Computer help please

[TB Roye]

LOML's computer hard drive is starting to go south. I have bought and installed a new hard drive and am currently installing Window XP Home. I know there is a way to transfer her programs & files from one hard drive to another but can't remember how. All she has on the her computer is Games, and Pictures, no financial or personal stuff. Just trying to make the change over easier.

Tom

[gabedad]

are you setting up both drives - it takes time but cutting and pasting will work. There may also be utilities on the drives web site.

Other than that there are programs such as norton ghost

[Ken Massingale]

Accessories, System Tools, File and Settings Transfer Wizard will get the files. Programs generally need to be installed to update the registry. An Image maker like Ghost, as gabe said, works but is $$$

[timb]

Sound like youare also upgrading the OS? If you have both drives installed then transfering files is easy. Just copy. Transfereing programs is harder and you will probably be better off re-installing the ones you want. That assumes you still have the installation discs of course.

The other approach would be to use ghost to move the current os and data to the new disc then upgrade it to the new OS. In theory the upgrade will preserve the existing installed programs.

Although Ghost has more options I expect, some HDs come with a utility to do the transfer so you may be able to download one from your HD manafacture's site. You will need both drives installed. Assuming IDE drives you may have to play with jumpers to make the new one a slave while you create the image and then switch them to make a master and either remove the old disk or make it a slave. when you are ready to boot on the new drive.

Tim

[TB Roye]

Thanks for the information guy. It is what I thought it would be. I was just trying to avoid reinstalling all the programs. I will put the old drive in as a slave and drag and drop her pictures and Bookmarks. I used to be up on all the computer stuff but since I retired, I don't build or mess them with any more unless something goes wrong. A friend of mine and I used to give classes at work on building you own computers, not on company time, but on weekends using the Training room and just for employees. It was fun but unless you stay with it you forget so much quickly. Found out today that IDE hard drives are almost history and being replace by ATA serial drives, better look into that as I figure I will be building one us a new computer soon.

Tom

[LCHIEN]

Thanks for the information guy. It is what I thought it would be. I was just trying to avoid reinstalling all the programs. I will put the old drive in as a slave and drag and drop her pictures and Bookmarks. I used to be up on all the computer stuff but since I retired, I don't build or mess them with any more unless something goes wrong. A friend of mine and I used to give classes at work on building you own computers, not on company time, but on weekends using the Training room and just for employees. It was fun but unless you stay with it you forget so much quickly. Found out today that IDE hard drives are almost history and being replace by ATA serial drives, better look into that as I figure I will be building one us a new computer soon.

Tom

new OS you'll have to reinstall programs.