complete transfer from one HD to another?

[dreamchaser]

Hi,

I have a 20 GB OS drive that is full. Is there an easy way to transfer everything (including OS, system files, applications, etc) to a different, larger drive, so that the new, larger drive will have everything intact and then I can just swap the larger drive for the smaller one?

FYI: OS: Win2K / My OS drive is partitioned with Partition Magic.

 

[cdogg]

Absolutely. Usually, when you purchase a new drive, it will come with the software needed to accomplish that task. You end up installing the new drive as a "slave" drive and run the software in DOS where it can make an exact copy.

If for some reason, the software doesn't come with the drive, you can find free utilities from Western Digital's or Maxtor's websites. ~cdogg

"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
- A. Einstein

 

[dreamchaser]

Thanks. I will follow up on what you suggest. Hopefully, I can find step-by-step directions somewhere...

PS - What happens to the partitions, if I move them to a larger drive from a smaller one? (Since they are set at specific sizes) Does this in some way disable me from being able to access the parts of the new drive that are not partitioned? (Sorry if this question is naive - I'm new to this stuff)

 

[dreamchaser]

PS - What about "ghosting"? (Not quite sure what that is, but have heard rumors about it...) Would this work?

 

[cdogg]

It's been a while since I've had to do it, but when you get the new hard drive, you can set up a new partition (FAT32 or NTFS, whichever you need), then run the utility to copy data off the old drive to the new.

You're right that the partition won't be same on a larger drive. Keep in mind that it is usually a good idea to keep a smaller parition for your C: drive, in the range of < 15GB. That way you can have additional partitions for your programs and personal data, keeping them separate from the main system partition. This gives you many advantages (save time on defragging/imaging, more organization, etc).

Similarly, Norton's Ghost or Powequest's Drive Image are 2 excellent apps that will get the job done as well.


~cdogg

&quot;The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.&quot;
- A. Einstein

 

[bike1100]

Have you considered any of the programs that do this, Norton Ghost or PowerQuest Drive Image. Both will image copy your 20Gb to any bigger drive. First attach your new drive as a slave run the Ghosting program of your choice then when finished change the jumper on the new drive to make it the master and the old one as slave (if you want to keep it in the PC) then you are flying!