migrating to a new HDD.

[manmay]

Hi all,

next month i'll be buying a new sata HDD.

Now my requirement is that i want to transfer entire contents of my current HDD (which is pata by the way...) to my new HDD including all the installed programs and windows xp and every thing so that i dont have to install windows and the softwares again. and do all the settings again.

my current HDD has only 1 partition and entire HDD space is allocated to this partition.

so for this can i jus copy all the files of this partition directly into the new HDD (after formatting and creating a single partition in the new HDD, of course)
or
is there any other better,fool proof method for doing this....(like making a mirror image of my current HDD and then using this in the new HDD, etc...i dont know exactly how this will be done...)

TIA
Manmay

[vish786]

image backup of drive can be taken, and their is no need to install all the stuff,
use Acronis True image.

but personally i would reinstall everything on new sata.

[shantanu]

YOu can use windows file and setting transfer wizard and also backup wizard.. it can be written to DVD and CD.. and also to another HDD

and i think vish i right..

[slugger]

Originally Posted by vish786

but personally i would reinstall everything on new sata.

but only d hdd will b new?
everything else will b same?
maybe hdd controllers will need 2 b installed [not so sure abt dat also]

[vish786]

Originally Posted by slugger

maybe hdd controllers will need 2 b installed [not so sure abt dat also]

yup controllers have to b isntalled since the southbridge used will be different for sata hdd.

[ax3]

like @vish786 said "image copy of ur drive" ........ the best option ......

Acronis does a good job ....

[manmay]

actually i have recently formatted and installed everything from scratch, right from each and every reg tweak and theme and all bells and whistle....jus want to c if it would be possible to migrate like this.....

@vish
why do you recommend installing everything again any specific reason....

@slugger and @vish
the drivers for the HDD controller (for sata) would be there in the HDD image that i would copy to the new hdd, so it will be taken care of....what do you say?

@ax3

your suggestion and reading other web pages, i guess i'll try with acronis then....so it will be like jus intall acronis, attach the new HDD. format it. and thru acronis migrate to the new HDD. reboot and remove the old one......right.???

Thanks guys
Manmay

[slugger]

Originally Posted by manmay

actually i have recently formatted and installed everything from scratch, right from each and every reg tweak and theme and all bells and whistle....jus want to c if it would be possible to migrate like this.....

which HDD did u format and re-install d OS on - SATA or PATA?

bcos if it is SATA, den

Originally Posted by manmay

@slugger and @vish
the drivers for the HDD controller (for sata) would be there in the HDD image that i would copy to the new hdd, so it will be taken care of....what do you say?

if u now cre8 an image of d SATA den d SATA HDD controllers will b there in d imge also

but not if u reinstalled d OS on PATA and plannin 2 take an image of d PATA

[manmay]

no slugger i re-installed the os on my old HDD ie pata.
what i'm saying is that wont the XP in the image from PATA have the drivers for sata also....like when we install the os, the OS directly installs the appropriate driver for the type of HDD. so when my current installation is using pata controller....as soon as i transfer it to the sata HDD it will search for the sata controller in its own driver collection......
what do you think???

[slugger]

well i dont think it wud work dat way
wen d OS installs drivers 4 ur hw, it checks out wat hw u got and it will install d drivers 4 dose hws only

wat may happen wen u put d image of d PATA on2 d SATA is dat it may detect dat new hw has been added and ask u 2 install d new controllers using d wizard
try it out and c wat happens may b it will work out
keep us posted

EDIT
on 2nd thot i think it shud work dat way also, bcos it is possible 2 remove d controllers thru Device manager
so wen u put d image on2 d SATA d OS will assume dat u had removd it during d previous session and will prompt u 2 install it back (u must keep d OS setup files wit u wen it ask u 2 do it and also d mobos HDD sw{i have 1 4 my mobo, so i assume every 1 will 4 theirs })