info swap ?

[newbe]

Guys,
I'm wondering about swapping info from one pc to another pc.I read about using direct cable connection to do it. I'm going to build a pc with following parts:
asus a8n-sli, a64 3800+ cpu, seagate hd, enermax psu, thermaltake shark case.
What i'm wondering about is can i use the op system from pc one which is xp pro. Cable connect it over to pc #2 and not have any problems? Will i need to get xp pro again for #2 pc? or will it just transfer from #1 pc? Pc #1 is totally different then pc #2.

Would it be easier to take hd from pc #1 install it on pc #2 as slave? If the hd on pc#1 is ide can i use sata hd on pc #2? If after install is done can i put all info on new hd in pc#2 and take old hd out keeping info intact? Not using old hd as a slave. TIA FOR ANY INFO.

PAUL

P.S.: I hope i didnt make this to confusing.

[ktkendall]

A crossover Ethernet Cat5 cable plugged inbetween the 2 NIC cards in each PC is the easiest way to share the 2 PCs together, and any windows versions on the 2 PCs will work togother..

[hobey19]

i think he may be asking if he can use his XP cd on his new comp, and the answer is yes, if you have a serial for your new one, or, if you aren't planning to use XP on your old computer, you can use the serial from that one if you remove XP from that computer.

as far as transferring the files, like ktkendall said, cat5 crossover is your best bet, and is relatively simple to configure


craig

[newbe]

GENTLEMEN,
Sorry about that it was pretty late when i posted this.
What i was wondering is can my xp pro be pulled off pc #1 and installed on pc #2. Without any problems. Without having to buy another xp pro from microsoft. TIA

PAUL

[hobey19]

Yes, if you remove it from your other computer

craig

[Cricket]

Sorry about that it was pretty late when i posted this.
What i was wondering is can my xp pro be pulled off pc #1 and installed on pc #2. Without any problems. Without having to buy another xp pro from microsoft. TIADo you mean take the installed WinXP Pro and move it to the other hard drive?

Or do you mean take the WinXP Pro CD and install WinXP Pro from that onto the new hard drive?

If you're wondering about the first option...no, you can't do that.

:) Cricket

[glc]

Sure you can, and it's legal as long as PC#1 is not a name brand that came with an OEM preload and a restore disk. You can use a cloning utility to clone the drive from PC#1 to the new drive, then do a repair reinstall of XP using your legal CD to reset the hardware layer. Legally, you then have to wipe the old hard drive. You can install the old drive as a second drive for storage if you choose.