How to replace the old drive with a new hard drive?

Question

I bought a new EIDE hard drive of 500GB and I tried installing it as Master because my old hard drive has some problems. When I start my pc , it recognizes the drive but then it's just a black screen saying to press ctrl+atl Del. I'm sure I placed the pin to the right place in the jumper. I don't know why it doesnt start windows. Am I missing any steps?? am I doing it wrong?? Help would be appreciated. please let me know if you know anything about it . Thanks

Answer 1

reinstalling windows might solve your problem,, because your windows  was installed in your old drive.  

Answer 2

You've replaced the hard drive, but that's it.

You still need to create a partition and perform a full format of the disk before data can be written to it.  It's an empty hard drive, without an data whatsoever.  Your operating system is on your other hard drive.  You need to install Windows on the new hard drive before it will boot.

Answer 3

Install the new drive as a Slave. Ensure that your BIOS recognizes the new Slave drive.

Start windows normally.  Install the drive setup software the came with the new drive.

The software should walk you through setting up the new drive and cloning the old drive.

When you're done with the drive setup.  Shut down the computer.  Jumper the new drive to Master and the old drive to Slave or just remove the old drive (as you wish).

Start windows

Good Luck

Answer 4

you're missing alot you set for master there is not window on it it is a empty drive you need to make a partintion then format the drive then install window all your drivers and hard ware printer scanner web cam joy stick then your software

now if you were smart enought to set the old drive as slave you can copy all your doc to your new drive and then format the old drive and use it for a spare. you need to create a partation and format and install do you have a window xp cd? if you do put it in your cd rom and reboot and let windows create the paration format and install windows.

since you 've never installed a driver before

Answer 5

Ok so you bought the new Hard Drive and have now installed it, but you never say if you formatted the drive and installed Windows on it (I don't know if you imaged your old hard drive by setting this one up as a slave first).

Usually when you get the message above, it will also include something like "Master not detected" or "no OS detected".

More information would help.

Does the motherboard support 500 GB and which OS did you install?

Answer 6

Some things a few of the other posters did not mention are that you can migrate your data from the other hard drive to the new one.  There are 2 basic methods.

Imaging and migration.

Imaging would let all the data on hard drive 1 to be copied identically to the 2nd drive (so it would be like having your old windows installation with all bookmarks, files etc but with a bigger drive).  Acronis and Norton Ghost are the 2 best programs for this.

Migration on the other hand would require you to install fresh windows on the new drive (as well as drivers) but would then allow you to transfer some key files and programs to the new hard drive after windows as been installed.  Programs like PC mover would assist with this.

If you are going to just install XP on the new drive, make sure your bios is set to boot from CD, insert the windows xp cd and follow the prompts (you will have to format and make a partition, those functions are all built in).  If you don't know how to get into your BIOS, check the owners manual of the computer or motherboard, as the button needed to enter bios varies from system to system.

E-mail me if you have any more questions, best of luck

Answer 7

Of course it will do that, a new drive is blank, it needed partitions and Windows installed (which will do both)

Answer 8

put your windows disc in, and boot from it! That should help...

Answer 9

did you check the other pin where it is? well you can not have the new one as master bs the old one has the software. if not in case you have the old one as an extra you should set them as secondary . try to get access to bios and make sure that are set with the same priority there as well.most of the pc's wont work like that bc of the bios. if wont work try last to update the bios  (you have to make sure if it is compatible with the mother board as well.)