How to copy Win XP to new System HD

[p23185]

Does anyone know an efficient way to copy the entire contents of a 'too small' system HD over to a much larger new system HD?

I tried this once years ago when I ran out of space on a 20Gb system drive, and used Norton Ghost. Athough I was able to get Win XP up and running it was not a sucessful copy becuase some OS functions (e.g. restore) did not transfer over. I ended up with a week-long job of collecting CDs and re-installing EVERYTHING from scratch.

I currently am running Win XP SP2 on a 40Gb drive and it is always full and requires constant attention at cleaning up and degragging. I would like to replace with new 500Gb drive but just don't want to go through pain of cataloging every applicaiton on the 3 year old machine. I have the original Win XP CD but it is probably pre-SP1 and so would require masive updates just for the OS.

 

[G0AOZ]

Depends what resources you have available...

I used Acronis True Image (v11) these days when making a clone of a hard drive. This allows you to do a same size, or proportional copy which is what you want. It's very straightforward, no fuss, and will cope with Vista as well.

However, if you have another running XP system, and sufficient interfaces (IDE, SATA, etc.), it is possible to use Windows Explorer or even good ol' Windows File Manager to copy across the contents of one hard disk to another!

ROGER - G0AOZ.

 

[cdogg]

I don't recommend slaving the drive and copying over the contents manually. There are items like the "disk signature" and partition table information that are useful to copy over as well but won't show in Windows Explorer. Also, unless you're willing to turn off System Restore on the drive before hooking it to another computer, then you're not going to have access to the "System Volume Information" folder to copy over.

Two cloning programs I've used and recommend are Acronis True Image Home Edition and FarStone DriveClone. Both have easy-click interfaces that allow you to clone a drive while Windows is running. You can resize the destination as well before the clone starts.

Also keep in mind that the hard drive manufacturer should have included FREE cloning software if it was bought retail. If you bought an OEM drive, then you should still be able to get the software off the manufacturer's website. It won't be as pretty as the two programs I mentioned above, but usually they are simple to use and figure out.

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Einstein
[tab][navy]For posting policies, click [/navy]here.

 

[p23185]

Thanks - good information. Fry's electronics 'tech advisor' also suggested Acronis True Image Home Edition. I downloaded the manual and it looks like it will do everything I need.

I am going with a new SATA HD and the Mobo only supports RAID SATA. So I intend to purchase an PCI SATA card and install it and partition the new SATA drive before using the Cloning part of Acronis True Image. SOUND RIGHT TO YOU TECH EXPERTS?

 

[p23185]

One more thing - How will the cloning software let the new SATA drive be labeled "C:" if there already is the old 40Gb "C:" before I disconnect it? Doesn't the registry have to know that "C:" is the system disk?

It would appear that if I make an image on the new SATA (which will have a drive letter of "J" or something higher than "H") than then it would seem the image on that drive will reference everything (including the registry) as "C". After I disconnect the old "C:" and then try to boot from the new SATA "J" how will the OS know it is now really the new "C"?

 

[vacunita]

While your cloning, the drive letter for the new drive will be something other than C:. H: or whatever else

Once you are done, you'll need to put the new sata drive on the SATA port that holds the old drive, in fact replacing the old drive with the new.

When you boot up with the new drive in place it will become C: drive on its own, no extra configuration necessary.

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Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

 

[p23185]

[Once you are done, you'll need to put the new sata drive on the SATA port that holds the old drive, in fact replacing the old drive with the new.]

Therein lies the problem. I intended to put the new SATA in with a PCI SATA controller as the old "C" drive is a PATA with Mobo controller. How to handle this????

 

[cdogg]

As long as the old PATA drive is not set higher in the BIOS Boot Order priority, then that should work. The old C: drive should show up as another drive letter.

However, beware that I had problems in one situation I encountered where I had the old drive and the new imaged drive installed at the same time after switching the boot order sequence. The old drive somehow took control of the reservation for drive letter C: and in the process hosed the imaged drive which took on letter E: instead. This thread explains the entire saga:

[tab]thread779-1455470

Most of the time, what happened to me won't happen. I just wanted you to be aware since it's possible. The safe route to take is to detach the old drive completely and make sure the new drive boots up successfully and everything is in place. Then format the old drive before reusing it.

my 2¢

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Einstein
[tab][navy]For posting policies, click [/navy]here.

 

[wahnula]

This is appearing MUCH harder than it really is. I use Ghost 2003 (and I recommend EVERYONE getting a copy of it while it's still readily available, as it works of Server 2003) but Acronis True Image will also work.

SATA and RAID are not exclusive; you should be able to run your OS on a SATA or IDE drive, then connect another SATA drive for cloning. You might have to change some BIOS settings like "use RAID as standard IDE".

Once the clone has taken place, shut down & disconnect drives BEFORE booting into Windows; this will solve the drive-letter conflicts.

Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[vacunita]

As has been said better be safe than sorry., Disconnect the old PATA drive entirely after the cloning process is complete, and then go into your BIOS setup, and make sure its set to boot from your new SATA drive first.

That should take care of the drive letter assignments.

Once the system is up and running on your new drive, you can turn it back off, and plug the old PATA drive in. Making sure its either not selected as a boot option in the BIOS or if it has to be make sure its the last option.



----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

 

[p23185]

Excellent help - thank you all. I am going out to get the PC tonight and will give it a try. I ended up purchasing a new PATA 500Gb and Acronis True Image Home Edition to keep it as simple as possible. Will try to clone old C: to new 500Gb (will partition in two), and then after that is done, remove the old C, plug new 500Gb into master slot and try to boot up.

 

[vacunita]

Great, keep us posted of any further developments.

----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

 

[paparazi]

well most of you know what I'm going to say....3 years since last clean install! and you are going to copy all the crap across on to a new drive....you must be avin a larf..lol
A whole week last time! come on....on a 20gig HDD?
Anyways you still have me confused..a 3 year old machine with standard IDE yet the SATA is RAID ONLY? whats all that about?
Perhaps we should get back to basics here and do what you should have done in the original post by giving us some information to go on like:
Hardware specifications
Software configuration (I'm especially intrigued as to the complexity and the reason it would take you a week to clean install)
And I find myself asking yet again...how can we get to a conclusion for this post yet not even know the basic elements of hard and software for this users machine?
Giving all those answers based on what? you don't even know what you are dealing with..
Martin


On wings like angels whispers sweet
my heart it feels a broken beat
Touched soul and hurt lay wounded deep
Brown eyes are lost afar and sleep

 

[Grenage]

You could have just used a free Linux live CD and used 'dd' to clone the data and partitions across, but you've already got the software now.

I'm with Martin on this; you're really a lot better of doing a fresh install. Since you spent a week finding all those discs last time, you surely know where they all are now? You could make a slipstream XP install disc with SP3, but that's not really important.

Get the latest stable drivers, download the latest versions of your software (that you're entitled do) and get it going fresh - THEN clone it if you need it.

"We can categorically state that we have not released man-eating badgers into the area" - Major Mike Shearer