Install on HD that already contains data

[imapeppertoo]

Brief background: I installed a new 500GB HDD a few months ago and
started collecting my data from several smaller hard drives on it. So
I basically wound up with XP installed on an 80GB primary drive and
all my data (documents, photos, video, songs, etc) on the 500GB
drive. Now the 80GB drive has died. I would like to now install XP
on the 500GB drive (which I should have done from the beginning!)

Is this possible to do without losing the data already on the 500GB?

When I first start the install, XP detects the 500GB as a 131MB drive
that has 131MB of free space and asks if I want to format that
partition. This is where I stopped for fear of losing data or ending
up with a drive that has a ~131MB partition and a ~370MB partition.

So is there a good way to get XP on the 500GB partition and keep my
data as well?

Thanks!

 

[DL]

Your version of XP is an early version that does not have large hd support.
In order for it to recognise your 500gb drive you would need to create a
slipstreamed installation containing the latest sp.

If you continue as is you will lose the data on your drive

 

[imapeppertoo]

From my reasearch and your response, it seems that slipstream is the
way to go. I will give that a shot and see how it goes. Thanks!

Corey

 

[peter]

There is a 30 day free trial version of BootiT NG available for download.
This program can be run from a floppy,can see your 500g HD and tell you how
much free space you really have on that drive.You can then partition that
free space into one or more partitions.
At which point you can install XP onto one of those empty partitions.
Hopefully that 131mb of space you saw during the aborted installation was a
mis type on your part and you meant 131GB of space
http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/bootitng.html
After you download expand to a floppy and restart system with floppy in
place.
When the system starts say cancel to the installation and it will run
fromthe floppy.Then click Partition Work.
There is a readme file with detailed instructions included.
peter