Hi All,

I have a dell PC with Windows XP (SP2). The hard drive is too small (40GB).
Can I copy all the files from it to a new hard drive and then replace it
with the new hard drive? Can I still keep the license of XP?


Thanks a lot.

Chriss.

§Chrissi§ wrote:

> Hi All,
>
> I have a dell PC with Windows XP (SP2). The hard drive is too small
> (40GB). Can I copy all the files from it to a new hard drive and then
> replace it
> with the new hard drive? Can I still keep the license of XP?

Your new hard drive will come with cloning software so you can clone your
old hard drive to the new one. Or purchase Acronis True Image and image the
old hard drive and restore that image to the new drive. True Image is very
handy to have in any case. You can keep the old hard drive installed as a
slave if you like for extra storage.

Yes, the license you have for your Dell is valid for the new installation on
the new hard drive.

Malke
--
MS-MVP
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
Don't Panic!

On Fri, 30 May 2008 11:18:23 -0700, Malke <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>§Chrissi§ wrote:
>
>> Hi All,
>>
>> I have a dell PC with Windows XP (SP2). The hard drive is too small
>> (40GB). Can I copy all the files from it to a new hard drive and then
>> replace it
>> with the new hard drive? Can I still keep the license of XP?
>
>Your new hard drive will come with cloning software so you can clone your
>old hard drive to the new one. Or purchase Acronis True Image and image the
>old hard drive and restore that image to the new drive.

Cloning would be simpler. Imaging would require yet another drive.

>True Image is very
>handy to have in any case. You can keep the old hard drive installed as a
>slave if you like for extra storage.
>
>Yes, the license you have for your Dell is valid for the new installation on
>the new hard drive.
>
>Malke

"Malke" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:%(E-Mail Removed)...
> §Chrissi§ wrote:
>
>> Hi All,
>>
>> I have a dell PC with Windows XP (SP2). The hard drive is too small
>> (40GB). Can I copy all the files from it to a new hard drive and then
>> replace it
>> with the new hard drive? Can I still keep the license of XP?
>
> Your new hard drive will come with cloning software so you can clone your
> old hard drive to the new one. Or purchase Acronis True Image and image
> the
> old hard drive and restore that image to the new drive. True Image is very
> handy to have in any case. You can keep the old hard drive installed as a
> slave if you like for extra storage.
>
> Yes, the license you have for your Dell is valid for the new installation
> on
> the new hard drive.
>


Correction. Your hard drive MAY (but probably won't) come with cloning
software, none that I bought ever has (of course it may be different here in
the UK). If you go to the manufacturers site for your new drive you should
be able to download suitable software. However, even that is not always
true (Hitachi don't for one) so you may be able to get it from the
manufacturer of the old drive. Many of these programs only work if one of
the drives is manufactured by the company the software came from.
--
Keith W
Sunbury on Thames
(If you can't laugh at life, it ain't worth living)

Malke wrote:
> §Chrissi§ wrote:
>
>> Hi All,
>>
>> I have a dell PC with Windows XP (SP2). The hard drive is too small
>> (40GB). Can I copy all the files from it to a new hard drive and then
>> replace it
>> with the new hard drive? Can I still keep the license of XP?
>
> Your new hard drive will come with cloning software so you can clone your
> old hard drive to the new one. Or purchase Acronis True Image and image the
> old hard drive and restore that image to the new drive. True Image is very
> handy to have in any case. You can keep the old hard drive installed as a
> slave if you like for extra storage.
>
> Yes, the license you have for your Dell is valid for the new installation on
> the new hard drive.
>
> Malke
Either way, you can get a trial copy of Acronis which will still do the
job. Then later search / keep an eye out for a deal on buying a copy.

New drives like Maxtor and Western Digital (that are not OEM versions) come
with a CD that includes a drive copy utility.

If you have an OEM version go to the Manufacturer's web site.

JS

"§Chrissi§" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi All,
>
> I have a dell PC with Windows XP (SP2). The hard drive is too small
> (40GB). Can I copy all the files from it to a new hard drive and then
> replace it with the new hard drive? Can I still keep the license of XP?
>
>
> Thanks a lot.
>
> Chriss.
>

if you install the new
drive as a secondary
disk you will find the
additional space useful
and without troubling
over reinstalling the
o.s. and the drivers and
patches and third party
software.

once installed you can
right click on my documents
and relocate the entire
section to the new disk.
--

db·´¯`·...¸><)))º>

"§Chrissi§" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi All,
>
> I have a dell PC with Windows XP (SP2). The hard drive is too small (40GB).
> Can I copy all the files from it to a new hard drive and then replace it with
> the new hard drive? Can I still keep the license of XP?
>
>
> Thanks a lot.
>
> Chriss.
>

"§Chrissi§" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi All,
>
> I have a dell PC with Windows XP (SP2). The hard drive is too small
> (40GB). Can I copy all the files from it to a new hard drive and then
> replace it with the new hard drive? Can I still keep the license of XP?
>
>
> Thanks a lot.
>
> Chriss.
>

The 40 GB drive sets a flag in my mind. Your bios may not comprehend any
current hard drive past 120GB in capacity (137GB is they made one that
size).

XP understands and perceives drives over that capacity. However,
partitioning must occur on a PC with bios that supports such larger capacity
drives if made by XP. Similar with imaging and cloning software. Once done
on such a PC, can be moved to a PC with non-supporting bios for such HD
capacity. At least that has been my experiences....
--
Dave

Lil' Dave wrote:
> "§Chrissi§" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Hi All,
>>
>> I have a dell PC with Windows XP (SP2). The hard drive is too small
>> (40GB). Can I copy all the files from it to a new hard drive and then
>> replace it with the new hard drive? Can I still keep the license of XP?
>>
>>
>> Thanks a lot.
>>
>> Chriss.
>>
>
> The 40 GB drive sets a flag in my mind. Your bios may not comprehend any
> current hard drive past 120GB in capacity (137GB is they made one that
> size).

I'm just curious why you assumed this. (He may just have had a smaller 40
GB drive, and that's all there was to it).

> XP understands and perceives drives over that capacity. However,
> partitioning must occur on a PC with bios that supports such larger
> capacity
> drives if made by XP. Similar with imaging and cloning software. Once
> done
> on such a PC, can be moved to a PC with non-supporting bios for such HD
> capacity. At least that has been my experiences....
> --
> Dave

Yup, it set a flag in my mind also, but it was not mentioned in the original
post the make/model of the PC, if the new drive was already purchased and
what size it is.

The last time that I'm aware of that Dell offered a 40GB drive was late in
2004 which by then 48Bit LBA was the standard.

JS

"Lil' Dave" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> "§Chrissi§" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Hi All,
>>
>> I have a dell PC with Windows XP (SP2). The hard drive is too small
>> (40GB). Can I copy all the files from it to a new hard drive and then
>> replace it with the new hard drive? Can I still keep the license of XP?
>>
>>
>> Thanks a lot.
>>
>> Chriss.
>>
>
> The 40 GB drive sets a flag in my mind. Your bios may not comprehend any
> current hard drive past 120GB in capacity (137GB is they made one that
> size).
>
> XP understands and perceives drives over that capacity. However,
> partitioning must occur on a PC with bios that supports such larger
> capacity drives if made by XP. Similar with imaging and cloning software.
> Once done on such a PC, can be moved to a PC with non-supporting bios for
> such HD capacity. At least that has been my experiences....
> --
> Dave
>