Help - computer opinion wanted

[os1kne]

At home, I have a ~ 5 yr. old Gateway computer, the hard drive has been acting up a bit the past few days. My wife has a laptop that is about 2 yrs old and I frequently bring home my laptop from work.

The Gateway doesn't get used as much as it used to, but it does get used often enough that I plan to keep it running. The HD that appears to be dying is 40gb, and has about 25gb used (with 15gb being personal docs, photos, etc. + 10gb being software that could be reinstalled if need be.)

I have Norton Ghost from a couple of years ago, and 2 x 20 gb hard drives that haven't been used much from my prior life doing some computer work on the side. I have been thinking about getting a 500gb USB/Firewire type HD for a while to use for backups, music library, family videos, etc.

So, I was thinking about getting the portable HD and copying all of my docs, photos, etc. to it and also to a 20gb HD (my wife would KILL me if the photos of my son were lost). I would then delete this data from the original 40gb HD to get the HD smaller than 20gb. Then, I would use Ghost to clone the HD to the other 20gb drive and the portable drive.

Does this sound like a good plan? Suggestions? I'm trying to avoid buying a new internal HD, but if I need to I will.

Thanks.

[jziegler]

Just byte the bullet and buy a new internal drive.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822144102

$38 + shipping gets you a brand new 80GB drive. Is it really worth messing with the extra steps to save $40?

Jim

[pelligrini]

I'm not sure if Ghost will work going to a smaller partition. It's been a while since I've used it.

Going to the older 20gig drive will probably mean a slight performance hit too. If it were me, I'd get a new internal drive and try a Ghosting it. Since the computer isn't used all that much a reinstall probably isn't worth it.

I picked up a 1TB drive a couple weeks ago for ~$200. It's pretty quick, especailly when hooked up to my eSATA card.

[os1kne]

jziegler: Thanks for the link. That's probably what I'll do. I stopped by a couple of places over the weekend, and the smallest internal HD that I found was 320 gb for ~ $125. I don't need that big of a HD and I didn't want to spend $125 on the old Gateway, when I was planning on buying an external anyway.

pelligrini: I wasn't sure if Ghost would let me clone to a smaller drive either - it's been a while since I've used it. Thanks. I think I needed a sanity-check.

[jziegler]

You're welcome Bill. Newegg is a good store, fast shipping, good prices. The first place that I look for computer parts. You should be good ordering from them. The local stores never have that much in the way of drives and the like. They did also have a 40Gb drive, but it was only $2 or $3 less than the 80.

Jim

[jackellis]

Don't bother with the older drives. However, I would suggest you install two drives if you can and use http://www.ice-graphics.com/ICEMirror/IndexE.html to back up files you don't want to lose to the second drive. ICE Mirror should also work with firewire drives.

[os1kne]

I've heard of NewEgg for years, but never used them. I got out of the habit of looking at their website, as I used to have a couple of good shops nearby where I could get anything I needed at a good price. It looks like they have the external drive that I've been wanting as well.

About 3.5 years ago, I moved to a much more rural area than where I previously lived, and stopped doing computer work. So, now that I need to work on a computer, I've found that there aren't nearly as many stores and they don't have the nearly the selection that I was used to.

[pelligrini]

I really like newegg, I've been using them for years. I haven't had any problems with them what-so-ever. Their prices are usually hard to beat too.

[BobSch]

I really like newegg, I've been using them for years. I haven't had any problems with them what-so-ever. Their prices are usually hard to beat too.

Add me to the list of Newegg fans. Spend may a buck with them. Always good, fast service.

[radhak]

I have done NewEgg in the past, but recently have come to love eCost.com : sometimes much cheaper and just as good service.

[cgallery]

I'll just note that drives with VGMR heads haven't been incredibly reliable for us. And they're a dickens when it comes to recovery.

If you have the self-discipline to backup regularly, or will actually check the automatic backup you settle on from time to make sure it is happening, then go with some giant replacement drives.

Otherwise, that little 20GB drive may be the answer.

And yes, Ghost will clone to a smaller drive, as long as there is sufficient space for all your data.