Upgrade hard drive

[Roddy]

I'm upgrading my comput I had off my Sis @2 yrs ago. It runs really well. I got Win XP with OS disks. upgraded from 512 to 1gb, new dvd/cd rw lightscribe. I want to up grade the HD from a 40gb (only 10gb free) to 160gb. I found out in BIOS there is a user password, dont know it. You can understand on the original HD I have all files, folders and programs which are running it the way I want. If I install the new HD will the BIOS be reconfigered or stay the same with the password. If I clone the old HD to new HD will the BIOS be reconfigered or stay the same with the password. Or ? how would it work to have the 160gb as a master, install the OS on boot, then put the 40gb back on the ide cable as the slave or second. Sounds good but i'm a novice. Help please.
Rod

[glc]

Everything should be fine without having to get into the bios as long as the computer is new enough to handle drives larger than 128gb and you clone the drive.

[ktkendall]

Just to add 1 thing though, nothing will change as far as the BIOS is concerned on that PC when you change harddives, it will still be password protected. If you do ever end up needing to get into it, you will need the password or will need to open up that PC and clear the BIOS with the jumper. Many motherbords have a jumper that will just clear the password but leave all the BIOS settings as is, in fact I think you have to use that jumper to clear the password.

[Roddy]

Thanks for responding. Their is a jumper for the BIOS, could you advise on the proceedure to clear the password, does it need to be moved, or removed for how long, and does it make any other changes other than password.

[ktkendall]

Older motherboards had a seperate jumper just to clear the password but not affect bios settings. Its probably going to depend on what motherboard you have there. I think the clear cmos jumper will default the bios but not clear the password, and the clear password jumper will clear the password but not change bios settings. I'm going back aways though in my thinking to much older motherboards, not sure if the more recent ones are the same. What are the specs of that PC there??

[Roddy]

Win XP sp2, AMD athlon XP 2400 +, 1.99ghz, acer aspire T120, smbios 2.3

[glc]

If there aren't separate jumpers for the CMOS and password, the single jumper will clear both.

[Roddy]

What do you do with the jumper, (jump on it Ha Ha!!)