Hard Drive Help

[Bodley]

My main drive (have 2 external) is getting noisy so I'm thinking about replacing it before the crash. It's a PC running XP pro. My question is:

Can or how do I replace my boot hard drive with out having to reload all my OS, software and data?

[Nikolai]

My main drive (have 2 external) is getting noisy so I'm thinking about replacing it before the crash. It's a PC running XP pro. My question is:

Can or how do I replace my boot hard drive with out having to reload all my OS, software and data?

If you're sure it's still OK, "ghost" it to a similar drive and use a new one. It can be expensive move though, reinstall maybe easier.

And, of course you'll hear a lot of "get a mac" replies :):

[ChrisJ]

My main drive (have 2 external) is getting noisy so I'm thinking about replacing it before the crash. It's a PC running XP pro. My question is:

Can or how do I replace my boot hard drive with out having to reload all my OS, software and data?

Something like Norton Ghost (http://www.symantec.com/home_homeoffice/products/overview.jsp?pcid=br&pvid=ghost10) is the easiest way. I'm sure there are other (possibly free) alternatives, but Ghost has always worked for me....

[Bodley]

If you're sure it's still OK, "ghost" it to a similar drive and use a new one. It can be expensive move though, reinstall maybe easier.

And, of course you'll hear a lot of "get a mac" replies :):

I'm not sure of how to do this. I've seen the software "True Image from Acronis" which claims to mirror your drive and settings to a larger drive making it bootable. But does this really work? Is the the best software/method?

I've got 4 PC's at home and an office full of PC's. Don't see myself joining the mac elitist yet :D

[Bodley]

Something like Norton Ghost (http://www.symantec.com/home_homeoffice/products/overview.jsp?pcid=br&pvid=ghost10) is the easiest way. I'm sure there are other (possibly free) alternatives, but Ghost has always worked for me....

Guess that's what Nik was typing about - Thanks I'll check it out.

Is it as easy as it should be? I'm thinking it should go something like this:

Install 2nd larger drive as slave
Mirror/ghost 1st drive to second drive
switch jumpers
turn computer back on booting on new drive
Everything seems the same except larger drive

[ChrisJ]

Guess that's what Nik was typing about - Thanks I'll check it out.

Is it as easy as it should be? I'm thinking it should go something like this:
Install 2nd larger drive as slave
Mirror/ghost 1st drive to second drive
switch jumpers
turn computer back on booting on new drive
Everything seems the same except larger drive
It's basically like that, but with the version of Ghost I have there's at least one more reboot in there. It reboots the system so that it can get uninterrupted access to the disks.

I do this kind of stuff for a living, so my version of "easy" can be different than some people's. But if you're comfortable with changing the drives out, it's not that hard. I would suggest reading at least some of the docs! :D

[ian408]

One thing you should also consider is the software that comes with
Western Digital drives. Basically stick the new disk into the system
and tell it to copy the old one to the new one. I just did this with one
of my drives and it worked great.

And the software was free too.

[Nikolai]

One thing you should also consider is the software that comes with
Western Digital drives. Basically stick the new disk into the system
and tell it to copy the old one to the new one. I just did this with one
of my drives and it worked great.

And the software was free too.

That's interesting, never heard of it, care to provide more info/pointers?

Thanks! :thumb

[ian408]

That's interesting, never heard of it, care to provide more info/pointers?

Thanks! :thumb

I want to say it's called Data Lifeguard. Like I said, it comes in the box and
does almost everything for you. Really easy to use. Much more so than
Ghost.

Ian

[Manfr3d]

If you're looking for ghosting software that mirrors a disk,
try www.download.com sometimes they have very nice
freeware or shareware tools (with user ratings), it's worth
to give it a try there.

[hgernhardtjr]

As Ian said, free Data Lifeguard works and works well ... I received my copy with a WD drive a while back and find it makes moving up to a new, larger primary HD very easy and almost transparent. However, your primary HD (with OS) must be properly functioning when you do the "ghosting". I have not downloaded directly from their site, not do I know if it is hard-coded to work only with a new WD drive. My secondaries just by happenstance and not by any preference on my part (other than price) are Segates while my primaries have been and are WD. http://support.wdc.com/download/index.asp?swid=1

You can read some FAQs here: http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1095&p_created=1066333807&p_sid=kRITEzdi&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX 3Jvd19jbnQ9NzcmcF9wcm9kcz04NSwxMCZwX2NhdHM9MCZwX3B 2PTIuMTAmcF9jdj0mcF9zZWFyY2hfdHlwZT1hbnN3ZXJzLnNlY XJjaF9mbmwmcF9wYWdlPTE*&p_li=&p_topview=1

[Bodley]

Segates apparently have software with them which mirror/ghost your hard drive.

Is it any good?

[ziggy53]

Segates apparently have software with them which mirror/ghost your hard drive.

Is it any good?

I used to use Partition Magic to do the same thing. If the software really does its job, it won't change the "master" or "source" drive, so you can just try again and reinstall the old drive again temporarily.

As far as how good the Seagate software is:

"ANYBODY could install this drive April 23, 2006
JDavidX (Plant City, FL)

With the included DiskWizard software, installation of this drive is as easy as it gets. Partitioning and formatting is all done within the tool, and when you're done, you have a ready-to-go drive. One minor irritation -- the included BounceBack backup software wants to inventory your drive(s) for backing up as soon as it runs, and the only way to cancel it is to kill it from the task manager."

"Great value at $29 :-) April 8, 2006
Dealieo (NJ)

I bought this drive to replace my old aging drive. The installation took a loooong time to transfer the data from the old drive to new drive (24 GB). Once it was done( i left it to run over nite), i started the procedure to make the new drive as the primary drive. It did not work, since i had a Dell PC which comes with pre-installed OS and has the famous or infamous dell partition. The support guy adviced me to use Ghost. I did that and the whole cloning of the drive took less 30 mins and it was done cleanly. Now i am using the drive and very much pleased with its perfromance. So Just make sure that you have other disk backup software. The software that came with drive did not work for me. Hey the value of the drive after rebate was $29 can not beat that huh. Otherwise the drive itself is fantastic."

[Bodley]

I used to use Partition Magic to do the same thing. If the software really does its job, it won't change the "master" or "source" drive, so you can just try again and reinstall the old drive again temporarily.

As far as how good the Seagate software is:
..........................


Thanks Ziggy

Circuit City has the Seagate 300gb for $99.00 - Guess I'll get that one (maybe two).

[ChrisJ]

Thanks Ziggy

Circuit City has the Seagate 300gb for $99.00 - Guess I'll get that one (maybe two).
Ahh, no Fry's there, I bet... I bought a 400gb drive at Fry's a couple weeks ago for $120!

I always forget about the apps that come with new HDs! Definitely a good deal...

[Bodley]

So Far So Good :thumb

Should have done this a year ago.

[Bodley]

So Far So Good :thumb

Should have done this a year ago.

Oops - spoke too soon. This is a PITA!!!!!

[ian408]

Oops - spoke too soon. This is a PITA!!!!!

What would you like help with?

[Bodley]

What would you like help with?

I've been down for a while trying to fix this thing :scratch

Problem I'm working on now - MS Office programs give me an error msg when I open them (sometimes). Comes up in a box labled "Windows Installer" and says " The feature you are trying to use is on a network resource that is unavailable. ............ enter path to installation package 511735.main.sp1op.msp in box below". That file doe not appear to reside on this computer and I'm not using software through a network.

I tried to re-load Office but it looked for this same #^&%ing file. Also tried to remove Office - looked for the same file.

I've cloned the drive 4 times (acronis twice and would not open at all said no OS - twice Data lifeguard even though it's a seagate). What to do?

[ian408]

Ususally a "no OS" type message means the boot sector was not written.
It almost sounds like the tool cannot copy all the blocks on the disk.

You said you're using data lifeguard with a non-Western Digital drive? That
might be a large part of your problem. Did the Seagate come with something?

[Bodley]

Ususally a "no OS" type message means the boot sector was not written.
It almost sounds like the tool cannot copy all the blocks on the disk.

That was with the Acronis "True Image Home" software. I downloaded the trial version as a try before you buy. Don't guess I'll BUY. It's a shame, it sure did read good.


You said you're using data lifeguard with a non-Western Digital drive? That
might be a large part of your problem. Did the Seagate come with something?

The software noted I was not using a WD drive but it seemed to work okay though. So far my programs have worked except for the error message with the office products. After the error is dismissed they seem to work but my confidence is low. PSCS2 loaded but said I did not have a valid lic. Transfered it from my old drive and it seemed to work (here's an oops - forgot to transfer it back before one of my many attempts to clone my drive. I'll need to call Adobe after I get this thing going to free up this seat). Tried several other programs and they worked.

Can't figure out why I can't just reload or remove MS office? I could understand it if the software was stolen but Its not. I have the original paid for disk. :scratch

[Mongrel]

My personal recommendation is to format the new drive and do a completely fresh install of XP and all of your primary apps.

Install the 'old' drive externally or even internally and move anything you really need or want onto the new drive.

WinXP accumulates a lot of 'junk' overtime and when installing a new primary disk it's usually best to do a fresh install and update it to the latest security patches etc.

Once you have your machine up and running then you can move the apps like I said.

Point being, you have a fresh start and can selective load only what you want or need. I do this whenever I upgrade a primary hard drive after fighting with several 'highly recommended' disk copy programs. In the long run, I've found that doing it this way actually takes less time, is more straightforward, and easier than any program I've used (including Norton Ghost and others).

In your case, you probably could have done the above and been finished with it in the amount of time you have spent trying to copy the drive.

Just my two bones...

Mongrel

[Bodley]

In your case, you probably could have done the above and been finished with it in the amount of time you have spent trying to copy the drive.

Just my two bones...

Mongrel

If I could find the disk that came with the system this might be a good option. Not sure I could load XPpro even if I had these disk since XPpro came installed on the machine. Also several other programs were purchased and installed via download (i.e. PSCS2) and it would be a hassle to find/re-download them when I could be so close to getting this to work.

If I could go back, maybe I would start fresh but I've saddled this horse and I want to ride.

[Mongrel]

If I could go back, maybe I would start fresh but I've saddled this horse and I want to ride.

good luck with that :D ....

(sincerely...:thumb )

[Bodley]

Thought "why not try updating the office product". Got this error msg from MS office update site (XPpro update didn't cause any errors):


The Office Update site is unable to check for updates on this computer. This may be happening because of one of the following reasons:

You do not have administrative privileges for this computer.
There is a network problem and the detection catalog used by the Office Update site failed to download. Go back to the Downloads home page and try running detection again.
(font changed for emphasis) Windows Installer patch files (.MSP files) from previously applied Office updates are missing from the \Windows\Installer hidden directory on your computer. MSP files are stored on your computer after update installation completes because they need to be referenced for future update operations. If the files are missing you will not be able to apply Office updates. You may also be unable to uninstall Office products as a result of the same problem. Please contact Microsoft Product Support Services (http://office.microsoft.com/search/redir.aspx?AssetID=XT011180451033&CTT=5&Origin=HA010491931033) for assistance.
You installed Office updates in the past and then upgraded from Windows Installer version 1.0 to Windows Installer version 1.1. For more information see the KB article Windows Installer May Prompt for Install Source if Unavailable (http://office.microsoft.com/search/redir.aspx?AssetID=XT010709201033&CTT=5&Origin=HA010491931033).
Okay - now how do I find these files?

[Bodley]

Okay - now how do I find these files?

Searched hidden files and it's not there. Maybe I'll remove Office from the original harddrive and re-install after I clone again.

[Bodley]

Searched hidden files and it's not there. Maybe I'll remove Office from the original harddrive and re-install after I clone again.

FWIW I removed Office and re-installed after cloning and all's well (so far):D

[Bodley]

FWIW I removed Office and re-installed after cloning and all's well (so far):D
Opp's spoke too soon AGAIN. While Office works, when I attempt to do a save-as command it takes over a minute to populate box. :cry

This horse has thrown me again.

[Mongrel]

Sorry to see you are still "fighting the beast" :uhoh I've been there and done that...for hours and hours...:cry

This is what I'm thinking in my head:

"Order XP Home OEM from Newegg for $89, re-format the drive and do a complete reinstall."

Toss that manufacturer's (Dell by any chance?) CD full 'o crap in the trash and take ownership of your machine!

It's a great feeling to take control of your destiny :thumb

All of your apps will than you for it :clap

Add up the time spent already and compare it to a straight forward 2hr or less XP and apps install....

I'd be willing to bet that horse would be combed down and back in the barn by now...

[Bodley]

Toss that manufacturer's (Dell by any chance?) CD full 'o crap in the trash and take ownership of your ma:clapchine!

It's a Sony - They didn't include the disk but I can purchase one - NOT!


Add up the time spent already and compare it to a straight forward 2hr or less XP and apps install....

I'd be willing to bet that horse would be combed down and back in the barn by now... I could have paid someone else to comb her down, feed her, shoe her ...........

Just kinda burns me to purchase an OS for a system that already has the same OS but I'm beginning to think that's what is needed. I may try Casper XP clone first since they have 30-day MBG (I'm hard headed). Last time I got this frustrated I chunked the whole machine and bought another one.

[Mongrel]

I came across this today:

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=34&threadid=1904697&enterthread=y

May or may not help with your situation...

If you noticed, the "wipe drive-clean install" method is still recommended as the *fastest and easiest* solution...

Part of my previous point was that by the time you find a useable software migration solution and *pay for it* (you really don't think you find one that actually works for free?), you could have purchased a new non-Sony owned copy.

All in all, I still hope you got it all to work, and it stays that way....

BTW-you could use a beta copy of Windows Vista, which is iirc available for 'free'. I've heard it's getting better but still slowwwww...

Take care,

Mongrel

[Bodley]

If you noticed, the "wipe drive-clean install" method is still recommended as the *fastest and easiest* solution...


Mongrel

Thanks for the info. and I agree it would be best to start from scratch. However this cloning thing would be simple now since I now know the procedure for my existing system.

Went back to my original disk and reloaded office. It has the same annoying wait during the save-as (occurs only when changing folders). So I guess my cloned drive is now working as well as my old drive.

I'm happy ............ for now :D

[Art Scott]

How is the cloned drive doing....is all well and the horse / rider all happy....or did you have to go back and do everyting from scratch...loading all apps and OS from disks??? :scratch

Just askin' cause it looks like I am in for the same thing....needed to do some software updates and don't have the room nor do I have any disk for OS (XP PRO, PS CS, OFFICE 2003 pro...I am like diskless:barb for my software I will never never download any software without making a HARD COPY OF IT WITH KEYCODES IN A TXT FILE)...I have less than 500mb on a 20gb "C" drive...so wanting to put at least a 120gb seage or maybe another 300gb and amke a 30 - 40 gb scratch disk out of a partition.

[Bodley]

How is the cloned drive doing....is all well and the horse / rider all happy....or did you have to go back and do everything from scratch...loading all apps and OS from disks??? :scratch


The horse bucked - but after she broke it was a sweet ride :D .

The biggest problem I had was with MS Office ( seemed to work okay but gave couldn't find some kind update folder). I ended up removing MS Office from my original drive before cloning then installing it from the disk. At first I had some save-as delay issues but they are much better and no different than my office computers.

I'm very satisfied - actually bought 4 Western Digital (the WD program was the only one I got to work properly) drives to add to my office computers to clone the drives as a backup.

Good Luck :thumb

[Art Scott]

I'm not sure of how to do this. I've seen the software "True Image from Acronis" which claims to mirror your drive and settings to a larger drive making it bootable. But does this really work? Is the the best software/method?

I've got 4 PC's at home and an office full of PC's. Don't see myself joining the mac elitist yet :D

WOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO...IT WORKS!!!!:barb:barb:barb:barb:barb:barb

My "c" drive (20gb) was topped out, could hardly even surf internet or moreimportantly play here....downloaded the Acronis trial of MIGRATE EASY..and ran it in auto.....haen't had tome to try to use ms office 2003 yet...BUUUUUUUT PSCS seems just fine....not enuff time to post for challenge....but now I have a 120gb "C" Drive......:clap

sorry for the thread revival.........