Replacing OS hard drive

The COA looks like this:
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Well I don't know the specs of the XP machine, so I don't know if it will run the machine.
When I say it wont accept it,
I mean when Windows operating system is installed, to prevent piracy, it grabs information on the computer it's being installed on, For example it grabs info on the processor, motherboard, hard drive etc. Then codes that into the OS. If you change too much hardware in a computer The os will either not work (looping reboot) or deactivate. This prevents people from imaging/cloning the harddrive and putting that on multiple computers.

Now. if your computer is up to specs, you can try to image the drive, put it in the old machine and boot it up. I may boot up but ask you for a product key, You would then enter the product key from the other computer
Here's where you will probably run into trouble. This image you created is now on a different computer. It has 0 drivers for the old XP hardware. So it will need to install those. Some will install with windows, others wont. This is why a fresh install would be best.
 
Looking at older posts on the internet about people upgrading their OS from XP to Win7, the only thing that I am running across is that there should be a minimum of 1 GB RAM if installing 32-bit, and does not mention that there really are any other complications. So, okay, maybe I'm a little stubborn (who isn't); so why REALLY would I have a hard go at trying to load up Win7 on the blank HD, installing it into the old computer, and causing it to be the boot drive??? I can easily upgrade my RAM to 2GB if this would help?
 
Tony,
Fresh installing windows 7 on your older machine may work. It will probably be slow.
But it will install and work fine.

Cloning or Imagine the hard drive to make an exact copy of what you have on your win7 machine, and placing it on your windows xp machine will not work. That copy has been installed on a different machine that have been configured for that particular machine. Microsoft and Windows will not allow that to happen for stability and piracy reasons. Only way around this is the use what us IT guys have done, is "reseal" the operating system. Before you image it.

Unless you are placing the operating system/imaging on multiple computers to deploy (three or more) then resealing the operating system is too much work.
What do I mean by resealing? This brings the computer back to the brand new login, where it will ask you for your user name and configures your desktop.
 
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Okay, enough stubbornness! So, I get a new package of XP (home or pro), bring it home, then what??? I have an empty drive. Do I install the HD in the old computer and try to get one of the CD/DVD trays to open? Or should I install the HD on my Win7 machine and install XP that way? Again, all help is extremely appreciated.
 
Lets take a step back.
1st. Specs of both machines.
2nd, What wrong with both machines? Which machine is better?
Is that your normal computer? Both yours that you use?

If you have the coa stickers on your computers. Then you have product codes. You really don't need to buy windows again.
All you need is a Windows cd.
 
Okay.
My "old" machine is an HP Pavillion a350y Pentium 4 2.8 GHz with 1GB RAM DDR (expandable to 2 GB) running a Radeon 2400PRO graphics card. Not too long ago installed a 1TB Western Digital HD as a storage unit, worked just fine. The Maxtor HD which was the boot drive running WinXP crapped out and now no computer. I have taken the Western Digital out and placed it into my newer computer to salvage all the data, pictures, files, etc., and is now empty and blank.

My "good" machine is an HP p6774y AMD Phenom II x4 840T 2.9 GHz with 16GB RAM DDR3, running Win7 Pro 64-bit and running a high-end GeForce graphics card. This machine is stocked with a 1TB HD.

Also, I did find the sticker on the "old" machine giving me a product code (yeah). I have a phone # that a Geek guy (BestBuy) gave me to call to possibly get discs??? Still not sure on the procedure, like where the Western Digital needs to be and the processes.

THANK YOU!!! Thank you for your continued assistance, and PATIENCE!
 
If you get your self some XP disks, you dont need to purchase the disks. Borrow and beg for some. Hell you can even download disks. (No downloading Windows isn't illegal. It's obtaining and downloading the product keys that's illegal. )

But make sure you get the right copy of XP. Look on the sticker, It will tell you home, professional etc. Grab your self an HP OEM copy.

Put your 1tb drive into your computer. Put the cd in the drive and boot. Follow the on screen instructions. Back up your data so you don't wipe your drive upon installation.
 
Right copy of XP. My sticker states Home Edition. Am I to assume 32-bit? Or does that matter? And I have noticed XP Home Edition discs out there but not OEM . . . is this critical or is just that things will go smoother for me?

Also, when you state to place the HD in "your computer", you are meaning the "old" computer, correct? Obviously, when I turn the computer on, the screen will give some kind of error message about no boot or error in booting. So at this point I hope that the CD tray opens? I think I read somewhere that after inserting the CD, I turn the computer off, then back on, then follow instructions?

Sorry if I am being such a pain, I've never had to deal with a HD failure and trying to reload an OS on a new drive. Thank you (again).
 
Your home will be 32 bit.

Save your data to a different hard drive, Just so you dont lose it durning install.
You'll put your hard drive into your XP computer.
Power it up and when the cd drive becomes ready it will allow you to eject the cd tray. Ignore any error messages you may see other then "press F1 to continue".
Put the cd in the cd tray and reboot the computer. The computer should boot. If it doesn't watch the screen immeadiatly after you turn it on to see if you have an option to select boot device or enter bios/setup.
If it just picks it up, it will either boot the cd or tell you to "Press any key to boot cd" the XP install will load up. Follow the onscreen instructions.
When it asks you for your product code, you'll enter the dashed code that is on the sticker you seen from your computer.
 
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