Some issues that may arise: Permissions/ownership/encryption. If the drive is encrypted (ie: bitlocker), then that intentionally prevents copying data like this. In addition, IF a new system tries to read the old drive, THEN it will often give you permission errors. Most of the time, you just tell it to change ownership and you are good. Sometimes, it is easier to "network" or attach a "usb drive" to the old system and copy files that way.
Hello, apologies as this was probably answered, but im very happy with my new pc and i dont have the money to replace it if something goes wrong. He says in the video that you cant put old software on the new computer. I have an HDD that i normally used for video game recordings and clips, and low demand games like boltgun. It may have any number of random software from its 2 years of use, will it like try to run that software and cause an error when i install it? I intended to completely wipe all 3 of my drives but i ended up not doing all the data on that one, so id just delete any files from like an obs install or something Sorry, long question
By this time I am surprised Windows hasn't come up with their own migration tool like Mac Migration Utility. I use three different OS's and it amazes me how some things Windows never gets.
True. I wish I could take my favorite features of all the major OSes and make my own 'pizza'. I guess that's a Linux distro, but I'm getting too old for distro testing.
I have done this before. If the old disk is damaged or corrupt, the new computer will attempt to "repair" the disk. This may help you recover your data. Especially if the disk was the boot disk on your old computer. A corrupt operating system will make a disk more difficult to boot from. This is not a problem on the new computer. Recovering data this way much easier than reloading from backup or downloading from the cloud. Much quicker too. Always sure of having the latest version of files.
Isn't chdsk dangerous though? It was said in a domestic (Hungarian) fórum, or is it a different method? Or maybe copying the data to a similar Winchester(hdd, SSD) then trying it with a back up or two? Of course this can have varying cost , depending if the backup drives are new or used
Thanks, Leo. One question I have that probably doesn't apply to the user here: what if drive encryption was used? Will Windows just ask for the password, or does the HD/SSD need to be in the actual PC it was set up on?
You'll be asked for the recovery key that BitLocker will have prompted you to save when it was set up. (Or, if some other tool was used, like VeraCrypt, then yes, it'll need a password.)
Additionally, it’s possibly that the file ownerships may not be automatically updated. You may need to go to folder properties and adjust the security settings, as well, in order to read the files on the old disk.
Leo, your videos remind me of a "hit the ground running" crash course in computernomics. I have purchased a new PC, with W11. I now need to get ready to "move" my old machine files/programs etc... to the new machine. I have purchased Laplink PCmover v.11 Ultimate software to move the "old stuff" to the new computer. My question and concern is what happens to my external drive, D:, where all my backup files are??? I have EaseUS and I would like a hint, a video if you have one, to watch and learn how to migrate files from old pc to new pc. Thanks for any help you can provide and I appreciate your videos as I am learning quite a bit from them.
I’ve had some success with PC mover. But as an advanced user I was ok with it. In my last experience I moved from a windows 10 PC that did not have upgrade possibility (per Microsoft) and didn’t want to mess with those upgrade hacks. So transferred with PC Mover to a new Windows 11 PC. Everything moved well. But I did have to re-enter several license keys. And my Email passwords in Outlook.
I have done everything in this video and yes the dead computer hard drive information comes up but, almost in a code form. For example:’ they come up as ‘intel, users or even windows.’ I checked every file and 10 folders separately and there is no name “document file or desktop.” Office Place downloaded it and said it was there but again, they wanted me to sign for a year's maintenance subscription to give me the info. What do they call doc in computer language, maybe I'm not recognizing the file? Signed …Frustrated.
Good advice. Question with regards to the specific email. The OP says "computer is crashing." My concern is that maybe one of the files on the actual drive is causing the crashing in some manner. Or maybe the drive itself is having a physical issue. Using it as an external drive would be fine if one does some scans to determine that the drive isn't failing. Just my $0.02.
No, it's bad advice. People who struggle with this should ask a relative or friend for help, there is no need to buy a hard drive closure, it's a waste of money, plus in general they're way too slow because of the slow USB transfer speed, since most people people don't even have USB ports on their computer that offer speeds of 20Gbps or higher.
Hello Leo from Burt 95. Backup,I keep to stand alone hard drives in my desk drawer. I turn off internet all my files are on my desktop. i cut and paste the desk top to my stand allne diskd and unplug them and put them in is my desk drawer. is this ok?
question: if the hard drive (just data) is encrypted with bitlocker on the old computer, is it just the same after you plugged into the new? meaning I would just click to access and get prompted for my password, then everything works the same?
No. That's not how USB works. HOWEVER if you put both computers on a local network -- as you do when sharing a router -- then it's possible to transfer across the network.
Okay but what if I want to transfer softwares from my hard drive (that is made into an external hard drive already, using a usb cord) into my new pc without copying and pasting?
Hello thank you for the great work, I have a question, i have 2 Pcs one for work and the other at home, since I work from home now, can I use the hard drive from the work pc and get all the apps running in my home pc, I don't talk about making windows work, only the apps installed in. Home pc runs win 11 Work pc runs win 10
All I can say is maybe. It depends of course on the heat generated by both the drive and the circuit board in the enclosure. Most powered ones include a fan, that I've seen.
@@askleonotenboom SO i ordered one converter, but by mistake it was 2.5 so can i conncet my hardrive with 2.5 converter and provide power with my old cpu motherboard is it safe?
I replaced my 9900K based system with a 13900K system last year. New mobo, new RAM, new CPU, and a new 4080. I reused the case and power supply. And I reused the SSD with Win10 and all the (probably wrong) drivers. I cloned the SSD in case the whole thing blew up. But it didn't. Win10 booted as normal and Device Manager had no red or yellow icons. Windows didn't tell me my OS was pirated. I'm still using the old SSD in the new computer to watch this video.
Absolutely. I've also: 1) cloned a drive from platter to SSD, 2) "repaired" a drive, cloned it, and used the clone, 3) cloned a drive to a bigger drive and then re-partitioned it (OR re-partitioned, then cloned to a smaller drive). As "Ask Leo" mentioned, I sometimes have to re-install windows/software either because of licensing issues and/or the OS was corrupted prior to cloning.
You should never use the old worn out power supply, unless you like to ignore the risk that you're running your modern hardware with poor voltages. Heck, I would never even use the old power cable, it always gets replaced with the one that comes with the new power supply. Modern computers require very accurate stable clean voltages, but the problem with older power supplies is that they might not running anymore within their specs, and as a result this might cause stability issues, some of which might only show up when the computer is put under extreme stress. In the worst case it might actually damage your expensive hardware! Even when you system is not under stress, and the PSU is producing voltages that are less clean than they used to be, it will put extra stress on your hardware, reducing their life span. Heck, even a hot day might trip an old PSU over the edge. Many of these cheaper power supplies also contain a fan with a sleeve bearing fan with limited life span, and as a result it's more likely to fail over time when you transfer that power supply to a new system. Those claimed 25,000 hours life-span (but only under ideal conditions) for example will be exceeded in only 3 years if your PC is running 24/7... and if it already ran for 3 years or more in your old system.... Never cut corners on the power supply...ever, it's the foundation of your system, ALL parts rely on it!
@@Horizon-hj3yc Why would you jump to the conclusion that I was reusing an "old worn out" power supply? You have no information regarding its age or quality.
Since the point of all this is probably to get your files from your old computer to your new one, an obvious precaution is to make sure you have all your data backed up first! So, if you do happen to damage the drive when removing it, you'll not have lost the data you're trying to move. The next obvious thing to think about is, since you already have your data backed up somewhere, why not just recover the data to your new computer !?!?! The downside to this, of course, is the transfer will be much slower if the hundreds of Gigabytes has to be downloaded over an Internet connection.
Video is correct as far as it goes, but there are a couple of pitfalls. (1) USB is much slower than the usual connections of an installed hard drive. Copying a large hard drive full of data, perhaps a few terabytes, may take days via USB. If you cannot afford to go days without your data, you might have some problem with that. (2) When you do fresh installs of all your software on the C: drive of the new computer, the software will set up a bunch of files that it needs there, too. For example, your web browser will set up bookmark files, and your email program will set up an address book and user inboxes, etc. It is hard to find out where the comparable data is on the old hard drive, and trying to just copy it over the new setup will likely be a bad thing. The backup and restore functions of the browser and email programs may help you some, but they likely have considerable limitations. (3) For other programs, if the freshly installed copy on the new disk is not exactly the same version as the version used to put the data on the old disk, things may work well or terribly, depending on way too many possibilities. I have gone through this process trying to just install or upgrade to a new version of linux every few years for about 15 years, and I have never installed a new release without losing something here or there.
How about a visualization and maybe a demonstration of the "box" you put your old hard drive into and how it gets hooked up to the new computer? Not very helpful otherwise.
Ha! Good luck. Anything in Special Folders does not register I learned this from win 95 put all your important files in a folder in the root directory.
Why do we still call computers machines? There are no moving parts. No more DVD drives. Some have physical hard drives, but not even they are machines. Nowadays most are SSD. So stop calling computers machines.
Some issues that may arise: Permissions/ownership/encryption. If the drive is encrypted (ie: bitlocker), then that intentionally prevents copying data like this. In addition, IF a new system tries to read the old drive, THEN it will often give you permission errors. Most of the time, you just tell it to change ownership and you are good. Sometimes, it is easier to "network" or attach a "usb drive" to the old system and copy files that way.
How is this done?
I have done this many times (both installing as a second drive and using as an external drive.) Great advice.
Hello, apologies as this was probably answered, but im very happy with my new pc and i dont have the money to replace it if something goes wrong.
He says in the video that you cant put old software on the new computer. I have an HDD that i normally used for video game recordings and clips, and low demand games like boltgun. It may have any number of random software from its 2 years of use, will it like try to run that software and cause an error when i install it? I intended to completely wipe all 3 of my drives but i ended up not doing all the data on that one, so id just delete any files from like an obs install or something
Sorry, long question
By this time I am surprised Windows hasn't come up with their own migration tool like Mac Migration Utility. I use three different OS's and it amazes me how some things Windows never gets.
True. I wish I could take my favorite features of all the major OSes and make my own 'pizza'. I guess that's a Linux distro, but I'm getting too old for distro testing.
I have done this before. If the old disk is damaged or corrupt, the new computer will attempt to "repair" the disk. This may help you recover your data. Especially if the disk was the boot disk on your old computer. A corrupt operating system will make a disk more difficult to boot from. This is not a problem on the new computer. Recovering data this way much easier than reloading from backup or downloading from the cloud. Much quicker too. Always sure of having the latest version of files.
Isn't chdsk dangerous though? It was said in a domestic (Hungarian) fórum, or is it a different method? Or maybe copying the data to a similar Winchester(hdd, SSD) then trying it with a back up or two? Of course this can have varying cost , depending if the backup drives are new or used
✅ Watch next ▶ Can I Move My Hard Drive to a New Computer and Have Windows Work? ▶ ua-cam.com/video/tTfiSuco3TE/v-deo.htmlsi=VkGVPBO6OraeJJf3
Good review, thank you.
What about using iDrive? How do we find an external enclosure?
Thanks, Leo. One question I have that probably doesn't apply to the user here: what if drive encryption was used? Will Windows just ask for the password, or does the HD/SSD need to be in the actual PC it was set up on?
You'll be asked for the recovery key that BitLocker will have prompted you to save when it was set up. (Or, if some other tool was used, like VeraCrypt, then yes, it'll need a password.)
Additionally, it’s possibly that the file ownerships may not be automatically updated. You may need to go to folder properties and adjust the security settings, as well, in order to read the files on the old disk.
Leo, your videos remind me of a "hit the ground running" crash course in computernomics. I have purchased a new PC, with W11. I now need to get ready to "move" my old machine files/programs etc... to the new machine. I have purchased Laplink PCmover v.11 Ultimate software to move the "old stuff" to the new computer. My question and concern is what happens to my external drive, D:, where all my backup files are??? I have EaseUS and I would like a hint, a video if you have one, to watch and learn how to migrate files from old pc to new pc.
Thanks for any help you can provide and I appreciate your videos as I am learning quite a bit from them.
I'm not sure what you're asking, exactly. I mean, the external drive you just plug into the new machine.
I’ve had some success with PC mover. But as an advanced user I was ok with it. In my last experience I moved from a windows 10 PC that did not have upgrade possibility (per Microsoft) and didn’t want to mess with those upgrade hacks. So transferred with PC Mover to a new Windows 11 PC. Everything moved well. But I did have to re-enter several license keys. And my Email passwords in Outlook.
Is it possible to do this simply using an external hard drive
Sure
I have done everything in this video and yes the dead computer hard drive information comes up but, almost in a code form. For example:’ they come up as ‘intel, users or even windows.’ I checked every file and 10 folders separately and there is no name “document file or desktop.” Office Place downloaded it and said it was there but again, they wanted me to sign for a year's maintenance subscription to give me the info.
What do they call doc in computer language, maybe I'm not recognizing the file? Signed …Frustrated.
Good advice. Question with regards to the specific email. The OP says "computer is crashing." My concern is that maybe one of the files on the actual drive is causing the crashing in some manner. Or maybe the drive itself is having a physical issue. Using it as an external drive would be fine if one does some scans to determine that the drive isn't failing.
Just my $0.02.
No, it's bad advice. People who struggle with this should ask a relative or friend for help, there is no need to buy a hard drive closure, it's a waste of money, plus in general they're way too slow because of the slow USB transfer speed, since most people people don't even have USB ports on their computer that offer speeds of 20Gbps or higher.
Hello Leo from Burt 95. Backup,I keep to stand alone hard drives in my desk drawer.
I turn off internet all my files are on my desktop. i cut and paste the desk top to my stand allne diskd and unplug them and put them in is my desk drawer. is this ok?
question: if the hard drive (just data) is encrypted with bitlocker on the old computer, is it just the same after you plugged into the new? meaning I would just click to access and get prompted for my password, then everything works the same?
It depends on how it was set up, but yes, either the password to the drive (if you used a password) or the recovery key saved previously.
So it means if I plug notebook HDD with working system into new PC system won't work ?
How about using some software to transfer files to the new drive from the old one?
Those tools do exist, but they operate with mixed results. Often the result isn't quite as stable as you might expect.
Does USB from new computer to old computer also work without removing the old hard drive for info transfer?
Thanks. JimE
No. That's not how USB works. HOWEVER if you put both computers on a local network -- as you do when sharing a router -- then it's possible to transfer across the network.
@@askleonotenboom Darn!! Somehow I figured that would be too easy and now I know. Thank you Leo. JimE
Okay but what if I want to transfer softwares from my hard drive (that is made into an external hard drive already, using a usb cord) into my new pc without copying and pasting?
Programs need to be reinstalled from their original sources.
Beautiful response. I have the same problem and I thought that this was the way to go but I wanted confirmation. Thank you for indulging me.
Hello thank you for the great work, I have a question, i have 2 Pcs one for work and the other at home, since I work from home now, can I use the hard drive from the work pc and get all the apps running in my home pc, I don't talk about making windows work, only the apps installed in.
Home pc runs win 11
Work pc runs win 10
Generally, no. Applications that require you run a setup program to install them will require you run that setup on any new or additional machine.
Some of the correct enclosures have a fan while others don't. Since it's external, does it really need it's own fan?
All I can say is maybe. It depends of course on the heat generated by both the drive and the circuit board in the enclosure. Most powered ones include a fan, that I've seen.
@@askleonotenboomThank you!
You can temporarily leave the harddisk on the desk outside the computer if it can't be fitted.
I have an old hdd from my computer and its power supply died, can i buy the converter and directly plug in my laptop?
Depends on what you mean by "converter", but generally yes.
@@askleonotenboom The cable one sata to usb one
@@yashrohilla686 Yup.
@@askleonotenboom SO i ordered one converter, but by mistake it was 2.5 so can i conncet my hardrive with 2.5 converter and provide power with my old cpu motherboard is it safe?
I replaced my 9900K based system with a 13900K system last year. New mobo, new RAM, new CPU, and a new 4080. I reused the case and power supply. And I reused the SSD with Win10 and all the (probably wrong) drivers. I cloned the SSD in case the whole thing blew up. But it didn't. Win10 booted as normal and Device Manager had no red or yellow icons. Windows didn't tell me my OS was pirated. I'm still using the old SSD in the new computer to watch this video.
Absolutely. I've also: 1) cloned a drive from platter to SSD, 2) "repaired" a drive, cloned it, and used the clone, 3) cloned a drive to a bigger drive and then re-partitioned it (OR re-partitioned, then cloned to a smaller drive). As "Ask Leo" mentioned, I sometimes have to re-install windows/software either because of licensing issues and/or the OS was corrupted prior to cloning.
You should never use the old worn out power supply, unless you like to ignore the risk that you're running your modern hardware with poor voltages. Heck, I would never even use the old power cable, it always gets replaced with the one that comes with the new power supply.
Modern computers require very accurate stable clean voltages, but the problem with older power supplies is that they might not running anymore within their specs, and as a result this might cause stability issues, some of which might only show up when the computer is put under extreme stress. In the worst case it might actually damage your expensive hardware! Even when you system is not under stress, and the PSU is producing voltages that are less clean than they used to be, it will put extra stress on your hardware, reducing their life span. Heck, even a hot day might trip an old PSU over the edge.
Many of these cheaper power supplies also contain a fan with a sleeve bearing fan with limited life span, and as a result it's more likely to fail over time when you transfer that power supply to a new system. Those claimed 25,000 hours life-span (but only under ideal conditions) for example will be exceeded in only 3 years if your PC is running 24/7... and if it already ran for 3 years or more in your old system....
Never cut corners on the power supply...ever, it's the foundation of your system, ALL parts rely on it!
@@Horizon-hj3yc Why would you jump to the conclusion that I was reusing an "old worn out" power supply? You have no information regarding its age or quality.
Since the point of all this is probably to get your files from your old computer to your new one, an obvious precaution is to make sure you have all your data backed up first! So, if you do happen to damage the drive when removing it, you'll not have lost the data you're trying to move. The next obvious thing to think about is, since you already have your data backed up somewhere, why not just recover the data to your new computer !?!?! The downside to this, of course, is the transfer will be much slower if the hundreds of Gigabytes has to be downloaded over an Internet connection.
Video is correct as far as it goes, but there are a couple of pitfalls. (1) USB is much slower than the usual connections of an installed hard drive. Copying a large hard drive full of data, perhaps a few terabytes, may take days via USB. If you cannot afford to go days without your data, you might have some problem with that. (2) When you do fresh installs of all your software on the C: drive of the new computer, the software will set up a bunch of files that it needs there, too. For example, your web browser will set up bookmark files, and your email program will set up an address book and user inboxes, etc. It is hard to find out where the comparable data is on the old hard drive, and trying to just copy it over the new setup will likely be a bad thing. The backup and restore functions of the browser and email programs may help you some, but they likely have considerable limitations. (3) For other programs, if the freshly installed copy on the new disk is not exactly the same version as the version used to put the data on the old disk, things may work well or terribly, depending on way too many possibilities. I have gone through this process trying to just install or upgrade to a new version of linux every few years for about 15 years, and I have never installed a new release without losing something here or there.
For (1), True for older USB, but these days USB 3.2 / USB C is amazingly fast. I copy terabytes often.
Finding the files may be an issue, but we’re mostly talking about documents, pictures, and videos, which are pretty easy to find.
agreed. clean install is best on a new rig.
Excellent video ,thank you !
How about a visualization and maybe a demonstration of the "box" you put your old hard drive into and how it gets hooked up to the new computer? Not very helpful otherwise.
Another reason for not putting the old disk into the new computer is that you may void the warranty by opening the computer.
Ha! Good luck. Anything in Special Folders does not register I learned this from win 95 put all your important files in a folder in the root directory.
Hope it’s not bit-locked
If it is, hope you saved the recovery key.
hello Leo Burt 95 I help build a computer in 1980 15 minutes to load Basic.
I copy and paste
Hey, Leo, @roncaruso931 keeps trying to start things on your channel. Time to clean house and ban him.
Why are computers called machines? They are not machines!!
Common usage is trumping pedantic definition. Good luck trying to get anyone to change.
Why do we still call computers machines? There are no moving parts. No more DVD drives. Some have physical hard drives, but not even they are machines. Nowadays most are SSD. So stop calling computers machines.
Moving parts is not the reason they are referred to as machines.
@@er... OK. So why do they refer to computers as machines?
@@roncaruso931Google it!
google it
A quick internet search will reveal the answer.
thank you for your time. excellent video