moving windows from old hdd to a new one?

XPCportables · Post by **XPCportables** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 8:09 am

I need to know how to move windows from my 80gig to my new 200gig hard drive. I thought maybe I could just drag and drop but then I figured that there was probably some sort of protection against that. does anybody know the best way to move windows.

shmagoogin77 · Post by **shmagoogin77** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 8:27 am

insert the 200gb HD into your pc then use the cd that came with your pc that erases everything and reloads windows on it too
easy as pie

XPCportables · Post by **XPCportables** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 8:35 am

but I don't want to reformat. I just want to move my current copy of windows onto my new hdd I don't have the cd keys to some of my games and I don't want to lose them.

vskid · Post by **vskid** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 8:38 am

I think you could put both hard drives into another computer (replace the cd drives with them), them boot up on that computer's hard drive and then you might be able to copy them since that hard drive's windows isn't being used. You just need another computer.

Post by **bicostp** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 8:39 am

That will erase all your data. Here's what I have in mind, in order of preference:

Set up the 200 gig HD as a secondary drive and install programs and save big files on it rather than the 80 gig drive.

Use a drive cloning program to copy everything from the 80 gig to the 200 gig drive, but then I think you're stuck with an 80 gig partition and a 120 gig partition.

Replace the 80 gig with the 200 gig, UNPLUG THE 80 GIG drive, and then use the System Restore CDs to add Windows again. When that's done, hook the 80 gig back up and copy your information from it. Leave the 80 gig hooked up so you have all that extra space.

XPCportables · Post by **XPCportables** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 8:59 am

but i am going to be using my 80gig for my ps2 when I get done with it. I could reinstall windows on the 200gig thencopy all of the system 32 files to the 200gig and then copy all of my program files but I was hoping that there was an easier way, like with a program.

vskid · Post by **vskid** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 9:13 am

vskid wrote:I think you could put both hard drives into another computer (replace the cd drives with them), them boot up on that computer's hard drive and then you might be able to copy them since that hard drive's windows isn't being used. You just need another computer.

Wouldn't this work since the 80gb and 200gb aren't running the os?

XPCportables · Post by **XPCportables** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 9:54 am

I don't think that a pc can boot properly with hdds in the cdrom places. I tried to put my third hdd where my cdrom drive is so that I could move some ps2 games onto my hdd and my pc wouldn't boot.

Post by **gannon** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 11:41 am

The easiest thing I can think of is to get a live distro of linux, then use the dd command to make a complete copy (including the MBR) of the 80GB hdd onto the 200GB hdd

MM007 · Post by **MM007** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 12:01 pm

Some Linux disk cloning utilities have the ability to resize partitions...I can't think of a specific one at the moment though.

XPCportables · Post by **XPCportables** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 12:15 pm

ubuntu 5.10 has that option but it doesn't work properly

vskid · Post by **vskid** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 12:48 pm

gannon wrote:The easiest thing I can think of is to get a live distro of linux, then use the dd command to make a complete copy (including the MBR) of the 80GB hdd onto the 200GB hdd

That was pretty much my idea, except mine would have required another computer.

Post by **gannon** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 3:03 pm

Except the MBR is invisible to the user and can't be copied in a windows gui like that.

project_failure · Post by **project_failure** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 8:01 pm

Well you did pay for the programs and games (you did pay right?) so ?
(whispers)
why don't you get other cd keys off the internet?

Post by **Sparkfist** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 8:56 pm

Here's an idea you can try.

If it's XP SP2 (don't know if the older version have it), use the backup utility. It's in with the Disk Defragger and the Disk Check utilties. You should be able to back up the data, then if the other hard drive you want the info on has that you can select the file as the source.

I have to regreat that all I have done with this to-date is backup. I'm waiting to have my laptop fixed so I wont be able to restore the files and settings til it's returned repaired (and who know when that will be).