If you have a brand new HDD then you need to reinstall an operating system. A hardware problem would result in a BSoD. Software is less likely to lead to a BSoD, instead it will just freeze.
If you are trying to use an HDD that has already been formatted on a computer with a different operating system then you will run into compatibility issues and probably won't be able to do much past boot it up.
If you are trying to use an HDD that has already been formatted on a computer with a different operating system then you will run into compatibility issues and probably won't be able to do much past boot it up.