Hi Guys, My HD is starting to crap out on me. I'm running 2000 and have a slew of "disk has bad block" errors in my event viewer. My question is, if i buy a new HD is there a way to just transfer the contents of this one to the new one? I really dont want to start with no drivers etc on a brand new install. Will software do this? So far at least the thing still works but it has been locking up and real strange noises have been coming out of the HD so it may kick the bucket at any time! Thanks.
Hard drive swap question
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turbojimmy
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You can install the exsiting drive, as long as its still working, as the slave drive and the new one as the master. You can buy imaging software to duplicate the ailing drive onto the new drive. The drive manufacturers have the imaging software available on their websites. If you get a 'retail' version of the drive it will probably come with the software and instructions.
I did the same thing a couple of years ago when windows told me my drive was going bad (it was also making the awful buzzing/humming sound like it was jamming up). That stupid drive is still working as the slave, but now I have tons of storage.
Good luck,
Jim
Yes,
http://www.no-panic.com/recovery/irecover.html
or
http://www.powerquest.com/drivecopy/
I don't like or use "Ghost" for drive imaging.
I personally prefer the Novastor (1st product). I use it for routine disk image backups of my C partition (where OS and programs are installed). I have 2 PC's I need to keep syncronized (same toolbars, same settings, etc) and disk imaging is the way to go.
I keep frwquently changing data (ie, "My Documents" ) on a separate D partition (same HDD), and prefer a file based backup software for that.
With file based, you can backup/restore selected files & folders, whereas a disk image backup is usually an "all or none" proposition.
winhex will do a bit for bit copy.
if you are running xp, then you really dont have to worry too much about drivers, you can put a new drive in as primary, install the new os. then put the old drive in as slave and copy all your files off.
then after your done if you wanna try and re-use the drive, you can find someone to boot it in linux and wipe it using the dd command.
if you are running xp, then you really dont have to worry too much about drivers, you can put a new drive in as primary, install the new os. then put the old drive in as slave and copy all your files off.
then after your done if you wanna try and re-use the drive, you can find someone to boot it in linux and wipe it using the dd command.
I respectfully disagree. That won't work. An OS partition contains many hidden & protected files that are not accessible from within the OS.
For example, how will an ordinary "file copy" deal with the Master Boot Record? What about the Partition Boot Sector?
Will you be able to find the "System Volume Information" folder? Will you recognize the Registry, if or when you can actually find it?
Or if you just re-install the OS on the new drive, then simply copying over all the files from other programs (eg excel, etc) won't work. Installing a new app generates 100s of critical entries in the Windows registry. Copy app files doesn't update the registry and all the other hidden buckets of information.
One could of course re-install every bit of software from scratch (if you still have all the CDs, uipdates, and patches
) but that's a PITA and is exactly what we're trying to avoid doing.I've done 100's of succesful "clones" of hard drives using the software listed previously (ie Novastor, Powerquest). For $50 it will save a lot of grief messing with PCs.
why exactly do you need the partition table and boot record on the new drive unless you are using the exact drive again?
chances are that someone buying a new drive will get a bigger one. install the new os, and if its xp, it will have almost every driver that you could need to get the system up and running. then you can go out and get the rest off the net.
and move the files that you want to keep off the old drive. why do you need old dll's and old tmp files? why not start fresh with a new drive.
if you image a 40 gig drive onto a 150 or 200 gig drive, your gonna have issues with the master boot sector and partition table.
i also do this for a living......
Actually, a lot of the new disk drives are coming with a diskette that has a utilitiy which will copy the files to the new drive. If it doesn't have a diskette, go to the vendor's web site and look around - they will very likely have one. I just did this a couple months ago - I'm pretty technical and will often figure out some manual way of handling this through careful use of operating system commands and utilities, but their tool was so easy, I just couldn't pass it up.
Mission accomplished! I am now running a new seagate 80 gig HD. It came with a utility disc with all the necessary software to convert my new HD to the boot disk. After that i just removed the old HD as its not reliable. All files were copied to the new HD so i didnt lose a thing. Thanks for helping.
