Which hard drive: new or old?

I have a Dell PC powered by a dual core Pentium D with a 7200 RPM Seagate barracuda 160GB SATA hard drive running windows XP. It has a second hard drive bay, so I just bought another 1 TB drive, other specs are the same. I bought the computer in early 2006.

Is it better to install Windows XP on the new drive and transfer files and programs and use the old as data backup? Or keep things as is and use the new drive to store files (pics, iTunes collection, DVD movie rips, etc).

 

Greetings, jizaref1.

I think that statement is the determining factor - it's surprising to me that you haven't already started experiencing problems with the original drive.

If I were in your shoes, I'd format/install Windows on the new drive, slave the old one to pull off data, wipe the old drive, and then install a Linux distro on the old drive. I wouldn't trust it as a backup drive (it's 5 years old!), but having a Linux drive sitting there watching is not only an emergency luxury, but it's fun to play with.

IMO.

 

Providing you have (or created when new) the Dell CD's and they are XP SP1 or later, I'd second Caliban's suggestion of a fresh Windows install on the new drive - with one difference, I'd make the XP partition about 200-250GB during Windows Setup. Use Disk Management later to create a separate partition with the remaining disk space for data storage (move the 'My Documents' folder and subfolders over). It'll make any later Windows installs/repairs a little less arduous if all your files are sitting on a 2nd partition ready for use.

If you don't have the original CD's from Dell, you'll need to slipstream the SATA drivers onto an XP CD. Read about it (and other XP matters) at bbearren's site.

iTunes can be a pig to transfer over, checkout your options over at their site to ensure you get the job done cleanly.

 

Good point. For that matter, with a terabyte to play with, you could set up a couple of extra partitions, have a dedicated partition for a quick XP image, run a couple of Linux flavors, have a virtual box in its own partition, etc.

Fun stuff!

 

So now that I have a new HD in hand, can you direct me to a helpful step-by-step reference on how to do a fresh clean install of Windows XP with my Dell system disks. Of course since I purchased from them before I've never done my own OS install.

 

From what I recall, Dell XP discs are pretty much standard installs with the specific drivers for the system already slipstreamed. Try the XP Home walkthrough at the BlackViper archives (he's part-way through moving all his site over to a different style at his normal blackviper.com site).

 

Well, I am obviously convinced to install XP on my new drive and use the old as a (potentially unreliable) backup.

The more I read about partitioning online, the more questions come up. Before I format the drive, let me run some of these questions by you:

1. I use my PC for web browsing, photo and video editing, games, and as a home media server through my network. I will install Windows XP because I have the system disks. What is the advantage of installing a second OS on the system (Linux or other)?

2. There are many recommended ways to partition the drive. A question is HOW BIG should each partition be? For the Windows XP OS is 100GB enough? I was thinking of:
(1) 100GB Windows XP (2) 100GGB Program files install (3) iTunes on a separate drive 150GB (4) Data files (photos and videos and files) on a 200GB partition with a backup partition equal size (400GB total). If I partition in that sequence it should also be in the order my OS should access the files and make it run faster?

3. I run PS3 Media Server through my network. Will that program still be able to see and transcode files if I store them on a partition of the drive (say X drive) but on the same PC. Or does the IP address and firewall situation get messed up if it isn't on the traditional C drive? Or, even more complex - what if I configure PS3 media server to access the files on my "old" drive which functions as a backup but should be a mirror of everything I have on my duplicate partitions on the new drive, what that work?

 

My advice would be to keep it simple; 3 partitions. XP and programs 250GB; My Documents (iTunes, photo's, video's using the normal 'right click My Documents > Properties > Move' method) + data 400-600GB; the remaining space for backup (assuming you have a tried method to recover the backup).

Standard MSFT tools do not allow the creation of more than 4 partitions per physical drive.

On bbearren's site that I linked to earlier, he details his own partitioning/backup method for XP using 2 drives. Of course, that is only a local backup, a major lightning strike or a robbery could easily 'lose' all your data; how much value do you place on your data, how much time do you want to spend learning new programs and routines?

I have no knowledge of the PS3 and its media server but I assume that there's some method of modifying the default file locations within it.

 

I've read suggesting about putting the "swap" or "page" file on a separate partition, or putting Windows XP install on a 10GB partition separate from Program so that a re-install won't wipe other Programs and data. Is this a good idea, or overkill?

If I use XP, what would a Linux install do?

Thanks again

 

Putting the only swapfile on a separate partition is not a great solution to anything except stopping the swapfile from becoming fragmented. Better to have a small (100MB) swapfile on the Windows partition and create the second partition of 4.2GB for a fixed swapfile size of 4092MB. Best is to have the small swapfile on the Windows partition and create the swap partition on a second hard drive (if it's as fast as the main drive - your old drive's too slow).

Even if you created a separate partition for Program Files, after a new or parallel install of Windows, you'd still need to reinstall much of your software to get it fully functional again, as Windows would no longer contain the correct Registry entries, dll files and drivers needed for them. A Repair install would however, keep them working.

I wouldn't go the dual-boot with Linux route until you were au fait with fixing up your chosen Windows partitioning scheme and Backup and Recovery methods. Better to get a Linux Live CD/DVD distro and boot from the CD/DVD to try out Linux (and learn how to use it to fix/recover your Windows installation).

 

Agreed: the only reason I mentioned Linux was in the context of installing it on the old drive, purely as a separate system. Apologies for the confusion.

 

Would I see a difference in system performance if I did a 250GB partition containing the XP install and Applications/Program versus a 75GB partition JUST for the XP install and a second partition of, say, 175GB for all Application and Program installations?

Thanks

 

Theoretically, there's a measurable performance difference between the large and smaller partitions, some of that will be negated if the data needs to be pulled from the 2nd partition - from Program Files. Overall, it's unlikely that you would feel a difference between either scenario.

 

Thanks, that is very helpful. So for my needs I will just go with the original suggestion of 250GB for XP and Applications.

I have one more question, but didn't want to bother starting a new thread since it is somewhat related. Now that I plan to install XP on my new drive and will partition it as well, is there an easy way to make sure that my first partition is "C" drive, and my data drive is "D" with my backup data duplicate partition as "E". Since these drive letters are already assigned to my existing HD and DVD drives, should I rename those before my install or after? Or just go with whatever Windows gives me. Can I assign C, or do I need to remove the old HD before trying to do that?

 

My way would be to disconnect the old drive, boot to the Dell XP CD then create the Windows partition during the initial part of the install. Once you have XP up and running with all the other hardware installed and functioning correctly, use Disk Management to create any further partitions and assign drive letters to them. Lastly, connect your old drive and pull over any data you'll need to a new folder on your data partition.

Next thing would be to find a method of creating a backup of and restoring the contents of, your Windows partition. Backing up/restoring your data partition/contents can be done within Windows.

 

So if remove the old HD the computer will be forced to boot up using the XP disc?
Then I can do a new full install to the new blank HD and call the 1st partition C?
Once everything is installed and running and I want to create two new logical drives (D and E for data and its backup mirror), do I simply go into Windows disk management and reassign the letters for the two DVD drives (say U and V) since they are currently labled D and E by default? Then create my two logical drive partitions?

Am I thinking this through correctly?

 

You've got the idea

Bear in mind that when you add the old hard drive, Windows, by default, will try to make it the D: partition. Perhaps by you forcing the drive letters, it will be relegated to the F: or H: positions, depending on how Windows is feeling on the day ... , it's not really an area I've dabbled in though, so I can't be sure.

 

Hard drive manufactures usually have programs that let you copy the old disk to the new one. Read about disk wizzard on you hard drive. Hope this helps.

http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.j...toid=d9fd4a3cdde5c010VgnVCM100000dd04090aRCRD