copy HDD

[clinton]

i have searched quite a bit and can't seem to find an answer.

heres my problem, my favorite computers hard drive has hints of failing(intermittently making awful noise) i want to replace it.

its a 250gig sata i also have a 160g ata in the machine and access to a 160 gig usb external.

the 250 sata has the main C partition and D (backup its an HP) but only have ~30 gigs used on it at the moment. i want to be able to basically copy the entire c & d drives to a new hard drive.

i have alot of stuff in that 30 gigs that i don't want to/can't reinstall.

isn't there a way to simply format the new sata drive and move everything over? sorry about all the details here, this is also my only machine w/sata drive capability.

i tried this Geek To Live: Partition and Image Your Hard Drive with the System Rescue CD and couldn't get it to boot at all.

thanks, clint

also found alohabob and similar programs (on this forum) but seems they won't work within a single machine.

 

[atomic tofu]

i believe the only way to copy over contents of the C drive and retain it's boot capability is to clone
Disk cloning - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
copying is copying, but you need to retain boot capability...check the link for various software that will do it for you

 

[carnageX]

Norton Ghost or Acronis will do the job.

 

[clinton]

thanks atomic precisely what i was looking for, forgot about wiki searched this forum for a couple hours then after i made this post got the similar topics that provided link to the xml but the wiki has ALOT of good sw it appears.


carnage, i am orig from that desolate place- s.d.

-clinton

 

[carnageX]

thanks atomic precisely what i was looking for, forgot about wiki searched this forum for a couple hours then after i made this post got the similar topics that provided link to the xml but the wiki has ALOT of good sw it appears.


carnage, i am orig from that desolate place- s.d.

-clinton

Haha it is desolate though, isn't it? Consider yourself lucky for getting out . I still have a while till I can try to get out xD.

 

[Apokalipse]

i have alot of stuff in that 30 gigs that i don't want to/can't reinstall.

using hard drive cloning, this stuff will also be copied.

What I'd do is install a fresh OS on the new hard drive, then copy the files that I want to keep to the new hard drive.

 

[clinton]

ya i think thats the route im going to take now.... found a way around losing the reinstall of some software i was scared of losing.

man i wanna build a new machine though instead of replacing hard-drive, the mobo has 1.5 sata not 3 and if gonna replace that also might as well just slap a new one together .

thanks once more-clint

 

[Apokalipse]

ya i think thats the route im going to take now.... found a way around losing the reinstall of some software i was scared of losing.

man i wanna build a new machine though instead of replacing hard-drive, the mobo has 1.5 sata not 3 and if gonna replace that also might as well just slap a new one together .

thanks once more-clint

you still can build a new machine, with the new hard drive.

If you replace a motherboard (CPU and RAM don't matter), all you have to do is repair-install Windows (boot from CD, press Enter, F8, then R), so the current Windows installation will work on the new motherboard.
Though I usually only do that if the Windows install has been kept clean and fast

 

[clinton]

hmm never knew that, this forum is great.

don't think the hard-drive switch will work, if i build a new machine it will be ground up and insanely extreme-seriously contemplating raid0 raptors , i hate slow booting.