Replacing a Hard Drive--Some Specific Questions

[Guest Paul_W]

Cloning the old drive vs. re-installing everything: Do you have any advice or opinions?Currently I have a 2+ year-old 60 GB IBM IDE that's been very difficult to get re-started on a couple of occasions when I've had to shut my system down. This first happened a couple of months ago, but after I finally got the system re-started it was fine...until I was forced to shut the computer down again a couple of days ago due to a planned power outage for some maintenance by the city. There's a metallic clicking sound--and the boot-up screen shows a primary hard drive failure message, but after many tries I was able to get re-started. My guess is that when the temperature goes up sufficiently I get a little more life out of it. It's been a good drive because I write and erase many more files than the average user, so its failure is not unexpected.So, back to my questions. I'm going to be upgrading to a 160 GB Seagate HD ($123 at Newegg.com). I understand that I can copy all the contents of my existing hard drive to the new one, as-is, and that's referred to as cloning. Or of course I can start from scratch and re-install Win XP Home and all its updates and drivers and all my programs. (I'm not concerned about my data because that's all stored on DVDs.) I believe I've read before that a fresh installation might be preferable because it will correct any built-up errors and exclude any junk on the old drive. On the other hand it sounds like several hours of potentially fiddly work. Do you gurus have any recommendations?If cloning's a good option, I understand Norton Ghost is a decent product to use--but since I'd only be using it for this particular task it's not a very cost effective approach. Is there any Windows or DOS command that can be used to send the entire contents of one drive to another?Will re-activating Win XP Home from a new hard drive cause any complications at the Microsoft end (i.e., will they question whether I'm installing the OS on another system)?I'm using an EPOX 8KHA+ main board and an Athlon 1700 XP on this system (I'll be getting a new system soon, but need to keep this running too). Do I need to install main board drivers on a new drive? (I built this system originally and installed Via 4-in-1 drivers--but it was never really clear to me whether that was necessary, or whether Win XP would have had it covered regardless.)Lastly, since I'm having trouble re-starting the system, is it possible to plug in the slave connector of the ribbon cable and a power connector to the new drive while the computer is still running (just to do the initial file transfer)? My guess is it's not, but then again I thought I'd ask.Well, one more: If I do transfer files directly from one drive to another (I know how to set up the master and slave settings), is it okay to have the new drive plugged in but sitting loosely on top of the computer case just for the copy operation? Or should it be properly screwed in to the drive space because of vibrations, or parts that shouldn't be exposed, etc.?Many thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

[Guest oyvindhansen]

If you have all your data and all your applications on cd and dvd re-installation is definitely the way to go. A lot of junk can accumulate over a couple of years. I think you will notice that a fresh install also makes the system faster, and it is also a good chance to get all the stuff on disk reorganized, throw out programs you don't really use etc. You can use the settings wizard in XP to transfer your settings to the new installation.>On the other hand it sounds like>several hours of potentially fiddly work. Do you gurus have>any recommendations?Make a checklist in advance. The whole operation will probably take two or three times as much time as you expect. But then you only change hard drives every couple of years, so why don't do it properly?>Do I need to install main board>drivers on a new drive?I don't know this board, but installing the drivers is a small task, so why not?>>Lastly, since I'm having trouble re-starting the system, is it>possible to plug in the slave connector of the ribbon cable>and a power connector to the new drive while the computer is>still running (just to do the initial file transfer)? My>guess is it's not, but then again I thought I'd ask.>No. First it is risky to work on your system with power on, second XP won't be able to utilize the drive until the system is restarted, and the new drive also has to be formatted before XP can even recognize it.>Well, one more: If I do transfer files directly from one>drive to another (I know how to set up the master and slave>settings), is it okay to have the new drive plugged in but>sitting loosely on top of the computer case just for the copy>operation?I have done this myself a couple of times and it works just fine, but it is kind of like inviting an accident to happen.- Oyvind

[Guest Paul_W]

Thanks Oyvind. Last night I spent several hours collecting information about my system, locating original program download files (such as AOL 9, the DSL modem driver, and many others), taking screenshots of the set-ups of various programs, making back-ups...and so on. And now I believe I'm ready to put in the new drive and start fresh. I've saved a copy of Win XP's Settings and Files transfer data on DVD, and hopefully it will be recognised on the new system. If I remember it right from last time, Windows will handle the video with basic drivers at first, and I can later download the latest from NVidia via Windows Update. Then I'll find out what happens when I reactivate the same copy of the OS with Microsoft; I guess the activation will probably recognise the system as the same except for the drive. And now, I better get my taxes filed!