Yet another computer question...

[vi5]

My computer currently has 2 internal hard drives:

*The C: drive which is 30 gbs and has all my programs, applications, etc. on it.
*The G: drive which has 120 gbs and is what I use for storing video

If I wanted to make my G: drive my C: drive so that I could get another, larger auxiliary slave drive, would I just copy the entire contents of my C: drive onto my G: drive and then just switch positions on the IDE cable and also change the boot sequence in BIOS? Is this even possible.

[shoelace414]

1. but

the OS isn't on the G drive and it isn't bootable. so no, that wouldn't work.

[vi5]

2. Hmmmm.....So copying the contents of the C: drive won't do it?

...even if the OS is on there?

[shoelace414]

5. correct.. the drive needs to be bootable.

I don't recall how to do that without a reformat.

[Az]

3. A simple copy won't work

Your C drive is your boot drive. There are all sorts of info on tracks that you can't get at with a simple copy routine. The easiest way to do something like this is to get a program (like Norton's Ghost) that can copy partitions and drives and use it to copy your C drive onto the new drive.

Shifting the boot disk to the G drive is possible but probably more work than you are looking for.

[McKenzie]

4. why not just get a bigger replacement C drive and

then copy the contents of the existing C drive over to the new drive? Slightly less messing about that way. You could also keep the current 30 G/byte C drive as a back-up with your OS etc on it.

[Az]

6. Actually the ideal

Would be to keep the C drive as the OS drive and simply add the new drive. This of course assumes there is another IDE channel still open. Based on what we know I would guess there is still an IDE on the cable the CD/DVD is using. Unless of course there are other drives in the system (like a burner or something).

[vi5]

8. I do have 2 separate IDE lines...

One has both my hard drives on it. The other has a CD drive and a dvd drive on it.

[Az]

9. Any SATA connections?

Much faster and more flexible than an IDE connection.

[vi5]

12. Hmmm...what is that?

In BIOS it lists 2 of them but lists them as "off". If there is yet another way to hook up I'd be all for it.

[Az]

15. The bios is probably able to use them

but your hardware may not have them. What kind of computer is it and what Mother board (if you can find out) is it?

[vi5]

7. How would I do that? I'm just looking for the easiest way to ..

upgrade my internal storage. I would love to be able to just keep the G: drive as is and get a bigger C: drive. But how is copying to a new drive any easier? That's my only question.

[McKenzie]

10. if it were me I'd clean install

on a new C drive, particularly if the existing C drive is oldish; sounds like it is if it's 30G/bytes.

A new C drive will run far sweeter too because there'll be less bits of files left floating around. (Formatting doesn't destroy data).

If you do clean install update your OS patches, virus sigs etc immediately.

[Az]

11. Instructions

Get a new larger roomier drive. Get a drive copy program like Norton Ghost. Remove the G drive and install the new drive. Ghost the C drive onto the G drive and expand the partition using the Ghost software. Remove the old C drive and move the new drive to its cable. Replace the old G drive in its original location. Enjoy.

[vi5]

13. Thanks....is Ghost relatively self explanatory?

Or is it complicated?

[Az]

14. Its pretty straight forward

And relatively quick (though don't let a unix user hear you bragging about it).

[auburngrad82]

17. Another good drive copy program is Drive Image

Relatively easy to use and if you have two drives you can image one drive to the other.

[zbird]

19. There is a somewhat cumbersome way of doing what you want to do.

Maxtor and Western Digital both have programs that will allow you to copy your old drive to the new drive. What you can do is temporarily detach your DVD player and attach the new drive to that cable. Then, using MaxBlast (Maxtor) or Lifeguard (WD), copy your "G" drive to the new storage drive. Then, after you make sure everything copied OK, copy the "C" drive to the old "G" drive. Then, you can switch the drives around on the cables. Just make sure the jumpers on the drives are set to the proper setting (Master/Slave/Cable Select).

Sounds a little cumbersome, but it will work.

[quisp]

16. PLACE THE MOUSE AT YOUR FEET...

AND STEP AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER!

Just kidding.

But you probably don't want to start trying to copy you OS around. All of your programs will end up broken.

I don't know how new or old your computer is but wouldn't you be better off just getting an external USB hard disk drive? Or if you must crack open the case get a fire wire disk drive and put the card in available PCI slot. Throughput on a firewire card is awesome and is just right for video.

[vi5]

20. You know, I think you're right. I already have....

...an available firewire port on my capture device. It's got an analog connector, and 2 firewire ports. I can keep one firewire port for my digital video camera and connect the other to an external drive.

Actually I currently have an ipod connected to the firewire drive but I've noticed it's actually been moving slower than when I had it connected to my USB port.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

18. Every new drive comes with a CD.

At least retail(Not "OEM" drives). If you buy an OEM drive, you can download the drive preperation software off of the manufacturers site.

This software allows you to, first, partition and format the drive. During that process, pay close attention to the questions asked and know the OS upgrades you have done to the system.

Next, it allows you to do a complete disk-image transfer of the contents of the old drive to the new drive, including the bootblock. This is the easiest and most effective way to get a new drive running with the old installation of the OS and programs.

Note: SATA IS FASTER. That said, I have found some SATA implimentations to be less than robust. Seems that there are a lot of things that pass for SATA, do SATA, but have their own eccentricities. The Intel version is one that is problematic and comes readily to mind. It is especialy a pain in the ass with some Linux distros.

Before you move to SATA, make sure that you have flashed the system with the latest BIOS image(using WinFlash. Simple to use, if you read, understand and follow the instructions). The BIOS image is most often found on the motherboard manufacturer's support website.

Good luck. If you get addled by all this, find a professional to do it. No harm, no foul in that.