installing second HD as primary and moving winXP+progs to new drive -- help!

SamerAdra

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installing second HD as master and moving winXP+progs to new drive -- help!

all right, i've got 1 80-gig HD on my comp now, in 3 partitions:

C: windows, programs, etc., about 15 gigs
D: data, about 55 gigs
*: hidden drive, about 5 gigs (came installed with my sony vaio pcv-rs310 so they wouldn't have to buy recovery cd's, and partitionmagic can't fix it)

i want to install linux (mandrake) and copy my hard drive (using norton ghost, knoppix linux, partitionmagic?) to the new one, which i have yet to install, but want to make as the master, since it's faster (7200 rpm vs. i think 5400) and larger (120gb vs 80). how can i get all this worked out? i've also got knoppix (a live-cd linux that i can boot from and do stuff from in case something happens where i install a blank 120-GB as the master, set the 80-GB as the slave, and it won't boot from the 80. i really have no idea what i'm doing, since i've never tinkered with hardware, i've logged into a linux system a grand total of about 5 times (grand n00bie extraordinaire), and...yeah. so i need some help here, hehe...if i install a new, empty, 120-gig HD as the master, and change my regular, working 80-gig master to a slave, will it boot from that and allow me to copy the slave onto the master? i've got some HD cd that comes with my maxtor HD, not sure if i need it. will copying 2 partitions to a larger HD with norton ghost create 3 partitions on the larger disk, or what? also, what do i do about file systems? everything i have is on NTFS now, but i've heard linux is dangerous when writing to NTFS and i have no idea if/when that's ever gonna be fixed, so i assume i'll need some FAT32? recommendations please? i'm on XP home now, and the mandrake iso i downloaded is 9.2. i gotta learn how to be nerdy so i can get into computer engineering, but as for now, i'm still a frosh in need of help.

how should i go about getting rid of the 5-GB hidden recovery partition created by Sony, which is too cheap to give recovery CD's? the 5GB isn't full, so i can fit it on a DVD-R, but how? windows won't recognize it..can knoppix burn DVD-R's somehow, from this hidden partition? and can i delete a partion from knoppix linux?

oh...every website i go to has a legal warning saying to backup everything first, but is that necessary, or just paranoid? since i'm going to be copying a HD here, i assume i'll be fine, if it messes up i still have the original 80, which i won't need to format or whatever until i am sure the 120 is working.

hmmm...maybe convert some of the ntfs to fat32 to be shared, and partition some stuff off in some linux file format? i'm so lost. :-D

Any recommendations?

thank yoo very much.
-Samer
 
Just copy the windows partitions with your patition program and then load linux onto the unpartitioned space. You could back everything up, just to be save as it is a big operation!
 
Yeah - If Partition Program is just one that will boot itself up from the CD when you boot the Computer - which it must be if it copies Windows - then you could just install the New Hard Drive as Master, Boot up the Computer with the CD in, load from the CD, Copy the stuff from your old Hard Drive to the new one (Copy so that you don't loose anything) then switch off the Computer and Boot Up again - making sure that Windows works.

Then you can install Linux - Formatting the Old Drive before (probably with Linux install; I don't know whether it does that) you install. then it should work just as it always has, and have Linux on there when you want it. I don't know how you change which Partition you want to use but I think it gives you the choice whenever you boot up.
 
That sound very complex have you considered buying a new harddrive to make things simple . Then install on to that.
 
Nah - she already has a new Hard Drive; I stand up to my Post about how to do it. For the hidden Partition there is no way to put it into another Partition unless you delete anything on the two partitions. An answer could be to format that Partition and just leave it as a Back-up Drive or something, or another Hard Drive, or some kind of transfer Hard Drive as a nice neat place to put things you want to use on both OSs?
 
Re: installing second HD as master and moving winXP+progs to new drive -- help!

SamerAdra said:
all right, i've got 1 80-gig HD on my comp now, in 3 partitions:

C: windows, programs, etc., about 15 gigs
D: data, about 55 gigs
*: hidden drive, about 5 gigs (came installed with my sony vaio pcv-rs310 so they wouldn't have to buy recovery cd's, and partitionmagic can't fix it)

i want to install linux (mandrake) and copy my hard drive (using norton ghost, knoppix linux, partitionmagic?) to the new one, which i have yet to install, but want to make as the master, since it's faster (7200 rpm vs. i think 5400) and larger (120gb vs 80). how can i get all this worked out? i've also got knoppix (a live-cd linux that i can boot from and do stuff from in case something happens where i install a blank 120-GB as the master, set the 80-GB as the slave, and it won't boot from the 80. i really have no idea what i'm doing, since i've never tinkered with hardware, i've logged into a linux system a grand total of about 5 times (grand n00bie extraordinaire), and...yeah. so i need some help here, hehe...if i install a new, empty, 120-gig HD as the master, and change my regular, working 80-gig master to a slave, will it boot from that and allow me to copy the slave onto the master? i've got some HD cd that comes with my maxtor HD, not sure if i need it. will copying 2 partitions to a larger HD with norton ghost create 3 partitions on the larger disk, or what? also, what do i do about file systems? everything i have is on NTFS now, but i've heard linux is dangerous when writing to NTFS and i have no idea if/when that's ever gonna be fixed, so i assume i'll need some FAT32? recommendations please? i'm on XP home now, and the mandrake iso i downloaded is 9.2. i gotta learn how to be nerdy so i can get into computer engineering, but as for now, i'm still a frosh in need of help.

how should i go about getting rid of the 5-GB hidden recovery partition created by Sony, which is too cheap to give recovery CD's? the 5GB isn't full, so i can fit it on a DVD-R, but how? windows won't recognize it..can knoppix burn DVD-R's somehow, from this hidden partition? and can i delete a partion from knoppix linux?

oh...every website i go to has a legal warning saying to backup everything first, but is that necessary, or just paranoid? since i'm going to be copying a HD here, i assume i'll be fine, if it messes up i still have the original 80, which i won't need to format or whatever until i am sure the 120 is working.

hmmm...maybe convert some of the ntfs to fat32 to be shared, and partition some stuff off in some linux file format? i'm so lost. :-D

Any recommendations?

thank yoo very much.
-Samer
Boy what did you get youself into ?
Why not play the game and not wonder "How" ?
NO you can't,game over.stop tinkerin.You can't move a Windows install somewhere else !
Correct me if i'm wrong.
 
Re: installing second HD as master and moving winXP+progs to new drive -- help!

bluto said:
Boy what did you get youself into ?
Why not play the game and not wonder "How" ?
NO you can't,game over.stop tinkerin.You can't move a Windows install somewhere else !
Correct me if i'm wrong.

You can; but it is very difficult! Its not something I would personally recommend to anybody unless thats exactly what they want to do and there's no other way! Not much fun. :eek:
 
Re: installing second HD as master and moving winXP+progs to new drive -- help!

Lord Kalthorn said:
You can; but it is very difficult! Its not something I would personally recommend to anybody unless thats exactly what they want to do and there's no other way! Not much fun. :eek:
======
Thats my point,I don't want to help people trying to mess around.
I did some and learned,but I think it's something you learn the hard way.
I installed the same deal and fdisk'd and then formated both drives,then installed Windows on my Primary master,wich i connected to the end of my Primary master ide cable.My old hd was then a slave,but you have to set the jumpers in both cases.Then
:)
 
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