xp pro to new drive

[jagfar]

I am building a system (first time) and I need to move all data from a currently used 20g drive to a new 120 g drive in the new sys. I will probably use the old drive as secondary for backup files. What's the best procedure to accomplish this without xp os problems?

[Statica]

Hi jagfar and welcome to PCMech:

* Set up your 120GB as your primary drive and your 20GB as a secondary drive.
* Boot from CD using your XP CD
* Install XP to your C Drive (120GB)
* Make sure you partition the drive properly, and not dedicate 120GB to a single partition. (read the on screen instructions careful on selecting, partitioning and formatting the drive)

Once you are ready with XP and have applied all applicable service packs, patches and updates you can simply move the required data from your secondary hard drive to whichever partition you want.

[ktkendall]

I would assemble the new system with both hard drives in there, the new one as master, and the old one as slave drive.. Then I would just install winxp using the normal install procedure on the 120G master drive and you'll be set as you will then have access to all the data on that old drive...

[jagfar]

2 questions...

1) this will not generate any new activation requirements?
2) I'll be able to move windows office pro to the new drive without reinstall?

[not important]

If this is new hardware, other than the HDD, you will be required to call MS and reactivate.
You will not have to reinstall.

[Statica]

1) this will not generate any new activation requirements?

I dont understand exactly what you mean, you will have to activate your XP once after you finish your installation to the new drive.

2) I'll be able to move windows office pro to the new drive without reinstall?

If your intent is to move Office from the old drive to the new drive then it will not work. You have to re-install Office to your new XP installation. You can move your created document files to your new hard drive.

Guess there is a difference in interpretation of what is data and what is programs .. to clarify, you can move data between your old hard drive and new hard drive without any issues at all. By data, I mean documents you created, your music files, your video files, images etc
You cannot move a program or a program folder to the new drive and expect it to work as before. Some smaller programs may work fine, but for programs as big as Office, they require a new installation.

[ktkendall]

I suppose the assumption here is that you are wanting to transfer the same winxp OS from the old drive to the new one. If this is the case then it can be done more effeciently with a disk cloning program that you may even have gotten with that new drive. You would have to install the new drive in with the old, boot the PC with the floppy with the disk clone program on it and it will guide U thru the cloning process. Then you should be good to just place the new HD in the new machine and you will find winxp is pretty good about finding and loading all the new hardware changes. Your printer will probably need reinstalled though..On MyPC when I changed out the motherboard recently I went into device manager before changing out the hardware and removed all devices completely from the device manager and it went well, but I've read here that it wasn't even really necessary to do that..Yes XP will need reactivated, my latest activation went thru online but worst case if you have to call MS, with the number that is provided on the activaton screen...

EDIT: If you use the cloning utility just be careful when picking the source drive. Be sure to pick the older smaller drive as the source and the new blank one as the destination...

[jagfar]

The cloning sounds like the best solution, especially if it will perform well with new hardware. I'm not familiar with reactivation, exactly what happens? Do they jus issue a new activation code for the new drive? Does this apply to Office Pro as well?

[Confused]

With XP they just issue you a new code over the phone. I have no experience with office and cain't speak to that.
Chas