Question regarding transferring all files for h/d upgrade.

[Quick1]

I want to upgrade to a larger h/d and the SATA interface. I currently have a WD 80GB EIDE ATA 133 with no partitions running WinXP Pro OEM. My system is running great, so I?d prefer not to reinstall XP and all my programs on the new drive. Can I just copy and paste all my data over to the new h/d? Would XP have any issues with copying over the System and Cab files?

 

[CrispyFried]

XP will not copy open files.

Youll need to use Ghost or some other imaging program, there are many free ones. If your new HD is a retail boxed version it will likely have a CD with the tools to do this for you.

 

[Bobthelost]

Yes you can, although the process is not quite as simple as a C&P. You need to clone the HD to the new one. There's a whole load of different apps that can do it, i'm about to try using ghost (althought there are plenty of freeware apps that do the same) in just a few seconds...

Wish me luck!

 

[Kaido]

I wrote a tutorial on Ghost, available here:

http://restore.wiredby.com

You can get Ghost for about ten bucks online; there's a link in the article. Basically, install your SATA drive and format it in Windows, then use Ghost to clone your existing boot drive to the SATA drive. After that, just swap them so the new SATA drive is the primary boot drive. Voila!

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Kaido
I wrote a tutorial on Ghost, available here:

http://restore.wiredby.com

You can get Ghost for about ten bucks online; there's a link in the article. Basically, install your SATA drive and format it in Windows, then use Ghost to clone your existing boot drive to the SATA drive. After that, just swap them so the new SATA drive is the primary boot drive. Voila!

I should make that a little more clear, since my tutorial is about creating installation discs of your existing system. If you have an SATA connector in your computer already, here's what I'd recommend doing:

1. Install your SATA drive as a secondary drive and format it in Windows (just like formatting a floppy disk)
2. Buy and install Norton Ghost
3. In the Ghost program, click on the "Ghost Advanced" section on the left side
4. In the "Ghost Advanced" menu, click on "Clone" and follow the steps to clone your primary 80gb ATA drive to your spiffy new SATA drive (it should take an hour or so)
5. After it copies everything, change your boot drive in the BIOS to be your SATA drive
6. If everything works well, you can reformat your old 80gb and use it as a spare backup drive

Make sense?

 

[Quick1]

Good feedback guys!

The drive will be an OEM drive from NewEgg and yes my m/b has SATA connectors that I'm currently not using.

Hmm....I might have access to a copy of Norton Ghost. I'll let you know how it goes.

Thx Kaido :thumbsup:

 

[markkleb]

Thank you Kaido for the info..

 

[Quick1]

My WD SATA 250gb 16mb cache 7200 h/d is on the way from NewEgg. Also, I've procured a copy of Norton Ghost 2003 but haven't had a chance to install it yet.

Would the steps be the same for this version, as for the newer (9 or 10) versions?