Old hard drive/new PC

I would like to install my old HDD into my new PC, both run on winXP. I have several programs that I would like to keep and no longer have the disks for them. Can someone please tell me the best way to do this? also should I transfere as much as I can from the old HD to the new(once installed in machine) or just use them when needed as they are? Thanks

 

First things first.
Welcome to Major Geeks.

Noe, what type of machine?
If full size tower, do you have room for an internal slave drive?
Or get an external USB hard drive enclosure and insert your old drive.

 

full size, have plenty of room

 

machine is a dell precision 380 and the HDD i want to add came out of a dell deminsion 2400

 

Install old drive as slave.Set jumpers as slave or cable select.

 

ok, I have not done this before, should I just search the posts for directions or do I need specific details for this machine ? thanks

 

Is there a plug-in for data and power between your hard drive and motherboard?
If so, insert your old drive to those.
Might be a diagram on your old drive showing the pin configuration for the different settings.

 

i just pulled out the old hd and looking at the new pc, i do not see the wide tape connection on this one ,just has the P3 connection, same as the old, dont see the other? old HD is western didital 40 gig. am i missing something here ?

 

Sounds like a SATA drive. Don't know about those.
Is the old machine still functional?
If so, reinstall drive and transfer what you want to a USB thumbdrive or, as stated earlier, get a USB external hard drive enclosure.

 

ok, thanks for your time..external it is ..

 

Good luck.

 

Do have the installation files that were used when you originally installed the programs, or do the programs now exist solely as installed programs on your old computer? If the latter, you won't be able to install or transfer them from your old computer to the new one. You need the installation files so that you can INSTALL them on the new computer.