Laptop HD to Desktop

1

OK, most message boards are blocked on my work computer, but for some reason Woot is not. Also, I much prefer Woot to all others. So I am asking you all.

I have a gaming laptop that is dying for some reason (Lenovo Y500 won’t charge). The HDD is great, It’s a SSD, windows 10, has all my games. Much as I love laptops, gaming laptops are too expensive, so I am leaning toward a basic gaming desktop. Cheaper, easier to upgrade, etc.

Here’s the question: if I build one from scratch, rather than buy one with a HDD and OS already installed, is there anything preventing me from popping that laptop-sized HDD in as my primary HDD in a desktop? Presuming I get the appropriate physical adapters (if any are needed), would it boot OK? Would it even recognize it / would it be a problem that the drivers and all other configurations were for the old laptop? And could I install it in the tower to connect like a regular HDD, or would it forever have to connect through USB?

2

While I won’t get into the full OS licensing details, the quick answer is no.

  • Do not count on it booting up. The drivers are very very very likely to be different.
  • Windows OS is tied to the CPU and other hardware. The license is embedded in the BIOS; it’s not transferable.

If it’s not charging, does it work fine if it’s connected to the AC adapter? If so, I would lean towards the battery being an issue.

3

Thanks for the response! I hadn’t considered the idea that the license could be tied to the BIOS at all.

I tried a new battery, no change. Had the powerblock tested, they said it was good. My next best guess is a loose connection where the power input (for lack of a better word) is soldered to the motherboard. Anyway, thanks for the help!

4

If it is running fine on the A/C adapter, I would say why invest in a new desktop if you already have one? (masquerading as a laptop). Connect a keyboard, mouse and monitor, and set the advanced power setting for ‘what happens when the cover is closed’ to nothing - start it up, close it up, and enjoy the new, larger monitor! (also helps to set the picture to display on the external only. If set to cloned, the monitor will be stuck in the laptop resolution, likely less than optimum; and the game performance will likely be better if the graphics card is just pushing one signal).

5

If you start from scratch, wipe the laptop drive and reinstall Windows OS, and download the appropriate drivers you should be fine. However, just popping in the laptop drive into the desktop will probably not work as you’ll have to reinstall all of the drivers and even in that case sometimes it won’t work and will be buggy.