Member Avatar for cuddlers89

Hi everyone

My pc is pretty rubbish so i want to get a new one, i found a site where i could build my own, hence saving on things like cd writer which i allready have.

Is getting a cpu around 3.4ghz worth it? it seems so big would it be nessasary?

I want a really good heat sink, silent 550w PSU + 120mm fan + 10.2 dBA CPU Coller is what i'm thinking about i don't really inderstand this so a translation please??? :D

It comes with an 80 gig hard drive but i wanna take my hard drive out of my existing computer and put it in the new one, so i dont have to buy xp again and all my prigrams and docs are there. Is this easy enough to do? The most i've ever done is put in a cd rw and a modem.

And also how much ram is needed for xp? I use my pc for programs like fireworks and medi and some games so what is the standard for this?

Thanks alot people.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Catweazle

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Following up for : keeping installed programs when you move to a new PC is possible, but it takes planning. As pointed out there are licensing caveats, and as said, a fresh Windows install will not automatically recognise programs because registry and system components are missing. Practical approaches below avoid repeating those basics and focus on what to actually do.

If you want the whole system as-is

  • Create a full image of the old drive first (so you can restore if anything goes wrong). Tools to consider: Clonezilla or Macrium Reflect Free.
  • Make rescue/boot media before touching hardware.
  • Use Sysprep to generalise the install if you plan to boot the drive on different motherboard/chipset; that reduces driver/HAL conflicts (see Sysprep).
  • If the moved system won’t boot, a Windows "repair" (in-place repair) can often restore bootability and keep apps intact — that requires appropriate install media or image.

If you prefer a fresh Windows but need programs moved

  • Migration tools like Laplink PCmover can transfer many programs and their registry entries to a new Windows install, though copy‑protected or low‑level drivers may not migrate cleanly.

Preparation and recovery tips

  • Extract serials/keys and a software inventory first with tools such as Belarc Advisor or ProduKey.
  • Deactivate or deregister software (Adobe, iTunes, etc.) to free licenses.
  • Gather new‑PC drivers on USB so you can install chipset/network drivers immediately.

A final important note: Windows XP is end-of-life and insecure for internet use—see Microsoft's notice on XP support end. Back up everything and consider moving to a supported OS if possible.

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Member Avatar for dlh6213

My opinion? I think a 3.4ghz is too expensive, anything in the 2ghz-3ghz range should be more than adequate. But if you've got the money and want the "best," go for it! (By the way, "fast" would be a more correct term here then "big.")

550w PSU is a 550 watt Power Supply Unit, which should be enough to power anything you need.

120mm is the fan size, which is good; typical fans are (or at least used to be) 80mm.

Not too sure about this one "10.2 dBA CPU Coller"; I don't recall the exact definition, but dBA is basically short for decibels, which is how loud (or noisy) it is. 10.2 dBA would be very quiet, but if this is in reference to a CPU cooler, airflow (CFM) would be more important to me then dBA.

XP will run on 128mb of RAM, but not very well; 256mb is adequate, but 384mb is better for acceptable performance (my opinion again).

This one is likely to be your biggest problem: "...i wanna take my hard drive out of my existing computer and put it in the new one, so i dont have to buy xp again..." If you have an OEM version of XP, you can't legally put it in another computer, and it probably won't work. If you have the retail version of XP, then you can do it, but when you go to activate, you will need to call Microsoft and explain to them that you removed if from one computer to put into another. As far as changing the hard drive itself, that's not difficult, no harder than a CD-RW.

Hope this helps a bit, I'm sure you'll get other opinions as well!

Member Avatar for cuddlers89

Thanks alot

How do i know what type of windows xp i have? When i got the pc it was pre installed.

Member Avatar for dlh6213

If it came preinstalled, it's almost certainly OEM. If you have an actual XP CD, at the top will be a statement saying "For distribution with a new PC only..." If it says that, then it's OEM, if it doesn't then it's not. If you don't have an XP CD, but instead have a 'Restore' CD, then it is OEM.

You can still try putting it into your new computer, but be prepared for it not to work because most likely, it won't.

Member Avatar for cuddlers89

Ok, is there a way of taking windows xp off, but leaving my files and programs on the drive, Because i no longer have the discs for some very expensive software and i dont want to buy it again.

Member Avatar for cuddlers89

***bump***

Member Avatar for Catweazle

No, you can't do that with programs. Even if the program files are still on the drive, any new installation of Windows won't recognise them, because the Registry entries wouldn't exist. The program would need to be reinstalled anyway.

Your program discs are not things to be careless with.

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