Transferring Hd Info

[Springheel]

Six months after replacing my system because of a HD problem, I've wound up with another HD problem. The disk appears to have bad sectors that are causing random crashes.

 

Is there any way to directly transfer the contents of one SATA drive to another? Ideally, I'd like to avoid having to reinstall *anything*. Is there a way to save and transfer an image of XP or something? If that isn't possible, could I at least transfer the Windows registry over, reinstall XP on the new drive, and then install the old registry to avoid having to reinstall all the software?

 

Currently my old drive is partitioned, which might throw a wrench into things.

[sparhawk]

What I did for such cases is to install a second Windows. The you can simpoy copy over all the files from one disk to the other. You don't need to install everything, only the basic windows so you can do the copying. Fast and secure. Messing with the registry will only cause problems.

[OrbWeaver]

I have done that before under Linux, when the two drives are exactly the same size (it's a single line command). I am not aware of an easy way of doing such imaging under Windows without third party tools like Symantec Ghost.

[SneaksieDave]

Ghost is the foundation, the savior, the god of all things PC.

[Springheel]

What I did for such cases is to install a second Windows. The you can simpoy copy over all the files from one disk to the other. You don't need to install everything, only the basic windows so you can do the copying.

 

I don't understand how this would work. If I put windows on a second HD, and then just copy over all the contents of my original drive, none of the software would be in the new registry. I can't just copy Doom3 from one HD to another HD with windows on it and have it work, can I?

 

@Sneaksie: I've used Ghost to create a phantom CD drive before, but I'm not sure how it would help here (I know little about it).

[sparhawk]

1. Install a copy of Windows into a independent HD/partition

2. look for your original installation

3. copy everything over to your new harddrive that should get the new installation

4. boot it.

[sxotty]

He is right in that if you show hidden files it will work.

 

You can also go and save the registry in a file, then install a new windows, transfer all program files etc and load the registry you saved.

 

What I suggest, and what I do is that I install windows, and all my drivers and programs like office that I use a lot, then I save the registry, and if I run into any issues I just overwrite the registry with the save, it works like a champ.

 

So in other words once you get it all set up nicely, save the registry.

 

What HDD are you using btw? I hope it isn't maxtor they are the worst.

 

If you have the ability financially next time you might think of getting something like a WD raptor 74GB (they vcan be had for $120 after rebates now, and then buy another huge 300GB SATA HDD for like $100. Then you put operating system on the raptor with 5 year warranty, and you put the data and save etc on the big one.

[SneaksieDave]

Ghost is mostly best for backing up small partitioned OS drives. You'd optimally create an image of a bare bones OS and then could put it on another drive or system (assuming it doesn't complain about changed hardware, which XP might likely do). To Ghost a drive containing, say 20G or more, would be futile and torturous. If you have a slim OS as the only thing needing backing up though, it's made for that.

 

I would assume what they're saying works too though, as long as all files and reg come over.

[Domarius]

Six months after replacing my system because of a HD problem, I've wound up with another HD problem. The disk appears to have bad sectors that are causing random crashes.

Man, you got a dud drive... nothing is more shitty than that - me I lost like 3 years of work when I bought a new hdd, transfered all mys stuff over (teach me for not backing up) and the thing died a month later.

 

The first sign I got was bad sectors suddenly cropping up like wildfire.

 

HDDs should not have bad sectors... that is a sign of something seriously physically faulty with it...

[cobra6]

The only way to do this is with Norton Ghost. Otherwise the programs and windows wont run.

You need a clean partitionless drive, and just "image your existing partition with this program.

 

Cobra 6

[Darkness_Falls]

You're not having very good luck with computer stuff, in general, Springheel. What a pain ~

Thanks for reminding me about hard drives. I should see if mine needs a defragging...

[sparhawk]

You can also go and save the registry in a file, then install a new windows, transfer all program files etc and load the registry you saved.

 

Did you ever try that, because it doesn't work.

 

What I suggest, and what I do is that I install windows, and all my drivers and programs like office that I use a lot, then I save the registry, and if I run into any issues I just overwrite the registry with the save, it works like a champ.

 

That's strange, because i tried the same a long time ago, and I always got an error message claiming a licence violation when I tried to import the registry again.

[Springheel]

Man, you got a dud drive... nothing is more shitty than that - me I lost like 3 years of work when I bought a new hdd, transfered all mys stuff over (teach me for not backing up) and the thing died a month later.

 

Yeah, I'm not thrilled about it, especially since the whole reason I got this one was to replace the LAST HD that was causing me problems. This one doesn't list any bad sectors (yet), but every now and again it will suddenly stop being able to read files and crash.

 

Anyway, I'm still a little confused about the direct copying thing. Currently, if I were to move my Doom3 folder to somewhere else on the same drive, it wouldn't work because Windows wouldn't know I moved it. So if I install XP on a new HD, then just directly copy all my software from one drive to the other, I'm unclear how things like shortcut icons, paths, etc, will transfer over. Or is that covered by copying all the windows folders from my original drive as well?

[sxotty]

Yeah, I'm not thrilled about it, especially since the whole reason I got this one was to replace the LAST HD that was causing me problems. This one doesn't list any bad sectors (yet), but every now and again it will suddenly stop being able to read files and crash.

 

Anyway, I'm still a little confused about the direct copying thing. Currently, if I were to move my Doom3 folder to somewhere else on the same drive, it wouldn't work because Windows wouldn't know I moved it. So if I install XP on a new HD, then just directly copy all my software from one drive to the other, I'm unclear how things like shortcut icons, paths, etc, will transfer over. Or is that covered by copying all the windows folders from my original drive as well?

Yes it is covered, as long as the drive has the same designation. For example if you install windows and leave a USB thumb drive in the usb port on accident it will assign the letter C to the thumb drive and D to the hard drive or something like that. I had my drive as H: once Of course you can change the assignment of drives in XP by going to manage on the my computer icon.

 

Sparhawk that is strange, as there are many sites that suggest it works fine. Try setting a system restore point when you get everything setup instead, then it should work.

MSDN info

 

On the backing up of the registry from regedit which is what I assume you are talking about if it didn't work, well actually there are ways to do it, but I don't remember.

 

" 1. Double-click My Computer

2. Double-click on the "C" drive

3. Go to the C:\Windows\System32 folder (you may have to click on the link that says "Show The contents of this folder")

4. Find the files "wpa.dbl" and "wpa.bak" and copy them to a safe location. You can copy them on a floppy drive or burn it onto a CD or DVD.

5. After you have reinstalled Windows XP on your reformatted hard drive, click "No" when asked if you want to go ahead and go through the activation process

6. Reboot your computer into SafeMode (you can either press F8 as Windows is booting up to see the Windows Advanced Options menu and select SAFEBOOT_OPTION=Minimal or follow the instructions in Starting Windows XP in SafeMode

7. Double-click My Computer

8. Double-click on the "C" drive

9. Go to the C:\Windows\System32 folder (you may have to click on the link that says "Show The contents of this folder")

10. Find the file "wpa.dbl" and "wpa.bak" (if it exists) and rename them to "wpadbl.new" and "wpabak.new"

11. Copy your original "wpa.dbl" and "wpa.bak" files from your floppy disk, CD or DVD into the C:\Windows\System32 folder

12. Restart your system (if you followed the directions in Starting Windows XP in SafeMode you may need to go back into MSCONFIG to turn off booting into SafeMode) "

 

That describes how to transfer your activation info, perhaps the combination of those things will make you able to do it.

 

BTW I had activation hell occur once.

I had a project I was working on for school and my computer suddenly says please activate office, so I click activate over the internet (it was legit copy etc) and it does't work so it says click here to activate by phone, I do so and I get no phone number or anything. So basically I am stuck in limbo with no way out. I used my backup to restore a previous point, but I had to use software I had installed after the fact, so I had to swap between states months apart which takes forever to get the stupid thing done. Finally I reinstalled windows and office activated over the internet. I have no idea WTF was going on.

Edited January 26, 2006 by sxotty

[Darkness_Falls]

I have nothing to add to Springheel's dilemma.

 

So, as a side note: I never knew it was so simple to change drive letters on the fly, but in WinXP you can. Though, I know thru Windows Explorer you can do lots of stuff, but is it the same? Oh well. Regardless, has anyone gone in here before in WinXP? Pretty cool...

 

Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Management > Storage: Disk Management.

 

It shows you the drive letters that you have assigned, and you can change them. You can format your drives and change drive letters, etc. there. (Just right-click on a drive, for instance.) Pretty cool. BUT unless you know exactly what you're doing here, be careful. You can screw your computer up significantly. I never knew about this little area until I called Microsoft and the tech support rep led me here for something we were working on. Is this a more official way of doing all this stuff, or is it just the same as doing it thru the Windows Explorer directory tree area?

[Domarius]

If you ever use norton Ghost - ONLY USE NORTON GHOST 2003!!!!!! Do NOT under any circumstance use any subsequent versions, and the previous versions are too geeky to use.

 

All the techs I know use 2003 - it's reliable and does exactly what its' supposed to, simply and flawlessly.

 

The later versions are not actually the same product. They bought a product called DriveSafe or something, and relabled it as Nortons Ghost 9, 10, etc. - this does not actully create images!! Just archives, like WinRar does! The difference? If you re-image your hdd with 2003, it is exactly as that image was taken in that point in time. If you "re-image" with 9 or 10 (the term "re-image" in this case is quite poetic...) it is the same as extracting a bunch of files from a zip archive - so if you have Spyware or virus shit on your hdd before you "re-image", when you "re-image" with 9 or 10, that shit will still be there!

[sxotty]

Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Management > Storage: Disk Management.

You don't have to do that.

 

As I said in my post just right click on My Computer and go to Manage

 

Personally though I am not a big fan, I fear that it will mess things up if you do that, but I have no evidence of it, just paranoia.