I would conside the first "problem" to be Windows Product Activation.
If you have that on the drive you want to move,
(meaning it is WPA "locked" to that system),
you will be wasting a lot of time.
MS does everything it can to prevent exactly what you are trying to do...

FWIW, once you trigger the WPA stuff in the "different computer", the drive
will likely become "un-activated" in the old computer (also) after you put it back.
That will require calling MS to get it fully working again, (no modem, right?)

Go here: http://www.licenturion.com/xp/ and get this:
(Side note: Still works with SP2 and all current patches I have installed from MS.)

    Windows XP Final (build 2600) and SP1 Utilities
    XPInfo executable, release 2003-07-31 (zipped, 22.4 kb)
    http://www.licenturion.com/xp/xpinfo-exe.zip
(This is a small diagnostic program that _ONLY_READS_ the Activation info.)

If you run that, it will either tell you what items have changed since your activation,
OR if the system should be but has not been activated yet,
OR if it is a version that does not require activation...
It makes NO changes and is not a "hack"...

IF system requires activation: (All mine do), More info:
Network card counts 3 points towards the 6 or 7 needed to
remain activated. All other items count one point. When you fall below
6 or 7 points (normal hardware changes etc) , re-activation by MS is required.
(7 is stated "OK" other places, but I have gone as low as 6 points <???>)

                                         Rick Glazier

From: <dodoguy
> I want to replace a hard drive from one machine to another. Both are XP machines, different brands, different ages. The one 
> machine has a drive in it that I know is going to crash. The drive that works is in a machine with an older processor that barely 
> runs XP, but the drive is newer. Can I put the newer drive in to replace the one in the machine with the crashing drive? Will the 
> new drive recognize the new hardware and install the drivers? Or am I just asking for problems?
> Robert 

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