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Copying data from old to new hd?

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  • Copying data from old to new hd?

    I'm going to be placing my 30GB Western Digital in the PC I'm building. In a few weeks I'm going to replace it with something larger. I want to back up the old hard drive and restore it onto the new one. Would Norton Ghost be the best way to do this?

  • #2
    do you have an operating system installed on the hard drive?
    if so,, you can use Partition Majic to partion the drive and delete the partition with OS on it, so there is just raw data on the drive. then, once your new pc is runnin,, plug your WD drive in and simply copy the files over.

    if you want to keep the OS, then first set your old drive as master in your new computer, then copy EVERYTHING over, take out the old drive, set your new drive to master and whoopie, your done

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    • #3
      could just clean install..it'd feel a lot better too

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      • #4
        It will be a clean install on the 30. I just don't wanna wait until I can get the hard drive to start using the new computer. But once I get the new hard drive I don't wanna have to reinstall everything again.

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        • #5
          But once I get the new hard drive I don't wanna have to reinstall everything again.
          You can't do a clean install AND keep all your old programs installed. Sorry, complete re-installs of everything are required. :hammer:

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          • #6
            Originally posted by zeradul


            You can't do a clean install AND keep all your old programs installed. Sorry, complete re-installs of everything are required. :hammer:
            Thats not what I meant. :no:

            I'm going to be starting off clean with the 30GB drive. It will be a fresh install of all software. In a few weeks when I get my new 60GB I'd like to just take everything on the 30GB and move it to the new, hidden files and all. That way I can just boot up and off I go.
            :afro:

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            • #7
              Originally posted by zeradul
              You can't do a clean install AND keep all your old programs installed. Sorry, complete re-installs of everything are required. :hammer:
              Well damn... I guess I'll have to remove my second partition then. :laugh:


              Lava Lamp Freak,
              I haven't used any of the imaging software packages, but I hear a lot of folks swear by Ghost. I can't say from personal experience, but with so many using it, there must be something to it. Besides, you haven't lost anything by trying. :)
              Old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill
              My Toys

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              • #8
                No need to nit-pick Darth. Sure there are *some* little programs still around which store all their files within their own folder in Program files, but this is not the case with nearly all large programs. And you know it.

                Lava Lamp - Now I see what you mean... The easiest way to do this for FREE is to just find another computer, with its own OS, and attach both of Your drives, and then copy the entire contents from the 30 GB to the 60GB drive. I've done it many times.

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                • #9
                  Actually, I'm with Darth on this one. I've got two HDD's in my system as well, and when I reinstall my OS from scratch, nearly all of my old programs still work fine. Some of them need to be reinstalled (Office being the main one), but everything else seems happy to run without reinstalling... I've only had one game that wanted to be reinstalled as well too.

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                  • #10
                    I wasn't nit-picking; I was absolutely serious. I run a semi-large partition for the OS and my main productivity programs (basically Office 2000 and all the bloat that goes with it). Then I install all my games and other programs onto the second partition. When I scrap the OS and reinstall, all of my files and programs are still intact on the second partition. All I have to do is recreate a shortcut to the executable and redo my personal preference settings. The worst that has happened to me doing this is that when I put in the Diablo2 disk and it autoplays, it doesn't pick up on the fact that it is installed. I have to use the shortcut, but then it plays flawlessly.

                    This is a tried and true means to saving many hours on reinstallations. Sorry if you don't agree.
                    Old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill
                    My Toys

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                    • #11
                      Hmm.

                      What about the various dll's and shared files the programs install and use? When you clear out an OS that has had these files, then how can the programs work once those files aren't there?

                      I understand that some programs are minimal enough to not have these various components, but it is my understanding that most most do have them.

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                      • #12
                        With some programs that have to insert files into the os you will have to run their setups again but all your saved games, settings, and other things will still be there. ;)
                        <center>:cheers:</center>

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                        • #13
                          A lot of programs nowadays don't install all that many files in other folders apart from their own. The ones that do are usually pretty common files, which would be installed from something else, but they install it by default to make sure it's there.

                          A lot of program recreate any lost registry settings too the first time you run them, so that's no loss either. You encounter things like what Darth said with Diablo II, but it's not really all that important.

                          The only game I haven't seen run from doing this was Alien vs Predator 2.. It wanted me to install it everytime I ran the main executable... but that's about it.

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                          • #14
                            how much are you payin for the 60 gigger a good deal is newegg they have a seagate 80 gigger 720 rpm for 107 with shipping

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