Member Avatar for Biddy

Hi,
There was a problem with my computer system, so i decided to remove the hard disk to be slaved in another system. After adding the hdd, I discovered that it won't go past the windows logo screen, the monitor will just turn black. I changed the ram, remove all cards, but no way.I also try to repair the operating system, it still the same problem. please kindly help.

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Dani AI

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As hinted, the first and simplest thing to rule out is that the host PC is trying to boot from the transplanted drive. That happens often when a second drive has an active/bootable partition. Enter the BIOS/UEFI (watch the very first screen for a message like "Press F2/F10/Del/Esc" or try a one‑time boot key such as F12) and confirm the system is set to boot from the host drive first. For laptops, the same keys apply; press immediately after power on.

If the drive was moved on an older IDE (ribbon) cable, check physical jumpers and cable position. On a two‑drive ribbon the end connector is usually master and the middle connector slave; set jumpers to match or use cable‑select per the sticker on the drive. Always power off and unplug before changing jumpers. For SATA, there are no master/slave jumpers, but check BIOS boot order and which SATA port the drive is on.

If Windows shows the logo and then the screen goes black, that often points to a driver or display mode mismatch once Windows begins loading device drivers. Try booting the machine into Safe Mode (press F8 during boot on older Windows versions) or use "Enable low‑resolution video" to see if the OS will start with basic video drivers. If Safe Mode works, uninstall the graphics driver and reboot.

Safer workflow if the goal is just file access: attach the drive as a non‑boot secondary drive (or use a USB-to-SATA/IDE adapter or external enclosure), boot the host normally, and copy needed files. Avoid running a Windows "repair" from a different PC if you intend to move the drive back later — that can change drivers or boot records. If the intention is to move a Windows installation permanently to new hardware, a fresh install or proper preparation (sysprep) is the reliable route.

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Member Avatar for HoustonIT

Sounds like the 2nd pc is booting off the hd from the original system. You'll have to go into the bios and tell it not to boot from the slaved hd.

Member Avatar for nickie

how do u go into the bios on a laptop...to do so

Member Avatar for HoustonIT

Is the hd you removed attached to a laptop via usb? If so, wait until the laptop boots up and then add the drive.

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