Reinstalling XP on new drive - activation question

[Charlie7805]

After years of installing / uninstalling programs, it's time to start with a
fresh install of XP home. I have a slave drive which I'll use after
formating it that will become my new boot drive. I want to completely setup
this new boot drive with windows, all updates, all programs, etc. before
formating my current boot drive and having it as my new slave. Installing
everything on the new drive will take a week or so due to my limited
available time daily. I will need to continue using my current drive during
this process. I plan on just switching the IDE cable back to my current boot
drive daily until done.

My question is in order for me to d/l window updates, you need to activate
windows (the new drive). Will this cause problems when I switch the IDE back
to my current boot drive? (I understand you can't use the same product
number on 2 drives. If so, is there a solution I'm not aware of?

Thanks in advance - Charlie

 

[Meinolf Weber]

Hello Charlie7805,

If you are just thinking about windows updates, with this one you get all
security updates and can install from idsk or usb:
http://www.heise.de/ct/projekte/offlineupdate/download_uk.shtml

If you have unzipped the file under the first level you see Updategenerator.exe,
there you can choose all you like and configure the updates you like.

See also here for some English help:
http://www.heise-online.co.uk/security/Do-it-yourself-Service-Pack--/features/80682

http://www.heise-online.co.uk/security/forum/S-Offline-Update/forum-108322/list/



Best regards

Meinolf Weber
Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers
no rights.
** Please do NOT email, only reply to Newsgroups
** HELP us help YOU!!! http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm

 

[PD43]

My question is in order for me to d/l window updates, you need to activate
windows (the new drive). Will this cause problems when I switch the IDE back
to my current boot drive? (I understand you can't use the same product
number on 2 drives. If so, is there a solution I'm not aware of?

You shouldn't have a problem with that. You've changed nothing but the
drive and that isn't a critical change that will cause activation
problems.

Does your BIOS allow you to choose which hard drive to boot from? If
it does, then you are good to go.

Boot to the slave and do whatever you want to do in the way of
installing. You can pause that action and reboot to the master drive
to go online, etc.

Once you have things set on the slave, you can continue to boot from
it and do as you please with your old system drive.

 

[Charlie7805]

If the window updates is the only time windows requires you to activate, then
this would be a great solution. My windows XP disc is several years old and
I have slipstreamed SP2 to expedite the process.

You mentioned security updates. How about all the other updates, some which
will be needed for software before installing?

 

[Charlie7805]

What you suggest is what I thought I could do. However, I use ghost 2003 and
cloned for years (just in case). Recently I wanted to change over to the
clone drive and found you can't have 2 HDD's with a MBR. The MBR on the
clone was corrupted when I switched drives.

I had my BIOS set to boot from the primary boot drive but still wiped out
the MBR. I found on Norton's site this was true. The problem with Norton is
there was no shut down option after cloning and automatically rebooted.

 

[Alias]

After years of installing / uninstalling programs, it's time to start with a
fresh install of XP home. I have a slave drive which I'll use after
formating it that will become my new boot drive. I want to completely setup
this new boot drive with windows, all updates, all programs, etc. before
formating my current boot drive and having it as my new slave. Installing
everything on the new drive will take a week or so due to my limited
available time daily. I will need to continue using my current drive during
this process. I plan on just switching the IDE cable back to my current boot
drive daily until done.

My question is in order for me to d/l window updates, you need to activate
windows (the new drive). Will this cause problems when I switch the IDE back
to my current boot drive? (I understand you can't use the same product
number on 2 drives. If so, is there a solution I'm not aware of?

Thanks in advance - Charlie

You can use Auto Updates and not have to activate. I recommend the
setting, "inform but do not download or install". You also might want to
download the .ISO for SP3 and burn it to a CD-R as it includes all the
updates since SP2 except a few that have come out since SP3 was created.

Alias

 

[Nonny]

What you suggest is what I thought I could do. However, I use ghost 2003 and
cloned for years (just in case). Recently I wanted to change over to the
clone drive and found you can't have 2 HDD's with a MBR. The MBR on the
clone was corrupted when I switched drives.

I had my BIOS set to boot from the primary boot drive but still wiped out
the MBR. I found on Norton's site this was true. The problem with Norton is
there was no shut down option after cloning and automatically rebooted.

My slave was a clone as well, until I decided to install Vista. I
could boot to either one at will. In fact, the clone was set to boot
if/when the master disk failed.

Each drive - when booted as the system drive - booted just fine and
there was no conflict whatsoever.

When I installed Vista (clean install), I was able to boot either OS
at will just by restarting, entering the BIOS and changing the boot
order.