Booting to copy OS

[Terry Pinnell]

My HD0 has 2 partitions:
C: WinXP Home OS and about half my program files
D: Most data and rest of programs

Because it seems to be failing (separate thread 'Bad Blocks'), I've
used Drive Image 2002 to copy the OS to another partition, E: on HD1.
(That also has a partition F: mainly for backup).

Pending early replacement of HD0, my idea is to now change the default
so I boot up from E:

What is the impact of working from now on in this copy OS? I can't
quite get my mind around where the various files will now be
created/edited.

Obviously, files like those in my Agent newsreader/email folders will
continue to be in their fixed location (which happens to be D:\Agent).
But what about all those in places like C:\Documents and
Settings\Terry Pinnell and all its sub-folders? Does that all get
'frozen' in C: and start to get updated in E: ? And, if so, what are
the downsides if any to that please?

 

[Richard Urban]

Terry,

The idea behind creating a system image is to do it "before" you have
problems, when the system is operating in a known GOOD state. Due to the
condition of your existing drive, you have likely already incurred problems
that may not become apparent for days or weeks into the future - if you
install that image on a new drive.

Get a new drive and start fresh. Don't bring along any unwanted/unknown
problems from your old system.

--

Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Terry Pinnell]

Terry,

The idea behind creating a system image is to do it "before" you have
problems, when the system is operating in a known GOOD state. Due to the
condition of your existing drive, you have likely already incurred problems
that may not become apparent for days or weeks into the future - if you
install that image on a new drive.

Get a new drive and start fresh. Don't bring along any unwanted/unknown
problems from your old system.

Thanks. Easier said than done though! To re-install all my existing
programs, settings, customisations, macros, etc would be an enormous
task, even with my extensive backups.

System appears to have been running reasonably well, and copy of OS on
C: made to E: boots OK. I'm back working from original OS in C: at
present, with new 200 GB Maxtor expected in 3 days or so.

 

[Richard Urban]

Good luck. Keep us posted if something from the old drive jumps up and bites
you in the a** when cloned to the new drive. You may get lucky. But,
lost/corrupt information due to bad blocks may not be apparent for weeks, or
until you need that particular program/function again.

And please, if something does occur - remember to tell us the circumstances,
or we will go crazy without knowing the whole story of the old drive with
the bad blocks.

--

Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!