New Laptop HD data transfer...

Hey guys,

Just got a question from a family friend. Since I am not totally qualified as a computer tech, I figured I'd double check with some fellow geeks that are. ;D

"I am replacing the hard drive on an old laptop I have and am pondering how to get the operating system (windows 2000 professional) onto the new drive. I don't have a disc (the lap top came with it on it since I think it was a refurbished one). I don't have much in the way of data that I want to preserve but I don't want to buy another operating system. I backed up the entire drive under the backup wizard in system tools and put it on an external drive that I have. Can I go ahead and change the drives now and will I be able to transfer the stuff from the external drive to the new HD (or do I have to know DOS to do this?????)"

To sum up that chunk of text, he bought a new internal hard-drive for his laptop, and backed up his files on an external. He wants Windows 2k back on the laptop, but doesn't have the CDs to his knowledge.

To do this, he will have to track down his CD's for the laptop and reinstall windows, then bring in the external backup, right?

thanks in advance,

--Kibb

 

Oh, I think he is thinking that because he has all his files backed up on the external HD (through a Windows backup wizard) he won't have to reinstall windows, but rather just bring in the backup he made onto the new hard-drive.

Basically, he will 100% need to reinstall windows before he can bring in the backup, right?

Thanks,

--Kibb

 

Well there are alternative ways of overcoming this problem, however if you do not have sufficient pc knowledge then finding the o/s discs is probably easier.

I am not sure the manner in which your friend backed up his data to an external HD but perhaps he is in a position to undertake the solution that I am about to propose.

2 1/2" laptop PATA HD have 44 pin connections at the back. 3 1/2" desktop PATA HD have 40 pins. The extra 4 pins on the laptop HD is for power.

Now you can get 44 to 40 pin adapters to connect your laptop HD to the IDE connector on a destop motherboard.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3-5-to-2-5-Dr...9QQihZ020QQcategoryZ45342QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

If you connect the original laptop HD by way of this cable to the mobos IDE connector and do likewise with the new laptop HD to the other IDE connector then by way of using a program like Partition Magic (from Symantec) or BiNG (from terabyteunlimited), then you can copy the whole contents of the original drive to the new one. You will have to do this in DOS mode. When the 'data' is copied, all you would need to do is just plug in the new laptop HD into the laptop and away you go.

This process is not difficult to do and of course there are other solutions also such as using Acronis to copy all the information (o/s + data) onto disc and then reinstalling.

Good Luck