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Windows XP: How do I upgrade from 60 GB to 1 TB hassle free?

  • My main graphics computer is an older P4 machine still running Windows XP.  I have a selection of graphical applications I rely on and they do the job perfectly.  However I would like to upgrade from a 60 GB drive to a 1 TB.  I would much rather not have to reinstall the OS and the applications all over again.  Is there some simple way to just "clone" the data onto the start of the new 1 TB drive?

  • Answer:

    Use Disk Imaging software such as http://www.runtime.org/driveimage-xml.htm. This will allow you to create an image of the 60GB drive to copy to the 1TB drive. This is free software for personal use and has the following benefits. Backup drives and partitions to image files Copy a drive block-for-block directly to another drive Clone and image drives while still booted into Windows, no rebooting required Browse images, view and extract files Restore images to the same or a different drive, exactly as it was when you backed up Schedule automatic backups with Windows Task Scheduler Run it from a live CD to restore an unbootable system DriveImage XML's biggest advantage over other cloning apps is that you  don't have to reboot your computer to run the cloning process. It can  "hot image" your drive so you can start cloning while you keep working.  Also, while it isn't the most advanced cloner on the market, it can do  pretty much any basic cloning task in one simple program (which is  surprisingly uncommon in some other apps)—you can clone a disk to  another disk, copy a disk to an image, or clone individual partitions.  Since it's designed for backup, you can also do scheduled, incremental  backups as well, and even restore one of those images from a live CD if  your computer won't even boot. http://lifehacker.com/5839753/the-best-disk-cloning-app-for-windows

Farooq Rauf at Quora Visit the source

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My preference is to use GParted. Boot to a GParted CD, then copy the partition from the old drive to the new one. Then, once the data has transferred, MAKE SURE THE BOOT FLAG HAS BEEN SET! This is very important! If you don't, the computer wont boot. Once the flag has been set, you can resize the partition. Keep the old drive handy just in case it doesn't work, but it should work just find.

Jeff Fuhrman

Utilize professional disk cloning software.  If you have a Seagate or Maxtor, the Seagate DiscWizard software is a superb free, repackaged version of that will make a disk clone and guide you through any possible issues. Beware, though, of the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logical_block_addressing limits as you cross common drive barriers.  This change will jump the 137 GB barrier, so you may need to seek a BIOS upgrade that supports 48 bit LBA addressing before you go ahead and make the clone.  Also make sure your OS is capable of supporting 48 bit LBA. If you move to a 2.1 TB or larger drive, there is a barrier there as well where you need to switch from 512 byte to 4096 byte sectors.

Phillip Remaker

I like Clonezilla. You can also leave the old HDD in and just plug a new one beside it and put all your data on it. If it's in good condition, it could last forever. No moving necessary. It might also protect your data (a little bit) if you get some malware. Um, you don't use this machine on the internet, I hope? If so, you can download a new version of Ubuntu, Mint, or Zorin and install on your hard drive in ten minutes or so from a flash drive. Leave your data drive alone (don't format it) and you'll be back in business. I don't know what apps you have but there are alternatives for just about everything in Linux, almost all free.

James Van Damme

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