Bigger Hard drive for laptop question/s

[Guest]

Have a Gateway 450 laptop Pentium4
Mobile CPU 1.60Ghz
1.60Ghz 256 MB RAM
XP Home Edition Version 2002 SP2 and just found out my son is sending me a
new 80G hard drive and another 256 ram for it. I understand the ram just goes
into a slot. Question is: when I change the HD I have a new machine? I need
to get my solitaire and mah jongg stuff and all my stored stuff off the old
hard drive? I wonder what's the best way to do that?

Chas.

 

[Gordon]

Have a Gateway 450 laptop Pentium4
Mobile CPU 1.60Ghz
1.60Ghz 256 MB RAM
XP Home Edition Version 2002 SP2 and just found out my son is sending
me a new 80G hard drive and another 256 ram for it. I understand the
ram just goes into a slot. Question is: when I change the HD I have a
new machine? I need to get my solitaire and mah jongg stuff and all
my stored stuff off the old hard drive? I wonder what's the best way
to do that?

Chas.

Before you actually change the HDD over, be very careful. Does your
existing HDD have a hidden partition from which to recover the machine, or
do you have a proper "restore" CD that doesn't use a hidden partition? If
you have a disk with a hidden partition you are not going to be able to
install Windows (or whatever other OS you may consider) on your new HDD
without obtaining an installation CD.
Youi also need to consider how you are going to backup your data from the
old HDD before you remove it. (Documents, email etc). Unfortunately, unlike
desktop machines, you can't simply add the new HDD to your laptop with the
existing HDD in place. You have to remove one before replacing with the new.

HTH

 

[Guest]

HI YIYI .. he ordered it from Gateway and 'assumed' it had XP Home installed.
I have all the discs and stuff that came new with this one. I'd better go to
Gateway and find out what I can find out!! Thank you for the 'heads up'.

Chas.

 

[Gordon]

HI YIYI .. he ordered it from Gateway and 'assumed' it had XP Home
installed.

Probably not - however it MAY have the hidden partition.

But, I'll bet you paid HUGE amounts of money for something you could get
MUCH cheaper elsewhere.
Example. I have a Toshiba Tecra 9000 that came with a 10 GB HDD. To upgrade
to a 40 GB disk, Toshiba wanted £365 (that's about US$580). A Hitachi
generic HDD that fits right in the carrier was £60! (That's about
US$96)!!!!!!!!! And all it took was four little screws on the sides of the
drive caddy.

Hope he can take it back.........

 

[Guest]

He'd be hurt if I mentioned it! about $160 for the HD and 256 RAM. I guess
I'll get out the cd that came with this one and learn how to copy all my
stuff to put on the new one. Probably can't transfer Pretty Good Sol and
Pretty Good Mah Jongg: have to buy 'em again. HEY, maybe I'll just TELL him I
changed and praise the new one .(that i won't put in)....hehehe

Chas.