Hard Drive is Full for extra programs?

Question

my 7 Gigabite hard disk is full, and i got another hard drive 177 Gb and i want to know how can i transfer all data to the other one and use it instead of the one that is full... like move the C:/ program files to the other hard disk, cause the one that is 7 Gb is full and looks like its downloading codecs needed and security updates and its full for that to install. Please help

Well, I tried moving the My documents folder but it told me that it could not be moved and it also told me that it was being used by other programs... so what could i do.. i dont want to install everything back again, cause i just installed it and i spent a whole day setting up everything.. and i dont wanna do it again :(

Answer 1

Use a cloning program like "Norton Ghost" and make an image of your current hard drive to the new one.

Answer 2

Don't move the Program Files, move your data.

To do this:

Right-click the "My Computer" icon on your Desktop and select, "Explore" in the context menu.

Drag your "My Documents" folder from the left pane to your new hard disk in the right-hand pane.

Wait till all the data is transferred.

Whenever you create a new file (document / spreadsheet / whatever) henceforth, click the arrow next to whatever Windows shows you as default in the dialog box and navigate your way to your new hard disk.

Save your file in the appropriate folder within the "My Documents" folder.

You'll have to do this each time you create a new file. Microsoft hasn't yet figured out the meaning of the term, "user-friendly".

Deepak

Answer 3

(@ Sand Flea: Norton Ghost is a pain in the ***. Honestly.)

You cannot just move program files and expect the new hard drive to be the same - none of your programs will be installed because you have not made any links in your registry yet.

If you do just want an identical version of your hard drive, albeit with more storage, then creating an installing an image should do the job.

However, if you still have all your original program discs and a little time on your hands, it would be better to just do a clean install (ie: install Windows and all your programs fresh.) In my opinion, it is better to give yourself a fresh start than it is to inherit all the nuances and weaknesses of your old drive.