on the IDE hard drive.


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