Copy HD using VB

[eman6]

I have a Notebook with 40GB and have recently purchased a 80GB hard disk to replace the smaller one and keep it as external.
You can imagine I need to 'pour' everything 'as is' from the old into the new without need to re-install.
I thought there must be some simple VB code that can do the job, because it looks like Windows XP does not provide a means to transfer system files, does it.
I am not willing to purchase a utility to do that unless I really have to, simply because I will be using it most probably ONCE.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[CubeE101]

Now xcopy suggestion. Why would anybody bother to produce software to do a job xcopy can do?????

Because there ARE people in the world who have NO idea what the terms "command" or "cmd" or "shell" or "command prompt" are...

That's like asking... Why would anyone use a free command line compiler when you can buy an IDE?

In short... the GUI is "UserFriendly"...
The "DOS Prompt" is Not.

Have Fun, Be Young... Code BASIC
-Josh

http://cubee.topcities.com

PROGRAMMER: Red-eyed, mumbling mammal capable of conversing with inanimate objects.

 

[DrJavaJoe]

I tried the WD utility. They have an option to start with a new hard drive and make it the bootable one, yes exactly what I wanted to do...

No, it is not exactly what you want to do read number 2 in the link above.

Two strings walk into a bar. The first string says to the bartender: 'Bartender, I'll have a beer. u.5n$x5t?*&4ru!2[sACC~ErJ'. The second string says: 'Pardon my friend, he isn't NULL terminated'.

 

[CubeE101]

...more...

More than Half the people who buy computers today to send/recieve email and surf the Net, and occasionaly play games...

When they upgrade to a new hard drive...

and you tell them...

Just go to the command prompt and run:
xcopy C:\*.* X:\ /E /C /I /F /G /H /K /X /Y

they are going to reply with their own string of letters...
WTF? ;-)

So companies take advantage of the situation... wrap it up in a nice little GUI, simple install, and slap a price tag on it...

Happens ALL the time...

Have Fun, Be Young... Code BASIC
-Josh

http://cubee.topcities.com

PROGRAMMER: Red-eyed, mumbling mammal capable of conversing with inanimate objects.

 

[Genotix]

Norton Ghost (Symantec) is a very good application.
It supports the copy of one harddrive to another, creating backups etc.
A company even more developed in this department is Acronis.

About the CD that's delivered with harddisks...
I'm selling computers and components for about 7 years now.
6 Years ago I've sold my last harddisk with Maxblast (on a FLOPPY).
Perhaps retail disks still include some utility, but you'll pay about 10% of the disks value only for that and a box.
Not worth the money. (In a dutchmens opinion )

Linux IS userfriendly.
It's only very selective about who it's friends are.

 

[eman6]

Damn it, I have copied nearly 40GB about six times and swapped the HDs each time after the copy. Is there any certitude on this planet for the devil's sake?
I miss the good old diskcopy c: x: so much.

 

[strongm]

diskcopy is still there. Just doesn't do what you want it to do.

 

[CubeE101]

So what your saying it is there in body, but not spirit?

lol... that's great

Have Fun, Be Young... Code BASIC
-Josh

http://cubee.topcities.com

PROGRAMMER: Red-eyed, mumbling mammal capable of conversing with inanimate objects.

 

[uprocker2]

I ones whent over to this friend of mine he had a HD progblem(14gb) and he was running out of place so he called his nefue for help(pc-hardware expert) and my friend boath a 80gb HD so his nefeu used this program that took like 6-8 hours and my friend needed to pay him for evry hour he was there so but eventualy there ware little problems but the harddisk gave no more problems.
best thing is reïnstaling if u got xp its verry easy you just install the new instalation over the old one u keep evrything but some settings.you don't lose any of you're files ore data

Uprocker2

 

[trollacious]

I have an older copy of MaxBlast that works with no Maxtor hard drives installed. If you want, I can put it online and give you the URL.

Lee

 

[CubeE101]

if you still have yet to have any luck... Have you tried booting into Safemode w/ prompt and running xcopy with the aforementioned options?

20th time is a charm ;-)

J/K... Good Luck

Have Fun, Be Young... Code BASIC
-Josh

http://cubee.topcities.com

PROGRAMMER: Red-eyed, mumbling mammal capable of conversing with inanimate objects.

 

[scubadean]

Hi

Dont want to put a downer on it but xcopy just aint going to work the reason for products suck as ghost is that it does a bit copy sector by sector where as xcopy just reads NTFS info (Replacement for file allocation table) a lot of the important stuff under xp is in the system volume foler wich is hidden and security locked to stop users trashing these do need to be copied Spend the £20 and buy a copy of powerquest drive copy as you have already speant probably 20 times as much in the cost of you own time.

 

[CubeE101]

Dont want to put a downer on it but xcopy just aint going to work the reason for products such as ghost is that it does a bit copy sector by sector where as xcopy just reads NTFS info (Replacement for file allocation table) a lot of the important stuff under xp is in the system volume foler wich is hidden and security locked to stop users trashing these do need to be copied Spend the £20 and buy a copy of powerquest drive copy as you have already speant probably 20 times as much in the cost of you own time.

That's what I originally thought...

hence the reference above to C++ for the Low Level Features...

As far as copying a hard drive across to another... It theoretically is posible in VB, BUT you would really want to get this type of program (which deals with LOW level system architecture, and lots of it...) made with a language such as VC++, which is optimized for speed and has more readily available access to the PC's inner structure...

...

If it is Possible to copy a Drive With XCopy...

Have Fun, Be Young... Code BASIC
-Josh

http://cubee.topcities.com

PROGRAMMER: Red-eyed, mumbling mammal capable of conversing with inanimate objects.

 

[eman6]

Dear all
The DataLifeGuard tools utility software downloaded from Western Digital (which is essentially the same like the one provided by Maxtor and named MaxBlast) offers what I need.
It was tricky because there were two main options regarding a new hard disk installation.
The first is a new HD setup, and the second is to copy drive to drive. (actually these are options 2 and 3 in the utility). If you read the instructions, you would use the copy drive to drive, which I did and failed. Then I tried the new HD setup option and failed too, obviously because (as WD states) if there has been a failure or problem, the installation might not work.
So what I finally did is to format the new HD and then start the utility, run the New HD setup with the option to set a new drive as the boot drive. This not only sets up the new drive but copies the entire old drive into the new one. Then as you click on next it shuts up the computer. Then you switch it on again and upon windows startup it completes the setup in a few seconds.
I did all that and switched the notebook off and then on again. BINGO, I have now 80GB half full
It looks like it was misleading to indicate that the copy drive to drive is the right option. Especially that exactly after failure of this option, the other won't work.
Wheeewww. Finally the job is done without having to buy a utility.
Yes I spent a lot of time, but many people I know as well as those who participated in this forum discussion now know what to do in such a case.
Thank you all for your care and attention.
Happy New year to all.

Eman2005
P.S. The slow hibernate problem I had is solved too.