Can I use old SATA drive in new T520?

[lead_org Microsoft MVP Contributor]

it could be the XP that is causing the problem.

Try to use an external USB enclousre to access the data.

[tripplec]

Did you have encryption on in the old computer? If so you're never crack into it unless you have some back key or whatever they use/used on it. One reason I won't use encryption on files either hardware or Windows software encryption without a 500% sure means of getting at it again and that include through another machine or USB external enclosure.

As for it being XP, you should have seen the XP logo if its starting up. But it sound like thats not happening. Therefore you have to answer the question above. The only way maybe to decrypt it in the old computer somehow. I believe your best bet is to call Lenovo on this.

[MrPeter1985 Guru]

If I may butt in, you just mentioned the T500 HDD has XP. Have you changed the new T520 bios from AHCI to IDE/Compatabilty mode?

To me that would be why the T520 does not see it.

[philip_102uk]

Hi MrPeters,

You are making a good point. If i try to boot in AHCI mode I get the blue screen of death. If I use compatibility mode I get a little further but then I get the "Disk read error" problem.

I have also tried connecting the old drive to a USB adaptor to boot from it and this gets me even further and I actually see the XP splash screen but then after a few second I get the blue screen of death again!

Any further thoughts?

[MrPeter1985 Guru]

Ok. That's real good. That's caused by drivers being miss matched. You will need to boot to safemode and uninstall the drivers not being used. Like the old gpu drivers etc...

Post back if safemode doesn't work. Good luck.

[mixz1]

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philip_102uk wrote:

Hi MrPeters,

You are making a good point. If i try to boot in AHCI mode I get the blue screen of death. If I use compatibility mode I get a little further but then I get the "Disk read error" problem.

I have also tried connecting the old drive to a USB adaptor to boot from it and this gets me even further and I actually see the XP splash screen but then after a few second I get the blue screen of death again!

Any further thoughts?

---

Am I missing something? If you need to fetch data from the old drive and you have it in a USB enclosure, why are you insisting that you boot from that drive? It's going to blue screen because of any number of driver mis-matches, i.e. video, audio, chipset, etc.

Why not put the 520 back together, boot into Win7 as it was intended to, mount the USB enclosure and read the data you need from the old drive?

[tripplec]

Exactly what I've been wondering. Thats the normal way. I go tired of this.

[philip_102uk]

Hi MrPeters,

I tried booting in Safe Mode but it did not work as I get the blue screen. What would be the next step?

All I want to do is boot from my old XP hard drive so that I can use it instead of the Win 7 one. I don't care much about Windows 7 and the new drive is a 7200 rpm that makes too much noise. If you can help me to solve this problem it will save me from having to return the T520 back to the vendor.

Thanks,

Philip

[mixz1]

It's not going to work. Besides, you are trying to run an OS that will be unsupported by 2014. If you want to use XP you are going to have to do a fresh install. If you can't mount your old drive, you can't even beging to straighten out the driver mismatches. Your new machine was designed around Win 7 and having the same machine, I cannot fathom what you are talking about when you state the 7200 RPM drive makes too much noise.

Since you are very clear in your desire to run a soon to be obsolete OS on a smaller and slower hard drive, I wish you luck. You should insure that you can find drivers that support your hardware under XP before you try a fresh install. I leave it to you or others to do that research.

I don't understand it, but I respect your choice. Nevertheless I don't think anyone is going to be able to help you.

[tripplec]

It isn't going to work, today, tomorrow or next month. Clean install as per mixz1. Locate drivers in advance you'll need. 4-5hrs if you're lucky.

Win 7 is on the machine. You'll get no support for XP on a 520 either.

Bump...