Installed an old hard drive into pc and need windows to boot but keeps crashing?

Question

A friends old vista pc has died, I have put the hard drive into a new pc (with different hardware) and I need windows to boot so I can correct all the driver problems, but as expected it crashes at every boot. I've tried safe mode, and startup repair but no progress! Does anyone know of a way I can get it to boot.

Answer 1

CONNECT IT AS SECONDARY



OR REINSTALL WINDOWS

Answer 2

Corrupted System Files



Your computer crashes due to corrupted system files. System files corruption is one of the most responsible causes for crashing the entire computer. Deleting or moving the system files may crash your computer.



1. Insert the Microsoft Windows Installation CD ROM.

2. Click Start | Run.

3. Type SFC/ ScanNow and press ENTER.

4. Follow the instructions on your screen.



Corrupted Registry



System registry corruption leads to runtime errors and your computer crashes. Windows Registry is very complex and not easy to repair manually. Hence, a third-party Registry Cleaner and PC Optimizer software is recommended.



1. Download a Registry Cleaner and PC Optimizer software such as Reginout.

2. Click Registry Cleaner tab.

3. Click Start Scan.

4. The registry scan will start. Wait till it is finished.

5. As per the results, click Fix Now button to start repairing you registry.



Often good registry cleaners include built-in Backup & Restore centre that lets you recover from an unforeseen situation by simply restoring the state of your registry.



Faulty RAM



Your computer crashes due to problems with the computer memory. A faulty RAM may result in Blue Screen of Death (BSOD).



In such a case, remove the existing RAM and clean it using a soft cloth. Then, connect it again. The problem may not persist..



Incomplete Installations



Your computer crashes because of a previously failed or incomplete installation. An incomplete or failed installation creates junk registry entries and thereby system crashing problem.



Repair the registry entries created by a failed setup and delete the files that still remain on your hard disk. Delete the contents of C:\Windows\Temp folder.



Disk Space Allocated by Unnecessary Files



Your computer crashes if the operating system has no adequate free disk space to perform its operations. Temporary files, temporary internet files, log files, browser cache and other files may occupy a large amount of your disk space and thus generating runtime errors that crashes your system.



Using Disk Cleaner, delete the junk files from your hard disk. The steps are as below:



1. Click Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Disk CleanUp.

2. Follow the instructions on your screen.

Answer 3

As you found out you cannot just swap drives and have them work - too many incompatibilities. You will have to reload Windows, either Vista or Windows 7, to keep the same look and feel or go back to WinXP if the new PC is underpowered.

Answer 4

There is a problem in booting sector of the hardrive. Try intalling win7 or use the same vista cd which you hav used to install vista to repair it.

Answer 5

you could create a restoration set yet remember drivers replace consistently, so in case you reinstall down the line, you will finally end up having to replace, or deploy those drivers besides.