C
cfman
Hi all,
Thanks a lot for many of your expert suggestions and excellent advice(please
refer to my previous posts and your kind replies).
Just before I start, I have a question about the 300GB segate harddisk, will
it work on Dell Poweredge 400sc, which is a PC bought a few years ago and I
think it's quite old?
I am currently installing a USB converter on it, so I can use it as an
external drive. I attach my plan of attack below:
I haven't started yet. I guess I will be able to format it when using it via
USB as external drive.
But then later I will need to use it to replace the current primary drive,
and serve as new C drive, and then reboot,
Will it have any troubles, according to my plan below?
Thanks a lot!
------------------------------------------
JCO and everybody,
Bad news! I've just looked at my partitions, C(OS) and D(Program Files) are
unfornately on the same harddrive. Even if I combine them into a new C
partition, it doesn't gain me anything, because both of these two partitions
are currently fully loaded. An estimate of the free space after combining is
about 50MB out of a total space of approximately 38GB.
Originally, I planned that if C, E, F are on the same harddisk, I can remove
the data files on E and F, so after combining the partitions, all the 38GB
will be for OS, so it will have a lot free space.
Now, since C and D are on the same harddisk, I cannot remove those program
files. So there is no gain.
Now I am planning to do the following:
1. Attach my new 300GB harddisk as a USB external drive to the PC;
2. Create three partition on 300GB harddisk, call them C1, D1, E1, for OS,
Program Files and Data, respectively(Please note that I have to keep the
Program Files on D, since otherwise I will screw up many applications). I am
thinking of making C1 to be 30GB (vs. the original 11GB), D1 to be 70GB(vs.
the original 27GB), and allocating the remaining space to E1 (for data);
3. Duplicate the content on C precisely and exactly onto C1;
4. Duplicate the content on D precisely and exactly onto D1;
5. Without rebooting, change the letter of C to be C2, and change the letter
of C1 to C, hence finish the swap;
6. Without rebooting, change the letter of D to be D2, and change the letter
of D1 to D, hence finish the swap;
7. Shutdown the PC. Remove that harddisk(of C and D) physically, and use the
300GB harddisk as a replacement of that very harddisk;
8. Reboot back. (Since I made exact copy of C and D partitions onto the
300GB harddisk, I should be able to successfully reboot the system).
9. The remaining are just housekeep task. I am done with joys, not with
tears!
Are the above procedures well-thought and fail-proof?
I am not sure about steps 3 and 4: C and C1 have different sizes, which
software will allow me to do an exact duplicate for partitions with
different sizes? Without having used PM, Ghost,Acronis, etc. before, I am a
little bit hesitant.
Could the experts here confirm my plan and so I will be able to jump-start?
Thanks a lot and have a great weekend!
Thanks a lot for many of your expert suggestions and excellent advice(please
refer to my previous posts and your kind replies).
Just before I start, I have a question about the 300GB segate harddisk, will
it work on Dell Poweredge 400sc, which is a PC bought a few years ago and I
think it's quite old?
I am currently installing a USB converter on it, so I can use it as an
external drive. I attach my plan of attack below:
I haven't started yet. I guess I will be able to format it when using it via
USB as external drive.
But then later I will need to use it to replace the current primary drive,
and serve as new C drive, and then reboot,
Will it have any troubles, according to my plan below?
Thanks a lot!
------------------------------------------
JCO and everybody,
Bad news! I've just looked at my partitions, C(OS) and D(Program Files) are
unfornately on the same harddrive. Even if I combine them into a new C
partition, it doesn't gain me anything, because both of these two partitions
are currently fully loaded. An estimate of the free space after combining is
about 50MB out of a total space of approximately 38GB.
Originally, I planned that if C, E, F are on the same harddisk, I can remove
the data files on E and F, so after combining the partitions, all the 38GB
will be for OS, so it will have a lot free space.
Now, since C and D are on the same harddisk, I cannot remove those program
files. So there is no gain.
Now I am planning to do the following:
1. Attach my new 300GB harddisk as a USB external drive to the PC;
2. Create three partition on 300GB harddisk, call them C1, D1, E1, for OS,
Program Files and Data, respectively(Please note that I have to keep the
Program Files on D, since otherwise I will screw up many applications). I am
thinking of making C1 to be 30GB (vs. the original 11GB), D1 to be 70GB(vs.
the original 27GB), and allocating the remaining space to E1 (for data);
3. Duplicate the content on C precisely and exactly onto C1;
4. Duplicate the content on D precisely and exactly onto D1;
5. Without rebooting, change the letter of C to be C2, and change the letter
of C1 to C, hence finish the swap;
6. Without rebooting, change the letter of D to be D2, and change the letter
of D1 to D, hence finish the swap;
7. Shutdown the PC. Remove that harddisk(of C and D) physically, and use the
300GB harddisk as a replacement of that very harddisk;
8. Reboot back. (Since I made exact copy of C and D partitions onto the
300GB harddisk, I should be able to successfully reboot the system).
9. The remaining are just housekeep task. I am done with joys, not with
tears!
Are the above procedures well-thought and fail-proof?
I am not sure about steps 3 and 4: C and C1 have different sizes, which
software will allow me to do an exact duplicate for partitions with
different sizes? Without having used PM, Ghost,Acronis, etc. before, I am a
little bit hesitant.
Could the experts here confirm my plan and so I will be able to jump-start?
Thanks a lot and have a great weekend!