Swapping Hard-drives between systems

[pucko]

Am installing a new AMD 64-based system today, which will have Win XP Pro on it.

My old P4-based system, also with Win XP Pro, has 2 hard drives - 80GB (primary; with OS on it) and 40GB (secondary/slave). I now wish to back up all my data into the 40 GB drive and then use it in my new system (again as a secondary/slave drive).

As I have not done this before, I want to make sure this will work and that my data will be preserved when the 40GB runs in my new system. Is there anything I need to do and/or be careful about, before I shift this HDD?

Any help would be appreciated...

 

[mechBgon]

If you used the Encrypting File System to encrypt anything, decrypt it first or it'll be un-decryptable. Also, if the 40GB is in Dynamic Disc mode then there could be some weirdness waiting for you... right-click My Computer, choose Manage, and go down to Disk Management. If your drive is showing up as Dynamic like mine is in this picture then you might want to delete its volumes, right-click it and revert it to Basic Disk first, then create a partition and format it.

 

[mechBgon]

Also, here is one more tip: if your new system happens to have a Serial ATA drive and you want the Serial ATA drive to be the boot drive, then keep your regular ATA drive unplugged during Windows installation. Likewise for any USB card readers or USB drives you might have. This ensures that drive letter C: is available for the SATA drive.

 

[pucko]

Thanks for the very useful response. OK, let me get this right (and avoid a snafu):
1. If 40GB drive is Dynamic, revert to 'Basic Disk'. If drive is already showing up as 'Basic Disk', we're good to go.
2. Move all my data, without any encryption, to 40GB.
3. Remove 40GB drive from old system and fix in new system.
4. Drive will be instantly readable in new system?

 

[pucko]

Both drives are regular ATA drives, in the old system.
In the new system too, supplied drive is regular ATA. Motherboard does not support SATA.

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: pucko
Thanks for the very useful response. OK, let me get this right (and avoid a snafu):
1. If 40GB drive is Dynamic, revert to 'Basic Disk'. If drive is already showing up as 'Basic Disk', we're good to go.
2. Move all my data, without any encryption, to 40GB.
3. Remove 40GB drive from old system and fix in new system.
4. Drive will be instantly readable in new system?

That's right, it ought to be readable just as you would want

If you have a total of three drives, then you can set up your new A64, copy your data from the 80GB drive to the 40GB "holding tank" drive, put it into the new A64, confirm that it is fully readable there, and then do drastic stuff to your old system's 80GB drive afterwards.

That way, if for some reason the 40GB fails to be read, you haven't lost your stuff since there's also a copy of it on your old 80GB drive in your old system.

 

[pucko]

Sorry, another query on the same subject.

Unfortunately, I just heard from the vendor that my new A64 machines ships only with a 40GB drive; regular ATA 7200rpm drive. It has a total of 2 bays available for HDDs.

Both the 80GB (primary) and 40GB (slave) drives in my old system are ATA 7200 rpm.

Now, my plan is move the 80GB drive too, from the old system into the A64 system. And then use it as the primary drive. And the 40GB (with data backup) as the slave, as previously described - which, when I can afford it, I plan to replace with a large drive (maybe 200-400GB).

Hence, I would like to keep and use the 80GB as my primary (always) in the new A64 system, rather than use the new (smaller) 40GB which ships with it. Basically, to move both my old drives into my new system, install Win XP Pro on it and also preserve my data!

I know this is getting pretty complicated, but can you see where I'm coming from? Any suggestions...or am I being too optimistic in trying to swap things around? Sorry for the bother, but your advice would be most appreciated.