Access data from old HD after new one is installed?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Pat
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Pat

I'm planning to install a new 200GB IDE hard drive in my PC (a Dell
Dimension 8200) which I plan to make the boot drive with Windows XP Pro
installed. However, I would still like to access files on the old one. I
believe I just need to make the old one a slave, after installing an new
one, to access it. What I'm not so sure about, though, is drive naming.
The current (old) drive is now "C", but I would like the new one to have
that and make the old one "N:" or "S:". How do I change this? Before or
after installing the new one?

Thanks for any help. -Pat
 
Pat said:
I'm planning to install a new 200GB IDE hard drive in my PC (a Dell
Dimension 8200) which I plan to make the boot drive with Windows XP Pro
installed. However, I would still like to access files on the old one.
I believe I just need to make the old one a slave, after installing an
new one, to access it. What I'm not so sure about, though, is drive
naming. The current (old) drive is now "C", but I would like the new one
to have that and make the old one "N:" or "S:". How do I change this?
Before or after installing the new one?
Click to expand...

Just install XP on the new drive with that as the only drive
plugged into the system. Once that has been done, plug
the old drive in as slave and the drive letters will be the
way you want them.

Its actually better to use the Files and Settings Transfer
Wizard on the current system before plugging in the new
drive. Then once you have gone thru the proceedure above,
just run the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard again after
you have booted off the new install with the old drive plugged
in again and it will move the files and settings to the new install.

The only real downside with that approach is that you do need
enough space to write the stuff the Files and Settings Transfer
Wizard saves to the original drive in the first place. If you dont
have enough room, ask again, its still doable, just a bit more
complicated to do.
 
Rod Speed said:
Just install XP on the new drive with that as the only drive
plugged into the system. Once that has been done, plug
the old drive in as slave and the drive letters will be the
way you want them.

Its actually better to use the Files and Settings Transfer
Wizard on the current system before plugging in the new
drive. Then once you have gone thru the proceedure above,
just run the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard again after
you have booted off the new install with the old drive plugged
in again and it will move the files and settings to the new install.

The only real downside with that approach is that you do need
enough space to write the stuff the Files and Settings Transfer
Wizard saves to the original drive in the first place. If you dont
have enough room, ask again, its still doable, just a bit more
complicated to do.
Click to expand...

Thanks Rod. That sounds pretty simple.

I've already moved the important files over to a network drive, so this is
just in case I've forgotten something.

Pat
 
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