Anyone who can help me with this question I would appreciate it.
I have a technical question regarding hard drives.
Here is the deal. My system is about 8 years old. It has gone through several upgrades during that time.
The initial hard drive configuration was a 20 GB ATA drive as the boot drive that I dedicated as a single partion for the OS and software only. Then I had a 40 GB drive that I used for just data.
A few years ago, when I made the switch to LF I added a 250 GB drive soley for images.
The OS I started out with was Windows98. I made an upgrade to XP professional probably just when XP came out or shortly thereafter and have continued with the auto updates I get from MS.
My problem right now is that the 20 GB drive is 95% full and some software is complaining that it can't operate with such low diskspace, in specific Adobe InDesign CS.
Now I want to increase the size of my boot drive and I was wondering if it is possible to do the following.
Copy the contents of my 40GB drive to the 250GB temporarily. Wipe that Drive clean. Copy the 20GB boot drive with the OS and all onto the 40GB drive. Then remove the 20 GB drive physically from the machine, rewire the 40GB as the master and use it as the boot drive. Then if all goes well, reinstall the 20GB drive now wired as a slave and wipe it clean and then move the contents that was on the 40GB drive back from the 250 GB on to the 20GB.
Will that work? Will I be able to boot my machine off the 40 GB drive with the contents of the 20 GB just copied onto it?
1) Copy all the 40GB contents to the 250GB drive
2) Format the 40GB drive
3) Swap the 40GB drive and the 20GB drive (so the 40GB is now your boot drive)
4) Install a clean Windows XP on the 40GB drive (boot from CD)
5) Copy whatever data you need off the 20GB drive to wherever you want and format it
6) Install clean copies of all your applications (Adobe, Office, etc.)
7) Restore only data files from the backup and get rid of the rest
This will get rid of a lot of crap you've probably accumulated over the years (through no fault of yours - it's a Microsoft thing) and things will likely run faster.
I hope you're not counting on any of these drives as the sole location for any sensitive data and that you're keeping another form of backup for the important stuff.
I originally started with Window 98 and upgraded to XP. I would need to re-install 98 and then upgrade to XP, what do I do about all the updates and security patches that have automatically downloaded and installed over the years?
Currently, once I finish editing an image, I back up the Master photoshop file to DVD. Print files that can be remade live on the 250 GB drive ready for easy use and printing.
Guy is correct, your system needs a fresh install of its operating system. I'm confident you will see some speed increase with a fresh install.
The XP install from your upgrade disc I believe should go like this:
If your XP cd is a true upgrade disc and not a full version of XP what will happen is, at some point after you boot from the XP cd and start the installation, a message will appear on your screen asking you to insert your original Win98 disc. This verifies you have an original install disc. Remove the XP disc, insert the 98 disc, the computer will read and verify the 98 disc. It will then continue the installation, asking again at some point to put the XP disc back in the drive.
After the installation, you will then have to go through all the Microsoft updates that XP will need.
Duane is exactly right. You will not need to install Win98, the XP install will just want to verify that you have a valid CD of it. Once you're all set up and connected to the Internet, let the OS update itself - it will download and install all the latest patches/service packs.
If you have custom Photoshop actions you want to retain make sure to save them now, then you can reload them when you reinstall Photoshop. Same for bookmarks and other configuration information.
Guy
Posted by Cliff Beittel on August 5, 2006 at 10:20 AM
Lots of good advice here, I think. If it were me, though, I would not use the 40 GB drive, which I take it is eight years old, as my boot drive, but instead replace it with a new 40 - 60 GB drive and use that as my boot drive.
So what you all are saying is, if I get a new drive and start installing XP on it with the Upgrade CD I have, it will only ask for the Win 98 disk, and once verified it will install without having to install Win 98?
Discussion
6 repliesI have a technical question regarding hard drives.
Here is the deal. My system is about 8 years old. It has gone through several upgrades during that time.
The initial hard drive configuration was a 20 GB ATA drive as the boot drive that I dedicated as a single partion for the OS and software only. Then I had a 40 GB drive that I used for just data.
A few years ago, when I made the switch to LF I added a 250 GB drive soley for images.
The OS I started out with was Windows98. I made an upgrade to XP professional probably just when XP came out or shortly thereafter and have continued with the auto updates I get from MS.
My problem right now is that the 20 GB drive is 95% full and some software is complaining that it can't operate with such low diskspace, in specific Adobe InDesign CS.
Now I want to increase the size of my boot drive and I was wondering if it is possible to do the following.
Copy the contents of my 40GB drive to the 250GB temporarily. Wipe that Drive clean. Copy the 20GB boot drive with the OS and all onto the 40GB drive. Then remove the 20 GB drive physically from the machine, rewire the 40GB as the master and use it as the boot drive. Then if all goes well, reinstall the 20GB drive now wired as a slave and wipe it clean and then move the contents that was on the 40GB drive back from the 250 GB on to the 20GB.
Will that work? Will I be able to boot my machine off the 40 GB drive with the contents of the 20 GB just copied onto it?
1) Copy all the 40GB contents to the 250GB drive
2) Format the 40GB drive
3) Swap the 40GB drive and the 20GB drive (so the 40GB is now your boot drive)
4) Install a clean Windows XP on the 40GB drive (boot from CD)
5) Copy whatever data you need off the 20GB drive to wherever you want and format it
6) Install clean copies of all your applications (Adobe, Office, etc.)
7) Restore only data files from the backup and get rid of the rest
This will get rid of a lot of crap you've probably accumulated over the years (through no fault of yours - it's a Microsoft thing) and things will likely run faster.
I hope you're not counting on any of these drives as the sole location for any sensitive data and that you're keeping another form of backup for the important stuff.
Guy
I originally started with Window 98 and upgraded to XP. I would need to re-install 98 and then upgrade to XP, what do I do about all the updates and security patches that have automatically downloaded and installed over the years?
Currently, once I finish editing an image, I back up the Master photoshop file to DVD. Print files that can be remade live on the 250 GB drive ready for easy use and printing.
Guy is correct, your system needs a fresh install of its operating system. I'm confident you will see some speed increase with a fresh install.
The XP install from your upgrade disc I believe should go like this:
If your XP cd is a true upgrade disc and not a full version of XP what will happen is, at some point after you boot from the XP cd and start the installation, a message will appear on your screen asking you to insert your original Win98 disc. This verifies you have an original install disc. Remove the XP disc, insert the 98 disc, the computer will read and verify the 98 disc. It will then continue the installation, asking again at some point to put the XP disc back in the drive.
After the installation, you will then have to go through all the Microsoft updates that XP will need.
Duane
If you have custom Photoshop actions you want to retain make sure to save them now, then you can reload them when you reinstall Photoshop. Same for bookmarks and other configuration information.
Guy
So what you all are saying is, if I get a new drive and start installing XP on it with the Upgrade CD I have, it will only ask for the Win 98 disk, and once verified it will install without having to install Win 98?