Want to install an additional hard drive on a pc with win xp already 1

[GneC]

I have a Gateway PC with Win Xp Pro installed on a 20 gb hard drive. I want to install a second drive that is larger and put Win XP on it and put Win 2000 on the smaller drive.Can this be done and if so how.

thanks

 

[bf0x]

One way to do it is to install the second hard drive as the slave drive and do a system backup with Windows NTbackup. Once the backup is complete swap the drives to make the bigger one the primary and install windows on it. Once windows is installed and it is now the primary boot disk go into windows NT backup and do a backup restore to that disk. Warning I have not tried this personally but in theory it should work. If anyone has any better ideas I would like to hear them. Hope this helps. Also you may want to keep the backup copy on the 20 gig hard drive in case the install on the new hard drive writes over it. Copy it to both hard drives for safe keeping.

 

[Freestone]

Are you looking to keep the current XP installation, or do you want to do a fresh XP install on the new drive? The former will require a lot more work, while the latter is fairly straightforward.

 

[wolluf]

1. You can easily move existing XP from old to new drive - just go to new drive manufacturer's website and find their utility to do this (if its not supplied already with drive). This is much easier and quicker than setting up a fresh XP install (sorry Freestone, have to disagree with you!). After the transfer, make sure you boot the machine with the old drive disconnected first time (or you may have system drive letter problems).

2. Once XP is on larger drive, I'd disconnect that drive and just do a straight 2k install on old drive (ie, boot from install CD, use its partitioning tools to remove XP partition and create a new one for 2k, then install). Once complete, I assume you want a dual boot - so make new drive master, and old drive slave - boot into XP on new drive and edit its boot.ini file - add this line to it:-

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINNT="Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional" /fastdetect

So it now looks something like:-

[boot loader]
timeout=5
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect /noexecute=optin
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINNT="Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional" /fastdetect

 

[Freestone]

I knew you'd have the answer, wolluf, and was surprised you hadn't answered before me. Just a matter of timing.

It's the unhooking of drives and hooking up of drives that I was referring to as more work, whereas a fresh install would be a quick format of both drives, install Win2k on older drive and XP on newer drive, done.

I'm not saying either of these two procedures is better. The route you take depends on whether you want to preserve the old XP install (wolluf's method) or start anew.

 

[GneC]

thanks guys! i will let you know how it turns out

 

[GneC]

Thanks for the info bf0x, Freestone and wolluf. I did it wolluf's way and both drives are running smoothly!

 

[bf0x]

Sounds great, Im glad you were able to get it fixed.