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I have an old desktop computer with XP on it.

I have a new desktop computer with Vista Home Prem 32bit on it.

Is it easy/possible to put the old XP Hard disk into the new computer and access the data on it?? If so how would i do it please?

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If you just want to use it as a storage drive it is fairly simple. Just make sure that the drive is recognized in the BIOS and it should automatically appear in windows and a second drive. If the drive is IDE make sure the proper jumper is selected.

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thanks i'll give it a go – Paul Jan 19 '10 at 17:27
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you can also create a Virtual Hard Disc from your old XP installation and use it inside Vista with MS Virtual PC.

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If you are not of the adventurous type you can buy enclosures which would enable to use your hard disk externally by a USB connection. You can read more info about these here.

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Does this mean i could boot from this disk into XP instead of Vista? – Paul Jan 21 '10 at 12:48
No, it does not. The Windows XP installation is configured for your old machine and will very likely not boot on the new one. You can, however repair the installation using the XP install disk. It's uncertain, however, whether your installed applications will still work as before. – Paul Lammertsma Jan 21 '10 at 13:06
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