How do I install a 2nd (larger) hard drive on my Dell (with XP) and transfer all files / image from old drive?

Question

Dell Dimension 2400 using XP. 40 gb hard drive is full. Want to install a 2nd, much larger harddrive. Want to transfer the image from the old drive to the new drive so that the new drive is now the master and the computer boots up to it.

Answer 1

Ok first off your computer will take a new hard drive just fine. Make sure you get the right kind of drive (SATA or IDE). If you purchase a boxed product it may come with a disc that you will need to use to clone your hard drive.

Second thing is that if you just copy files to the second hard drive you will have problems. It will NOT copy everything and your drive will not boot when you set it as the master drive.

There are free versions of cloning software available on the internet. Try the second link. You'll need to boot from the disc is makes to use the software.

When you do a clone make sure you are selecting the source (old disk with all your data) to the correct destination (new shiny large hard drive).

Answer 2

The free way: remove the old hard drive, put in the new one, boot off you Windows CD and let it install Windows on the new hard drive. Then put the old hard drive in as a second hard drive (plug it in in place of your CD drive). Boot the PC and you will be able to see both hard drives. Copy the files you want.

The NOT free way: Purchase a disk cloning program like Norton Ghost or Drive Image. Install the program on your current hard drive. Install the new hard drive as a second drive (plug it in in place of your CD drive). Run the cloning program and it will walk you through making an exact copy of the old hard drive (Windows, programs, files, music, pictures, etc) on to the new hard drive. Replace the old hard drive with the new hard drive and you are done.

(Note: Just copying everything from the old drive to the new drive will not work. Windows can not copy itself to the new drive, and it will not copy boot sector and other start up information. So the new drive would not boot)

Answer 3

set up your new hard drive with windows xp on as the master hard drive then put your old old drive in as the slave hard drive then open mycomputer icon and open the 2 hard drives and copy all your files from your old hard drive to your new hard drive dont copy any windows files from your old hard drive to your new one of there will be some problems then when you have all the files from your old hard drive you want you can delete the files on your old hard drive and just use it as a back up for holding your files and it dont have a windows os on it

Answer 4

or larger. And, particularly of procuring for Ghost by using Norton, you additionally can load and run any Linux LiveCDrom, and open a console, style dd bs=256 if=/dev/hda of=/dev/hdc bs=256 is the buffer length, and it takes aobut 11 minutes to clone a tension of 20Gb if=/dev/hda potential the enter record (new sparkling tension) is the 1st, end connector, of IDE1 of=/dev/hdc might recommend that the output record (previous tension to be cloned) is the 1st tension, or, on the top connector, on IDE2 you will possibly positioned the Boot CDrom on the two of the IDE cables, because of the fact the middle connector, or /dev/hdb or /dev/hdd.

Answer 5

First thing i need to know if its an external drive or internal you need to configure your jumpers if its internal before you connect you hard drive and copy your stuff.

Answer 6

first plug your second HD in the second socket
then copy everything to that HD
you shut down your computer
and change the 2 hard disks from socket
normally it will boot from your new hd now

Answer 7

i dont have any personal experience to help you but you may need to be careful - some mass produced computers like dell do not have standard fittings etc so any update may have to be done with dell parts etc ....suggest you check first