Switching HDD on A31... how to transfer data?

[Pham]

Dear Group,

I've received a birthday gift: a new HDD to speed up my ThinkPad,
2652-J3U (P4-1.6M) with 896MB RAM.
The Hitachi Travelstar IC25N040ATCS05 is a 5400 rpm 40GB item with an
8MB buffer to replace the 4200 rpm original (bufferless, I believe.
The original 20GB drive has 2 NTFS partitions, C: ("System") is 7.5 GB
containing 4.7 GB of data, and E: ("Data") is 9.9 GB with just 1.2 GB
occupied.

I don't know the correct way to replace the old HDD with the newer one.
I've done cloning on desktop drives a few times:
Using Symantec's Ghost utility, I am accustomed to plugging an ATA flat
ribbon into the 2nd IDE channel's socket on my motherboard during the
data transfer.

But how is it done with a ThinkPad?
I ought not to have trusted my college student son with the user manual,
I'm afraid, and I don't see the manual's pdf online. I need advice!

Thanks!
- Pham

 

[Pham]

I should mention that this A31 runs WinXP-Pro, and that I have broadband
connection to my home LAN- shared by the A31 using a jury-rigged 802.11G
card. My desktop is a fast (P4-2.6C @ 3GHz) Wintel homebrew with 3
optical burner drives.

-Pham

 

[Michael Cecil]

Dear Group,

I've received a birthday gift: a new HDD to speed up my ThinkPad,
2652-J3U (P4-1.6M) with 896MB RAM.
The Hitachi Travelstar IC25N040ATCS05 is a 5400 rpm 40GB item with an
8MB buffer to replace the 4200 rpm original (bufferless, I believe.
The original 20GB drive has 2 NTFS partitions, C: ("System") is 7.5 GB
containing 4.7 GB of data, and E: ("Data") is 9.9 GB with just 1.2 GB
occupied.

I don't know the correct way to replace the old HDD with the newer one.
I've done cloning on desktop drives a few times:
Using Symantec's Ghost utility, I am accustomed to plugging an ATA flat
ribbon into the 2nd IDE channel's socket on my motherboard during the
data transfer.

But how is it done with a ThinkPad?
I ought not to have trusted my college student son with the user manual,
I'm afraid, and I don't see the manual's pdf online. I need advice!

Two easy ways.
1. Network the machines together and boot up the laptop from a network
aware floppy with ghost on it. Ghost the laptop partitions to images on
the desktop computer. Swap the hdd on the laptop and restore the images
the same way. When you install Ghost initially you should be able to
install the network boot disk creation program.

2. Get a 2.5" to 3.5" IDE adapter and mount the laptop drives in the
desktop PC for the imaging/restoring process. Since you're going to be
swapping drives around anyhow, this is probably easier. Adapter costs
about $5 at any reasonably big computer shop.

 

[Robert Barr]

Dear Group,

I've received a birthday gift: a new HDD to speed up my ThinkPad,
2652-J3U (P4-1.6M) with 896MB RAM.
The Hitachi Travelstar IC25N040ATCS05 is a 5400 rpm 40GB item with an
8MB buffer

This drive is dangerous, and will destroy your valuable ThinkPad. Send
me the drive at once, and I'll generously dispose of it properly for you.

 

[Pham]

Surely my new HDD isn't the item you fear most?
The 5400 isn't a very great self-indulgence, you know-
NewEgg got it to me in 2 days for $133
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...146-029&catalog=380&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=0

The real badboy toy is the 7200 50GB item with a *16MB* buffer!
Those are seriously fast! Also they are loud, hot, and power-hungry.
Even so, they're not all that exorbitant at US$200
http://www.mwave.com/mwave/skusearch.hmx?SCriteria=AA25180

No, IMHO, the exorbitant upgrades are the best of the gamer-grade vga
cards. ATI & nVidia routinely price their currently-bestest AGP cards at
$450 and more (MSRP). That's easily enuf to buy a whole machine these
days, a PC that'd capably do everything but game, CAD, or photo-edit.

If you get one of *those* awful things, be sure to send it right here!

-Pham