free utility to move WinXP?

[bjlockie]

I want to install a new hard drive and make it the first one but I would have to copy WinXP (NTFS) to the new drive or reinstall everything on the new drive (not preferred).
Is there a way I can just move Windows?

 

[Brazen]

Using Norton Ghost or some other drive imaging tool is all I can think of.

Edit: a quick search on sourceforge.net and I found the open source tools Clonezilla, Partimage, or DRBL.

 

[ShellGuy]

NOPE, you would have to do an image of the hdd which takes all info over. You can't just move windows OS on its own. Now if you had made an image of ur drive when you first installed windows then you would be fine..


Will G.

 

[sourceninja]

gparted will work great, download the ubuntu live CD or knoppix and use it to copy the partition to your new drive, then if that partition is smaller then your new drive, you can use gparted to grow the parititon to the size you want.

 

[bjlockie]

Great, thanks.

 

[ShellGuy]

But that won't move just windows...


Will G.

 

[bjlockie]

Originally posted by: ShellGuy
But that won't move just windows...
Will G.

I wrote what I want wrong.
I want to move Windows without having to reinstall everything.

I tried ubuntu/gparted but it worked for my Linux partition and it appeared to work for my WinXP/NTFS partition but Windows won't boot.
I even got rid of the boot manager and it just says "Windows has failed to boot" (or something equally unhelpful).

I can boot for the Win install disk and get a recovery console on that install but I have no idea how to fix it.

I can boot the older drive (which is what I am using now).

 

[Brazen]

Originally posted by: bjlockie

Originally posted by: ShellGuy
But that won't move just windows...
Will G.

I wrote what I want wrong.
I want to move Windows without having to reinstall everything.

I tried ubuntu/gparted but it worked for my Linux partition and it appeared to work for my WinXP/NTFS partition but Windows won't boot.
I even got rid of the boot manager and it just says "Windows has failed to boot" (or something equally unhelpful).

I can boot for the Win install disk and get a recovery console on that install but I have no idea how to fix it.

I can boot the older drive (which is what I am using now).

You probably messed up the Master Boot Record. I'm pretty sure there is a tool in the recovery console that will rebuild it. Unless you are using Grub or Lilo - which I would guess is the case if you are dual booting to Linux. In that case, you need to edit your Grub or LILO config files. Otherwise, fixing it from the Microsoft recovery console will overwrite Grub or Lilo.

 

[bjlockie]

It wasn't the MBR, Windows wouldn't boot even though I ran 'fixmbr'.
I used an old version of Partition Magic to copy the Windows partition and Windows boots now.
I have some problems though.
The pagefile was pointing to the wrong drive so I changed that.
The %SystemRoot% is drive K: instead of C: and the only thing on the web I found says Windows sets that variable automatically.

Windows is sure more painful than Linux. :-(

 

[ShellGuy]

Not if you just leave it alone and don't try and fix what aint broke.. LOL.. All in all I have done many ghosts of windows without a problem..


Will G.

 

[bjlockie]

Originally posted by: ShellGuy
Not if you just leave it alone and don't try and fix what aint broke.. LOL.. All in all I have done many ghosts of windows without a problem..


Will G.

True but I need to move it to my new new drive.
I guess reinstalling everything is my only option.
That's probably 4 hours wasted.

 

[MentallyNorma1]

Why don't you use go to your harddrive website and download those clone disk tools.
Such as Maxblast for maxtors,LifeGuard for wd etc.

You're wanting to copy over the old hd info to the new hd info right?
So what you should do is a disk clone.

After you clone I would unplug the old harddrive,to make sure it boots from your new hd.
Then if everything seems hunky dory then you can go ahead an format the old hd to use as a slave for data.

 

[bjlockie]

Good idea but I already got it working.
I ended up doing everything in Partition Magic and it all works.