Hard Drive transfer

[Cornish Jack]

Season's greetings etc.
Query for the gurus - I need to transfer the whole contents of SWMBO's HD to a new, faster machine. First thought was to put old HD on new machine as slave drive and copy across - new machine won't boot but resumes normal operation once the old HD is disconnected. Have tried similar with several other HDs with similar results. The problem drives all have a Windows XP OS installed (as does the new machine). Is there something in WinXP which won't allow two copies to live on the same machine, even if only one is on the boot drive? Any thoughts as to how to effect the transfer otherwise, please?
TIA

[mustpost]

I use one of these for simple data transfer stuff, there are cheaper ones and you can fix machine after machine - plug'n'play :8
Akasa Elite eSATA/USB 2.0 3.5" Hard Drive Enclosure (AK-IC010-BK) [AK-IC010-BK] Hard Drives (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-008-AK&groupid=701&catid=14&subcat)=

[riciardi]

external drive

[Astrodome]

Sounds like the BIOS does not know which OS to run.

Have you tried to enter the BIOS boot start and manually select the existing hard-drive ?

Alternatively you could enter the BIOS and disable the "new" hard drive from the boot sequence.

[Keef]

There's not a high probability of success putting the old HD in a new machine. it might work, but the likelihood is that the drivers etc are wrong for the new one.

I assume you're not trying to boot the old one connected via USB - that won't work.

However...
Have you checked the jumper settings on the various drives?

[Mac the Knife]

"Is there something in WinXP which won't allow two copies to live on the same machine, even if only one is on the boot drive?"

No

I've used Acronis Driveimage, HDClone, EASEUS Disk Copy and DriveImage XML all successfully.

Usually a bit of faffing around, but it beats a full reinstall.

Good overview here: Free Clone Hard Disk Software to clone your Hard Disk data (http://www.techmixer.com/free-clone-hard-disk-software-to-clone-your-hard-disk-data/)

:ok:

Mac

[green granite]

First of all make sure that the new drive is jumpered to be the master one and the old one the slave. Then go into the BIOS on start up and make sure the master is set as the boot drive and that it can see the details of the slave. If that fails try unplugging the cable from the DVD drive and plugging it into the disk drive this will put the drive on a different channel and eliminate possible conflicts due to cable/jumper select errors. It should re-install the DVD drive automatically when you replug it when you've transferred the data across.

The other way is just to network the old M/C with the new one, Share the folders and transfer them that way, or just put all the files onto a DVD/memory stick on the old M/C and transfer them that way.

[Cornish Jack]

Many thanks, one and all. Have tried some of those suggestions - so far, with no joy:(
Was about to try the external drive route - although I HAVE tried hooking the old drive on a USB extension which was totally ignored!! Anyway I shall keep trying and report back.
Thanks again and have a bug and virus free 2010.

[mad_jock]

Can you provide some hardware details.

What make model is the old drive and what's the new machine you are trying to shoe horn it into.

You could always try the 2 bluetooth dongles solution for file transfer.

[Cornish Jack]

Returns to report:\:\:\:\!!
A word of advice for anyone else with this problem ... Make a CAREFUL note of the HD you are trying to transfer from.!!! Moi? found that I was having no joy, so tried several other drives to see if I could isolate the problem. All of these drives are similar capacity etc AND I DIDN'T TAKE A NOTE of the make/ size of the one in question. :ugh::ugh: All told about eight or nine possibles but none so far offer any clues as to which is which. Looks like 2010 is going to be one of those years. Not asking for help - well developed stupidity is beyond redemption:{:{:{

[Cornish Jack]

Slightly less embarrassed update.
Having checked through some 12 HDs trying to locate the needed one, I eventually started from scratch and loaded XP onto each one on the subject machine until, at the seventh go, the disk offered me XP already loaded ... Whoopee!! :)That was the one and the files were all there. Soooooooo ... attaching both belt and braces, I copied everything I could find onto TWO different disks and they will, in turn, be copied onto the new machine. However, there remains the perrenial problem of Emails. They're all there but I can find no simple method of transferring them onto the new machine. Tried selecting all and copying to MS Outlook but that ignored everything but the first one. I seem to recall that this has been covered here previously but cannot find a reference. Can anyone offer a simpleton's approach, please?
TIA

[Saab Dastard]

One is left wondering just WHY you had 12 identical disks!

Buy a job lot, or what? RAID array gone wrong? ;)

SD

[mad_jock]

Create a new folder and put them all into it.

The folder will be somwhere in your profile depending on where outlook is set to store all the junk.

Find it and copy it over then point the new outlook at it. Then copy the emails to where you want them.

[Saab Dastard]

Outlook Express keeps its files in the (really labyrinthine) default location:

C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\{HEX STRING UID}\Microsoft\Outlook Express. All the files are.dbx

You need to show Hidden & System folders to see it.

Use the OE import facility to import the folders (& messages therein).

The OE address book is (unhelpfully) stored by default in C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME\Application Data\Microsoft\Address Book and is a .wab file. Just copy that to the corresponding new location.

If it's Outlook (non-Express), I'm sure that someone will be along to describe that shortly!

SD

[mad_jock]

I just used to export it all to a file called "ballache"

then did a search for it.

[BOAC]

How to manage .pst files in Outlook 2007, in Outlook 2003, and in Outlook 2002 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/287070) check about half-way down for 'transfer'.

Location of your pst file can genarally be found by selecting 'mail', right click personal folders, select properties for..../advanced.

Second window will give the location. Normally something like Documents and Settings\JACK\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\Outlook??.pst (unless you have changed the default).

[Cornish Jack]

Thank you all once again.
Have done a long-winded temporary job by copying/pasting the most important to Word and saving that but will try the suggested methods.
SD ... Why 12 HDs? Excellent guess - mainly a job lot indeed, having gone to a computer bits auction and had an attack of over-enthusiasm!!:ugh: As a one-time Canadian friend used to say, "If a little is good, a lot is better!!" Mind you, at that time HDs were considerably pricier than now.