New Hard Drive

[Guest]

I have Win XP Pro SP2 and every patch update and all. I have been running WIN
XP on this HD since Oct 2001 so need less to say I want to put a nice fat
juicy hardrive in my pc as this one is too full. Now I have the age old fear
of losing everything (I know back up... :O)

However can I not use a utility like Norton Ghost to "Move" everything (like
32 GIG of stuff) to the new HD and then physically swap and then reactivate?

Will the pc recongnize it?

is it going to be a long weekend?

TIA
MM

 

[WM]

You're just swapping an IDE drive for a newer, bigger IDE drive, right? Do
you have access to a Windows XP Pro installation CD? If so, and if you're
somewhat technically inclined, I can provide you with steps that will get
you where you want to go without any problems, and without buying Ghost.

 

[Ron Martell]

I have Win XP Pro SP2 and every patch update and all. I have been running WIN
XP on this HD since Oct 2001 so need less to say I want to put a nice fat
juicy hardrive in my pc as this one is too full. Now I have the age old fear
of losing everything (I know back up... :O)

However can I not use a utility like Norton Ghost to "Move" everything (like
32 GIG of stuff) to the new HD and then physically swap and then reactivate?

Will the pc recongnize it?

is it going to be a long weekend?

Norton Ghost will do the job, if you have the program.

Also the hard drive manufacturer's have free utilities for this
purpose. Sometimes they are on a CD that is included with the new
hard drive, or they can be downloaded from the manufacturer's web
site.

The transfers can take quite a while, and I prefer to let these sort
of jobs run overnight.

Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

In memory of a dear friend Alex Nichol MVP
http://aumha.org/alex.htm

 

[Guest]

That's it. 20 GIG for a 160 GIG. Yes I have the install disk. I am tech
inclined.
Let 'er rip. ;o)


BTW

thanks for the help this is great!!

 

[WM]

Sorry for the delay.

Step 1 - create a copy of BartPE - http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/ and burn it
to CD
Step 2 - install your second drive in the system, put in the WinPE (BartPE
is the same thing)
Step 3 - Prepare your hard disk, launching diskpart at the command prompt
type LIS DIS to return the disks in the system. Remember disks here are 0
based. Your new HDD should be 1. In this case, type:
SEL DIS 1 (double, triple check to ensure you have the
right disk!!!)
CLEAN (dels the partition table, puts on a boot
sector and MBR)
CRE PAR PRI (you could optionally specify SIZE= parameters if
you want - this command as written will fill the whole disk
ASSIGN LETTER=U (assigns a letter - don't worry, we just need a letter,
it won't REALLY be U when Windows restarts)
ACTIVE
EXIT

Step 4 - format your new partition:
FORMAT /Q /Y /FS:NTFS

Step 5 - begin the process of copying!
XCOPY c:\*.* U:\ /HERKYO

When done, you'll have a command prompt waiting for input. Don't nuke your
old HDD until you're sure you did this right!

Step 6 - exit WinPE and shut down the system.
Step 7 - remove the old HDD, and replace it with the new one. Ensure any
Master/Slave settings are the same, and it's on the same input with the same
cable as the old HDD.
Step 8 - power on! If everything worked right, nothing should look different
except that you have a ton more disk space.

Let me know how it worked for you, or if you have any problems - I'll check
the NG daily through the week.