Replacing the c: drive

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rebel1
  • Start date Start date
R

Rebel1

I'm want to replace the c: drive because of various annoyances (e.g.,
not being able to shut Windows if any instances of Windows Explorer are
open) that are not due to malware.

At present, I have two IDE hard drives. The primary drive is a
3-year-old Western Digital 500GB unit, partitioned as c:, e:, f:, h:,
and i:. The secondary is a 5-year-old Seagate unit, partitioned as d:
and g:. After adding the new drive, I'll probably remove the Seagate
drive after transferring its files to the existing WD drive or the new
one, but there is no real need to remove it.

I have on order a WD WD10EALX Caviar Blue SATA Hard Drive, 1TB.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7288051&Sku=TSD-1000EALX

After installing it, I'll:
1. Boot from the existing c: drive
2. Format and partition the new drive and install XP, Home Edition,
version 2002, SP3 (from a factory CD) onto it;
3. Attempt to download the 150+ security updates/hot fixes for XP.

Once they are all installed, I'll boot from the new SATA drive and go
through the ordeal of installing dozens of programs and copying my
various Firefox files (emails in, out, drafts; bookmarks; address books;
etc.) from their old c: drive locations to the corresponding
folders/files on the new drive.

(The data I created from other programs are stored on the f: partition
of the existing primary drive. Most likely this partition will get a new
letter, but I don't see this as a problem.)

Various of my other programs will require dozens of updates, including:
1. Compatibility Pack for the 2007 Office system;
2. Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 Service Pack 2;
3. Microsoft .NET Framwork 3.0 SP2;
4. Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP;
5. Microsoft Office XP Professional with FrontPage;
6. Windows Internet Explorer 8 - Software Updates.

Does my approach seem okay? Any time-saving tips? How do I force the
various updates to the six programs listed above? Is it a mistake
sticking with XP? If so, which new OS do you recommend (Vista, W7)? Any
tips for transferring drivers from the old c: drive to the new instead
of freshly downloading them? (My driver concern is that some might be
slightly "corrupt" and causing the various annoyances I'm trying to
eliminate.)

FWIT: The mobo is an Asus M3A76-CM, with AMD Athlon dual core processor
5050E and 2GB of RAM.)

Many thanks for your guidance and tips.

R1
 
I'm want to replace the c: drive because of various annoyances (e.g.,
not being able to shut Windows if any instances of Windows Explorer are
open) that are not due to malware.

At present, I have two IDE hard drives. The primary drive is a
3-year-old Western Digital 500GB unit, partitioned as c:, e:, f:, h:,
and i:. The secondary is a 5-year-old Seagate unit, partitioned as d:
and g:. After adding the new drive, I'll probably remove the Seagate
drive after transferring its files to the existing WD drive or the new
one, but there is no real need to remove it.

I have on order a WD WD10EALX Caviar Blue SATA Hard Drive, 1TB.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7288051&Sku=TSD-1000EALX

After installing it, I'll:
1. Boot from the existing c: drive
2. Format and partition the new drive and install XP, Home Edition,
version 2002, SP3 (from a factory CD) onto it;
3. Attempt to download the 150+ security updates/hot fixes for XP.

Once they are all installed, I'll boot from the new SATA drive and go
through the ordeal of installing dozens of programs and copying my
various Firefox files (emails in, out, drafts; bookmarks; address books;
etc.) from their old c: drive locations to the corresponding
folders/files on the new drive.

(The data I created from other programs are stored on the f: partition
of the existing primary drive. Most likely this partition will get a new
letter, but I don't see this as a problem.)

Various of my other programs will require dozens of updates, including:
1. Compatibility Pack for the 2007 Office system;
2. Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 Service Pack 2;
3. Microsoft .NET Framwork 3.0 SP2;
4. Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP;
5. Microsoft Office XP Professional with FrontPage;
6. Windows Internet Explorer 8 - Software Updates.

Does my approach seem okay? Any time-saving tips? How do I force the
various updates to the six programs listed above? Is it a mistake
sticking with XP? If so, which new OS do you recommend (Vista, W7)? Any
tips for transferring drivers from the old c: drive to the new instead
of freshly downloading them? (My driver concern is that some might be
slightly "corrupt" and causing the various annoyances I'm trying to
eliminate.)

FWIT: The mobo is an Asus M3A76-CM, with AMD Athlon dual core processor
5050E and 2GB of RAM.)

Many thanks for your guidance and tips.

R1
Click to expand...

I've replaced my "main" drive numerous times for various reasons. If
the software isn't corrupted, it's always easier to simply clone the
drive to a larger drive. Lots of clone software is available, some for
free. Once the new drive is checked out, simply erase the old drive
and use if for other purposes.
 
Rebel1 said:
I'm want to replace the c: drive because of various annoyances
(e.g., not being able to shut Windows if any instances of
Windows Explorer are open) that are not due to malware.

At present, I have two IDE hard drives. The primary drive is a
3-year-old Western Digital 500GB unit, partitioned as c:, e:,
f:, h:, and i:. The secondary is a 5-year-old Seagate unit,
partitioned as d: and g:. After adding the new drive, I'll
probably remove the Seagate drive after transferring its files
to the existing WD drive or the new one, but there is no real
need to remove it.

I have on order a WD WD10EALX Caviar Blue SATA Hard Drive, 1TB.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.
asp?EdpNo=7288051&Sku=TSD-1000EALX
Click to expand...

Hopefully you considered a solid state drive (SSD) for your boot
drive (Windows and programs). Prices are falling in a flash.
Does my approach seem okay? Any time-saving tips? How do I force
the various updates to the six programs listed above? Is it a
mistake sticking with XP? If so, which new OS do you recommend
(Vista, W7)? Any tips for transferring drivers from the old c:
drive to the new instead of freshly downloading them? (My driver
concern is that some might be slightly "corrupt" and causing the
various annoyances I'm trying to eliminate.)
Click to expand...

Firstly... Make sure that you keep at least two copies of any
important files at all times. That is especially true when doing
disk gymnastics.

One way to test your theory about eliminating annoyances is to go
ahead and try cloning the drive. Download a free copy of Macrium
Reflect. Make copies of the partitions/drives. And then from the
boot CD, restore those to your new drive. I would start by
practicing on your Windows boot drive.

Just keep your head, and keep backup copies. And keep additional
copies of your most important files on USB flash drives. That's
more important than anything else. Also, if possible, have another
way to connect to the Internet during the process.

Good luck and have fun.
 
When doing potentially time-consuming stuff like disk
gymnastics...

Don't worry about the amount of time operations might take. Try to
guess, and go do something else during the operation. In other
words, don't take shortcuts, don't try to do things exceedingly.
Let the hardware do the work and find something else to do during
those times. Always better to do massive amount of ordinary
copying (while making other use of the time) that is to attempt
ingenious shortcuts.

Practicing that method, I've always wished there was some alarm
that would go off when some long process was completed. The
operating system could provide that. It might be as simple as just
setting activity thresholds on system processes.
 
I'm want to replace the c: drive because of various annoyances (e.g.,
not being able to shut Windows if any instances of Windows Explorer are
open) that are not due to malware.

At present, I have two IDE hard drives. The primary drive is a
3-year-old Western Digital 500GB unit, partitioned as c:, e:, f:, h:,
and i:. The secondary is a 5-year-old Seagate unit, partitioned as d:
and g:. After adding the new drive, I'll probably remove the Seagate
drive after transferring its files to the existing WD drive or the new
one, but there is no real need to remove it.

I have on order a WD WD10EALX Caviar Blue SATA Hard Drive, 1TB.http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?...

After installing it, I'll:
1. Boot from the existing c: drive
2. Format and partition the new drive and install XP, Home Edition,
version 2002, SP3 (from a factory CD) onto it;
3. Attempt to download the 150+ security updates/hot fixes for XP.

Once they are all installed, I'll boot from the new SATA drive and go
through the ordeal of installing dozens of programs and copying my
various Firefox files (emails in, out, drafts; bookmarks; address books;
etc.) from their old c: drive locations to the corresponding
folders/files on the new drive.

(The data I created from other programs are stored on the f: partition
of the existing primary drive. Most likely this partition will get a new
letter, but I don't see this as a problem.)

Various of my other programs will require dozens of updates, including:
1. Compatibility Pack for the 2007 Office system;
2. Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 Service Pack 2;
3. Microsoft .NET Framwork 3.0 SP2;
4. Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP;
5. Microsoft Office XP Professional with FrontPage;
6. Windows Internet Explorer 8 - Software Updates.

Does my approach seem okay? Any time-saving tips? How do I force the
various updates to the six programs listed above? Is it a mistake
sticking with XP? If so, which new OS do you recommend (Vista, W7)? Any
tips for transferring drivers from the old c: drive to the new instead
of freshly downloading them? (My driver concern is that some might be
slightly "corrupt" and causing the various annoyances I'm trying to
eliminate.)

FWIT: The mobo is an Asus M3A76-CM, with AMD Athlon dual core processor
5050E and 2GB of RAM.)

Many thanks for your guidance and tips.
Click to expand...

I keep binary backups and the OS only. That way, there's a small C:
primary-partition drive, a 3G drive by example will suffice, with
central hubris of linked programs partition(s) installed elsewhere.
Having built and partitioned a hard drive for the computer, I should
also add to install another C: DOS, interchangeably, for management by
a Boot Arbitrator. The latter C: is required for the binary Ghosting
of operating system images, and occasionally when working beyond
privileges ordinarily permitted a Windows(TM) user. However, once
Windows C: is properly up, I follow to establish its program drive
name, as last expected from a prior state, all else being without
reason changed, and subsequently populate it with pre-installed
programming code. Issues, such as they are, with only a hard drive
are largely negligible, for a matter of preparedness better reserved
prior, inasmuch as possibly including a new MB during the process,
resolving prior with upcoming low-level operational drivers, again,
all within the same process;- known, approved and tested programs,
including to an extant of their insolubility from the C: operating
system, are already within and purposeful to having been thereby
placed when employing binary imaging. In the simplest form, suffice to
say, I'm accustomed to a comfort imaging affords me when writing the
OS to a drive and being done with it within two minutes.
 
I've replaced my "main" drive numerous times for various reasons. If
the software isn't corrupted, it's always easier to simply clone the
drive to a larger drive. Lots of clone software is available, some for
free. Once the new drive is checked out, simply erase the old drive
and use if for other purposes.
Click to expand...

My concern is that there are too many annoyances that may clone over to
the new drive. Besides not being able to shut down if any instances of
Windows Explorer are opened, another example is that in Windows Explorer
sometimes if I click on a file in the right pane, it may not highlight
for several seconds. Or if I right-click on a file, the context menu
might not appear for a few seconds.

Sometimes when composing a message with Thunderbird, the keys I press
don't immediately appear on the screen. It's like they first get saved
in a buffer, and then released in a burst to appear on the screen. Other
times, the backspace function in TB might be very sluggish. Restarting
the computer will restore normal speeds for a while. (I don't know about
merely restarting TB.)

These oddities, and several others, are the reasons I'm replacing the
drive and willing to reinstall the programs. I'll keep the existing
drive installed as a backup until I'm satisfied that the important files
are on the new drive.

Thanks.

R1
 
Hopefully you considered a solid state drive (SSD) for your boot
drive (Windows and programs). Prices are falling in a flash.


Firstly... Make sure that you keep at least two copies of any
important files at all times. That is especially true when doing
disk gymnastics.

One way to test your theory about eliminating annoyances is to go
ahead and try cloning the drive. Download a free copy of Macrium
Reflect. Make copies of the partitions/drives. And then from the
boot CD, restore those to your new drive. I would start by
practicing on your Windows boot drive.

Just keep your head, and keep backup copies. And keep additional
copies of your most important files on USB flash drives. That's
more important than anything else. Also, if possible, have another
way to connect to the Internet during the process.

Good luck and have fun.
Click to expand...

Thanks, John, for the excellent suggestions. I wish I had thought of an
SS drive yesterday before ordering the WD drive from Tiger Direct. It
turns out that my present C: drive is 64GB, and I'm using only 48GB. So
I could have gotten a 120GB Sandisk for $120, or some 60GB drives for
about $75.

Regarding cloning, using Macrium or any other program, doesn't that
guarantee that the annoyances will appear on the new drive? I don't
imagine that my annoyances are due to physical defects on the platters
of the existing drive, rather than corrupted bytes or bits.

R1
 
I have on order a WD WD10EALX Caviar Blue SATA Hard Drive, 1TB.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7288051&Sku=TSD-1000EALX

After installing it, I'll:
1. Boot from the existing c: drive
2. Format and partition the new drive and install XP, Home Edition,
version 2002, SP3 (from a factory CD) onto it;
3. Attempt to download the 150+ security updates/hot fixes for XP.

Once they are all installed, I'll boot from the new SATA drive and go
through the ordeal of installing dozens of programs and copying my various
Firefox files (emails in, out, drafts; bookmarks; address books; etc.)
from their old c: drive locations to the corresponding folders/files on
the new drive.
Click to expand...

I have done this viz. installed a Terabyte WD drive to replace old C:
1. Read WD's instructions first (on line if not printed with your
new drive.) I.e. Caviar drives are preformatted.
2. The simplest solution is to add the new drive to your PC,
then use the WD software to "clone" the old C: to the new
drive. This will create a new (bootable) logical D: on your new drive.
3. Reboot and use BIOS to select the large WD drive as your
boot drive: its new logical partition becomes your C:
4. Then use Windows Disk Management to set up new
logical partitions for the rest of your space and work as normal.

So long as your old C: (OS and apps) is in good working
order, you need copy nothing more. The clone process
duplicates your old C: on the new drive.
 
I'm want to replace the c: drive because of various annoyances (e.g.,
not being able to shut Windows if any instances of Windows Explorer are
open) that are not due to malware.

At present, I have two IDE hard drives. The primary drive is a
3-year-old Western Digital 500GB unit, partitioned as c:, e:, f:, h:,
and i:. The secondary is a 5-year-old Seagate unit, partitioned as d:
and g:. After adding the new drive, I'll probably remove the Seagate
drive after transferring its files to the existing WD drive or the new
one, but there is no real need to remove it.

I have on order a WD WD10EALX Caviar Blue SATA Hard Drive, 1TB.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7288051&Sku=TSD-1000EALX

After installing it, I'll:
1. Boot from the existing c: drive
2. Format and partition the new drive and install XP, Home Edition,
version 2002, SP3 (from a factory CD) onto it;
3. Attempt to download the 150+ security updates/hot fixes for XP.

Once they are all installed, I'll boot from the new SATA drive and go
through the ordeal of installing dozens of programs and copying my
various Firefox files (emails in, out, drafts; bookmarks; address books;
etc.) from their old c: drive locations to the corresponding
folders/files on the new drive.

(The data I created from other programs are stored on the f: partition
of the existing primary drive. Most likely this partition will get a new
letter, but I don't see this as a problem.)

Various of my other programs will require dozens of updates, including:
1. Compatibility Pack for the 2007 Office system;
2. Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 Service Pack 2;
3. Microsoft .NET Framwork 3.0 SP2;
4. Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP;
5. Microsoft Office XP Professional with FrontPage;
6. Windows Internet Explorer 8 - Software Updates.

Does my approach seem okay? Any time-saving tips? How do I force the
various updates to the six programs listed above? Is it a mistake
sticking with XP? If so, which new OS do you recommend (Vista, W7)? Any
tips for transferring drivers from the old c: drive to the new instead
of freshly downloading them? (My driver concern is that some might be
slightly "corrupt" and causing the various annoyances I'm trying to
eliminate.)

FWIT: The mobo is an Asus M3A76-CM, with AMD Athlon dual core processor
5050E and 2GB of RAM.)

Many thanks for your guidance and tips.

R1
Click to expand...

My first idea would be to try a repair install on the existing drive.
 
Rebel1 said:
Regarding cloning, using Macrium or any other program, doesn't
that guarantee that the annoyances will appear on the new drive?
Click to expand...

That depends on what the problem is. I suggested that to test your
theory that the problem is a software problem. I would do a clean
install, at some point.

Macrium Reflect can make incremental backup copies of your clean
installation. That is priceless IMO. Installing Windows without
making incremental backup copies is analogous to editing some
complex file without being able to save various backup copies.

That means you have to know were important files are, so that you
can backup and restore them independently. I keep most data on a
secondary drive, so only a few things like bookmarks, speech
recognition custom words, and a few stand-alone program folders
like my main newsreader client folder (Xnews) and Agent need to be
backed up before restoring a known good copy of Windows. And that
isn't even necessary if you do a junk copy of drive C before doing
a restore. That's because Macrium Reflect allows for browsing
archive copies to retrieve files or folders. If you make that junk
copy before doing a Windows restore, the only thing you need to
independently copy/backup is something like Firefox bookmarks that
you can't see in a file on the hard drive (if I'm not mistaken).

Making incremental backup copies of drive C is a whole new world
of personal computing. It helps prevent the kind of problems you
are having (assuming they are in fact software problems).

It's just very cool. After you restore a known good copy of
Windows, you make any improvements I keep suggestions in an
INSTALL README file. Then you make a fresh copy of Windows and
programs (drive C) with those changes/updates/improvements. And
then you can play to your heart's content, knowing that you have a
good backup of your boot drive. And normal use becomes a perpetual
test of the validity of your backup copies.

It does take some practice, but better late than never.

--
 
Thanks, John, for the excellent suggestions. I wish I had thought of an
SS drive yesterday before ordering the WD drive from Tiger Direct. It
turns out that my present C: drive is 64GB, and I'm using only 48GB. So
I could have gotten a 120GB Sandisk for $120, or some 60GB drives for
about $75.
Click to expand...

I have just read this article comparing SSDs to SATAs. SSDs now seem a
little less exciting.

http://forums.cnet.com/7723-6121_102-525501/sata-vs-solid-state-harddrive/
 
Rebel1 said:
I have just read this article comparing SSDs to SATAs. SSDs now seem a
little less exciting.

http://forums.cnet.com/7723-6121_102-525501/sata-vs-solid-state-harddrive/
Click to expand...

SATA drives have:

1) Potential for higher bandwidth. Some SATA III drives can hit 550MB/sec
best case.

2) The real improvement, is seek time. It takes many milliseconds to move
the head assembly of a rotating hard drive. By comparison, a SATA SSD can
move to a new area in under 0.1 millisecond. That means, if you need to
scan 20,000 files, you can do it in a second or two. On the hard drive,
this would take a while.

If you were a software developer, and were compiling against the same
(large) set of header files, the SSD would speed up your build time.
Take as an example, the number of files in the Firefox source code, and
how long it takes to deal with all of them. An SSD might cut that time
significantly.

If your access pattern is purely sequential, the improvement using SSDs
isn't as significant. For example, I can buy (4) 7200 RPM drives and
run them in RAID 0 and get 500MB/sec transfer rate. And get more
storage space for the money, than equivalent money spent on a
SATA III SSD. So if all you needed was sequential transfer rate,
you can just make bigger and bigger RAID 0 arrays. Using
Areca RAID controller cards, you can add so many hard drives
in RAID 0, that eventually the onboard Areca processing element
becomes the limitation.

But seek time, that's another animal. It's harder to match
an SSD for that characteristic.

For the average user (reads email, web surf), you might not
notice you were using an SSD. SSD works best on "corner cases",
more demanding applications.

Paul
 
Thanks again, Paul, for the info. So many factors to consider. I have
since found that my mobo sockets are SATA 2, meaning max transfer rate
of 3 GB/S.

I'll have to think about which of my applications are most
drive-intensive. (Probably some of the malware scanning software.)I
don't do sophisticated things like you mentioned (compiling). My
everyday routine is mainly internet browsing and editing audio files.

The big picture is to eliminate the annoyances, not necessarily to speed
things up. But I'm getting an excellent education from you and other
responders.

R1
 
I have done this viz. installed a Terabyte WD drive to replace old C:
1. Read WD's instructions first (on line if not printed with your
new drive.) I.e. Caviar drives are preformatted.
2. The simplest solution is to add the new drive to your PC,
then use the WD software to "clone" the old C: to the new
drive. This will create a new (bootable) logical D: on your new drive.
3. Reboot and use BIOS to select the large WD drive as your
boot drive: its new logical partition becomes your C:
4. Then use Windows Disk Management to set up new
logical partitions for the rest of your space and work as normal.

So long as your old C: (OS and apps) is in good working
order, you need copy nothing more. The clone process
duplicates your old C: on the new drive.
Click to expand...

As I mentioned in an earlier reply, my concern is that I'll also clone
the buggy software that is causing my annoyances. However John Doe
discusses this concern in the 12:17 AM post, July 2.

I don't think my drive has a problem on any of its platters, but as I
write this, I realize that I haven't eliminated that possibility. I feel
it's unlikely, because some of the annoyances appear after the computer
has been on for awhile. Rebooting eliminates them, so it's not a heat
buildup.

Thanks,

R1
 
In my experience, early SSD speed was plenty faster. The problem
was lack of reliability. Their original marketing about how long
an SSD could last was horse hockey. They have stopped using that
horse hockey in their marketing. Intel says that its 330 series
drives will last at least three years. That is much more realistic.
I'm definitely going with a well respected namebrand, something
other than the maker of my first two SSD drives. I don't know if
disk writes killed them. Maybe their death was caused by using the
hardware reset switch every once in a while. But the hardware
reset switch is a logic switch, not physical, and we are long past
the time that using the reset switch should damage a storage
device.

An SSD drive should excel for dual booting. As it does for lots of
other stuff. My only question is whether I should get small or
large. Small shouldn't make any difference for access times. And
it shouldn't make much difference for longevity. Besides, I'm not
really worried about longevity, as long as it's reasonable. The
technology is rapidly improving and probably will continue doing
so for years. I'll be ready for another if it lasts three years.

An SSD drive definitely helps your computer do stupid things much
faster.
 
I would look seriously at an SSD drive just be sure that you get one
that is big enough for all your windows files and about another 1/2 of
that folder.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion. My present c: drive is partitioned to 64GB,
with 48GB used. A 64 GB SSD is quite reasonably priced. For now I have a
conventional drive in delivery. Maybe I'll change my plans and also get
a SSD.

R1
 
Thanks again, Paul, for the info. So many factors to consider. I have
since found that my mobo sockets are SATA 2, meaning max transfer rate
of 3 GB/S.

I'll have to think about which of my applications are most
drive-intensive. (Probably some of the malware scanning software.)I
don't do sophisticated things like you mentioned (compiling). My
everyday routine is mainly internet browsing and editing audio files.

The big picture is to eliminate the annoyances, not necessarily to speed
things up. But I'm getting an excellent education from you and other
responders.
Click to expand...

It's not so much whether it's sophisticated, but the nature of the
files you are accessing.

SSDs shine when you're dealing with a lot of small files. The
benefits are nowhere near as big when you're dealing with a few big
things.

Compiling is simply one of the cases where one uses a whole bunch of
small files.
 
My first idea would be to try a repair install on the existing drive.
Click to expand...

I have just tried a repair install. One of my annoyances was that I
couldn't shut Windows if any instances of Windows Explorer were open.
After the repair install, this annoyance remained. It's looking more and
more like either reinstall via a cloning (I may not be using the best
choice of words here) or simply a new install on a new c: drive.
 
Back
Top