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Replacing HD on a Dell 4550

G

GreenGhost

Golden Member
I got a new Seagate (160GB-OEM) to replace the 40GB that came with the system. I have a couple of questions:

1. I have the Dell (XP-Home) recovery CD. Does it have everything I need?
2. If so, it's pretty old (2002). What SP's, windows patches, etc. should I download before I start? Is there a mother-of-all-patches?
3. I'm planning to download Seagate's DiscWizard to help me start. Should I expect any problems with Bios settings. (I'd guess 160GB was already available at the end of 2002).
4. What other contingencies I should be prepared for?

Thanks,

Gg

 
Unless you are using 200gb or up, I don't think there will be a problem regarding the Bios. Worse case, XP doesn't recognize the full 160gb right off, however easily fixed. Won't cause install problems.

The XP-Home cd has everything you need. To make sure you are patched and up to date there are resources to get you going once you install.
For updating to SP2 you can download the full update. It's just under 300mb. There are also other packages that can be found online that have updates all the way through December. I personally slipstream my xp installs with the latest updates. Use this combo. nLite + RyanVM update packs. Google It.

Download your hardware drivers ahead of time. This will save you time from having to go to each individual site getting your drivers. If you purchased your Dell direct, then you should already have a CD containing all the drivers you need for your specific hardware. If not, get started downloading.

Backup everything you have onto a media you are sure you won't have any problems getting it back off of. Other than that, you should be good to go.

I uhh...never use Disc utilities from HD companies, so I can't help you there. Sorry!

 
Since this is a laptop, the easiest thing to do is Slave the old Drive into another PC
then Clone it to the new Hard Drive ... or Slave it, make an Image of it, then restore
the Image to the new Drive .. after installing the new drive in the laptop, it should boot
up fine, with all your applications ready to use
 
Thank you for the links. I knew something like that had to exist.

A couple of questions:
The RyanVM site has a patch "post-SP2". So should I use the recovery CD, then apply SP2, and then use an integrator?
Does the integrator build a new "image" for the installation program? If I borrow a SP2 CD, would that help me? Would it work with the CD-key from my system?


The Dimension 4550 was a mid-range desktop with onboard everything, but I have a XL800xt(?) on it. I want to use the opportunity to do a clean install. 4 years installing/uninstalling stuff may have created some side effects!

Since the system has been extremely reliable and has video good enough for my wife's WOW I decided to give her more storage. I'll just put IE7/Maxthon, Winamp, wmp, Word & Acrobat, then mount the old drive to copy her files.
 
Yeah a clean install after 4 years is not a bad ideal. Just download the latest drivers and sp2 and use your own cd. You can make your own sp2 cd if you use the dell oem and the integrator and that would be useful in the future. Probaby best order is xp home then sp2 then drivers should get you back into shape.
 
If it is a Dimension 4550, update windows, run a chkdsk/defrag, use Seagate's Disk Wizard. Done this at work xxx times without problems.
 
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