Cloning

  • Thread starter Thread starter Derek
  • Start date Start date
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Derek

I asked my local computer shop to put in a new hard drive and clone the old
hard drive which is failing. They said that because the OS was Win XP Home,
it can't be done. Is this true? I can see that if you can clone an existing
drive with Win XP, then you could clone as many as you like, which would not
please Microsoft. I have the original (genuine) Win XP CD from 2002, but
would like to avoid a reinstall from scratch, with all the updates and
application reinstallations needed. There is space for a second hard drive.
 
I asked my local computer shop to put in a new hard drive and
clone the old hard drive which is failing. They said that
because the OS was Win XP Home, it can't be done. Is this true?
I can see that if you can clone an existing drive with Win XP,
then you could clone as many as you like, which would not please
Microsoft. I have the original (genuine) Win XP CD from 2002,
but would like to avoid a reinstall from scratch, with all the
updates and application reinstallations needed. There is space
for a second hard drive.
Click to expand...
Try a different computer shop. You can clone an XP hard drive with
the right type of software tool - Acronis TrueImage is my preference,
but there are several others around.
 
Derek said:
I asked my local computer shop to put in a new hard drive and clone the old
hard drive which is failing. They said that because the OS was Win XP Home,
it can't be done. Is this true? I can see that if you can clone an existing
drive with Win XP, then you could clone as many as you like, which would
not please Microsoft. I have the original (genuine) Win XP CD from 2002,
but would like to avoid a reinstall from scratch, with all the updates and
application reinstallations needed. There is space for a second hard drive.
Click to expand...


Recommend you find another "computer shop" ASAP. The one you are dealing
with is lying to you.
Tools like Norton Ghost (being replaced by Norton Save and Restore), will do
it, and will do it just fine with any version of Windows XP.

Sounds like they want to charge you more money.

If the old hard drive is still functioning, there is no reason they could
not clone it.

Bobby
 
Derek said:
I asked my local computer shop to put in a new hard drive and clone the old
hard drive which is failing. They said that because the OS was Win XP Home,
it can't be done. Is this true?
Click to expand...

No, it's not true at all.

Use a 3rd party tool, for example Acronis True Image. Install that program
on another machine with sufficient drive space, and connect the old drive
via a USB2 connector. Prior to cloning, use Explorer to remove the
pagefile.sys and hiberfil.sys files from the drive's root. These are huge
and will be rebuilt as appropriate.

CLone the drive to a file and disconnect it. Put the new drive on, the
same way, and restore the image to the new drive. Put the new drive in
the machine. You can be done inside an hour.

You can also install True Image on a running install of XP and clone it to a
second installed drive. You will then have to swap drives and be sure of
jumper settings.

HTH
-pk
 
Derek said:
I asked my local computer shop to put in a new hard drive and clone the old
hard drive which is failing. They said that because the OS was Win XP Home,
it can't be done. Is this true?
Click to expand...


No, it isn't true. Although it may well be that the technicians in the
shop are that inept. Take the computer elsewhere.

I can see that if you can clone an existing
drive with Win XP, then you could clone as many as you like, which would not
please Microsoft.
Click to expand...


Wouldn't really be feasible, unless all of the computers in question
hard completely identical hardware configurations.

I have the original (genuine) Win XP CD from 2002, but
would like to avoid a reinstall from scratch, with all the updates and
application reinstallations needed. There is space for a second hard drive.
Click to expand...


Understandable. You could easily do it yourself. Most hard drive
manufacturers provide a free utility for just that purpose with their
new hard drives, or downloadable from their web sites. Another really
useful tool would be Image for Windows, by TeraByte Unlimited.
(http://www.bootitng.com/) The fully functional evaluation version is
free. If the computer has a CD Burner, Image for Windows will even
create a bootable CD from which to restore the image onto the new hard
drive.



--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin
 
NoNoBadDog! said:
Recommend you find another "computer shop" ASAP.
Click to expand...


No argument, there.

The one you are dealing with is lying to you.
Click to expand...

Maybe. Or maybe they're just completely clueless.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin
 
Bruce

Gosh, I'm impressed. Whether successful or unsuccesful, I shall be done for
usre this way or that inside an hour.

Derek
 
Derek said:
I asked my local computer shop to put in a new hard drive and clone the old
hard drive which is failing. They said that because the OS was Win XP Home,
it can't be done. Is this true? I can see that if you can clone an existing
Click to expand...

No, based on the information you provided above. Or it can't be done due to
the computer shop's limited software capability that they chose to use. If
so, they are limiting themselves. And telling you their in-house version of
the "truth". Or, the failure(s) of the hard drive are preventing an
accurate working copy of XP Home. My feeling, this is more likely the case.

Partitioning software, imaging software, and drive manufacturer's free
cloning software made in the last couple of years can clone both FAT and
NTFS type 3 partition installed XP Home.

Just be sure to remove the original hard drive immediately after the cloning
procedure is completed. And make the new one the master is the only hitch
that can botch the copy. You can put the old one back in as slave when done
with the initial boot, use it as you like. There have been reports of
Maxtor and Western Digital hard drives not playing nice in the same PC.
Have experienced this twice in the last 3 years. Bear that in mind during
this process, and choosing a hard drive.

Consider taking your business elsewhere, or doing it yourself with aid from
a retail hard drive kit's instructions and its cloning software. Help also
available at the HD manufacturer's website, and this newsgroup and similar
newsgroups on the web.
drive with Win XP, then you could clone as many as you like, which would
not please Microsoft. I have the original (genuine) Win XP CD from 2002,
but would like to avoid a reinstall from scratch, with all the updates and
application reinstallations needed. There is space for a second hard
drive.
Click to expand...

Although a new install of XP w/SP1 and updates including SP2, and 3rd party
apps and their updates is painful, it can breathe new life in an old
installation. Irregardless, consider getting the SP2 installation CD from
MS if they are still providing it to the public. I did when they first
announced it.

A new install may be the only solution if a clone cannot be implemented due
to hardware failure of the current hard drive where XP Home is installed.
 
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