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upgrading from old PC to New PC

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  • 03-10-2018 12:25am
    #1
    Andy From Sligo
    Registered Users Posts: 11,731 ✭✭✭✭


    a customer of mine has a 7 year old Desktop computer with a SATA 500GB HDD with 32bit version of Windows 10 on it (dont know how he got to win 10 in the first place because he said the PC came with XP originally anyway it reports windows 10 is activated. He has an old office 2003 loaded on it and wants to keep that and he wants everything kept in place and working. - more than likely going to go for a new Dell desktop PC.

    I am just pondering how I am gonna work this or what route to work it so he doesnt have to buy any more software (like office etc ) and just use the ones he already has on his drive and used to .

    I was going to see if I could just take out his old 500gb SATA and put it in place of the DELL primary 1TB master HDD - but then it will still be 32bit operating system and I would ideally like him to be running 64bit .. and then the issue of Win 10 , would it still be activated or need activating again

    the other way I was going to go is to clone but then will his old office programs and any other programs run correctly if they havent got their correct ini files and what have you on the new 1TB HDD windows 10 64bit or all need reloading again .

    Whenever I have upgraded for people before I have just stuck with the included 1TB win 10 64bit and either loaded open office for them if they wanted or got them to get their MS office flavour of their choice and then just copied over manually their photo's documents video's etc over to the new hard drive for them and put them in their correct places - but with this particular job I am not too sure which way i would be better going with the least headaches and everything working as it should.

    Any ideas please or recommendation on which way to go?
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    #2
    Skerries
    Registered Users Posts: 12,319 ✭✭✭✭Skerries


    you could use something like Belarc Adviser to get the licence keys for his software and build from scratch
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    #3
    jhud
    Registered Users Posts: 695 ✭✭✭jhud


    Have you the office 2003 key and installation files? Can you upgrade existing computer to 64 bit or is it only 32bit machine and cant take 64bit. 32 and 64bit windows 10 activate on same licence key or over internet activation. The best thing would be get hold of licence key for office 2003 which there are key finders online for as other versions of office you can only get last 5 characters. Install on new computer with this key. Then move all files from profile\profiles to new computer.


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    #4
    Andy From Sligo
    Registered Users Posts: 11,731 ✭✭✭✭Andy From Sligo


    jhud wrote: »
    Have you the office 2003 key and installation files? Can you upgrade existing computer to 64 bit or is it only 32bit machine and cant take 64bit. 32 and 64bit windows 10 activate on same licence key or over internet activation. The best thing would be get hold of licence key for office 2003 which there are key finders online for as other versions of office you can only get last 5 characters. Install on new computer with this key. Then move all files from profile\profiles to new computer.

    Good idea upgrade from 32 to 64 bit on the old PC first. I'm pretty sure it had amd 64bit processor . only issue would be if he had a load of older programs that won't play ball with 64bit os and he has got a load of older programs at quick glance , I think even going back to when he used to have xp running on it. If I get it wrong and install 64 bit he could be back later saying this and that don't work now. If I left it 32bit and put it in as primary on the Dell with 3.5gb ram even if the new dell has 4gb or more ram, anything else I should know about ? There's the 5 partition limit but that shouldn't be an issue , although I think the partition limit only applies to MBR and uefi doesn't it . anything else I am not factoring in if I leave him with 32bit win 10 HDD in the new dell? Drivers maybe? Would a lot of them be 64bit only drivers these days?


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    #5
    beauf
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,651 ✭✭✭✭beauf


    Don't stick the old disk and OS in the new Dell. That's a terrible idea.

    Our old IT dept used to do that, those machines never rang right afterwards.

    Do it right, do a fresh install. Get the right keys. The new Dell will have a new OS and a new Key. use it.


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    #6
    jhud
    Registered Users Posts: 695 ✭✭✭jhud


    Andy From Sligo wrote: »
    Good idea upgrade from 32 to 64 bit on the old PC first. I'm pretty sure it had amd 64bit processor . only issue would be if he had a load of older programs that won't play ball with 64bit os and he has got a load of older programs at quick glance , I think even going back to when he used to have xp running on it. If I get it wrong and install 64 bit he could be back later saying this and that don't work now. If I left it 32bit and put it in as primary on the Dell with 3.5gb ram even if the new dell has 4gb or more ram, anything else I should know about ? There's the 5 partition limit but that shouldn't be an issue , although I think the partition limit only applies to MBR and uefi doesn't it . anything else I am not factoring in if I leave him with 32bit win 10 HDD in the new dell? Drivers maybe? Would a lot of them be 64bit only drivers these days?

    How about making this old machine a virtual machine on the new machine lot of work but getting all the old software working will be more work and most would have issues if going back to xp days.


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