New HDD

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I want to replace me 40GB hard drive with a new 160GB hdd. How can I
transfer the Windows files and settings to the new drive using tools already
in Windows or free software.
 
Tatar said:
I want to replace me 40GB hard drive with a new 160GB hdd. How can I
transfer the Windows files and settings to the new drive using tools already
in Windows or free software.
Click to expand...
I have just done this.

I reckon the best solution is to backup your data files onto a USB
external HD - you should do this anyway.

Keep your old HDD in the case, with cable and power disconnected.

Fix the new HDD in the case - you probably have plenty of space. Connect
with the old cable and power or if you are changing to a SATA you will
need a new cable and may have to configure your BIOS to recognise it.

Format and install Windows - XP for preferance - on the new HDD You will
then have to install all your applications plus patches but this gives
you the opportunity to get the latest releases. You will find that there
are some applications that you won't bother to reinstall and you may
want to reorganise you filing system.

If you do this and in the unlikely event that it all goes belly up you
can reconnect your old HDD. If it goes OK you have a nice clean system
without all the junk that you had before. Some people do a clean format
and reinstall every few months and while this is a pain I can see the
merit of doing it
 
I want to replace me 40GB hard drive with a new 160GB hdd. How can I
transfer the Windows files and settings to the new drive using tools
already in Windows or free software.
Click to expand...

This isn't a direct answer to your question, but there's no reason why you
can't have two hard drives attached to your computer. The older, smaller of
the two can hold your system and application files, while the larger one can
take your data.
 
I want to replace me 40GB hard drive with a new 160GB hdd. How can I
transfer the Windows files and settings to the new drive using tools already
in Windows or free software.
Click to expand...

If you buy a brand drive such as Seagate, the tools to do that will be
on the install cd.
 
Tatar said:
I want to replace me 40GB hard drive with a new 160GB hdd. How can I
transfer the Windows files and settings to the new drive using tools
already in Windows or free software.
Click to expand...

Clone the disk and within an hour you will be up and running exactly as you
are now, but with more space.

You can download cloning software from drive manufacturers, or use the
15-day free trial version of Acronis True Image. The downloads are about
the same size, in the 100 meg range. If you buy a drive in a retail box
(I never do, it's too much more expensive for stuff I'm mostly going to
throw out, aside from a few screws), it may have the cloning software on
CD.

If you get the CD, you can likely boot from it and simply follow the
directions to clone the small drive to the larger new one, enlarging the
partition as it goes. If you download it, install and then clone from
within Windows. This works very well and is pretty quick. With
TrueImage, clone in manual mode; automatic leaves the partition sizes the
same, so it doesn't use all the space on the new drive.


When done, remove the original drive, put the new one in its place, with the
jumpers set as the original drive's were. Leave the original drive
*disconnected* for the first boot. Restart, and check the system. Then,
if you want to re-attach the old drive, adjust its jumpers appropriately,
shut the system down and re-attach it. Be sure that both drives are
detected properly in the BIOS.

Finally, unless there is a BIOS issue that limits the drive size you can
use - look at larger drives, the cost differential is not huge. Where I
am, 500 gig drives are under $120, 250 gig drives are around $80, and 160
gig drives are around $60.

HTH
-pk
 
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