Backup and Restore

  • Thread starter Thread starter perry
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perry

I have a slow computer and a fast computer.
I want to swap XP and all programs from the slow computer to the fast
computer.
What is the best way to do this?
Can I swap hard drives?

I have the ability to backup the hard drives of each computer to a file on
the network drive.

Thanks
Perry
 
Best way to do it is to install it clean on the other computer. Your
current setup includes all drivers and configuration settings based on the
hardware setup for that specific computer. If you move the hard drive or
restore an image to the other computer , you will move all drivers and
settings as well.

You then have to backtrack, making sure you get rid of all the old driver,
change all the settings and if you have any issues, you'll be picking
through a needle in a haystack trying to source the problem and you'll never
be sure if it was because you simply moved the hard drive or restored the
image.

Install XP on the new system, when you activate, assuming it has been less
than 120 days since you activated XP on its present system, you will be
presented with a phone number to call in order activate on the new system.
Just tell them what you've done and they will give you a new activation
number, then install your apps, restore your data from backup and you're
good to go.

NOTE: even if you just moved the hard drive or restored an image, you would
run into an issue with activation as the setup would know it is not
activated on the new system as the hardware hash would not match.
 
You cannot swap hard drives.
Windows (all versions) writes thousands of hardware-specific settings in
the system registry, and removing a hard disk from one computer and putting
it into another will either result in a non-bootable hard disk, or a
computer looking for all the wrong hardware in order to function.
Take advantage of the opportunity to install Windows XP clean, and step
by step, rebuild the hard disk and re-install your applications. Once you
have the fast computer up and running, and you have installed the service
releases, critical and recommended upgrades and all other patches to Windows
(do this before installing applications) and your applications, and
everything works well, then, and only then migrate your data from the slow
to the fast computer.
Along the way, you'll end up learning a great deal about the inner
workings of Windows as well.
 
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