crashed xp

[Guest alanrr]

Hello, my computer crashed. Can I:

1. Buy cheap hard drive and install it as the primary drive and un-install

old drive.

2. re-install XP.

3. re-install the old drive as the secondary drive and retrive all programs,

folders and files???

Thanks, Alan

[Guest nass]

RE: crashed xp

 

 

 

"alanrr" wrote:

> Hello, my computer crashed. Can I:

> 1. Buy cheap hard drive and install it as the primary drive and un-install

> old drive.

> 2. re-install XP.

> 3. re-install the old drive as the secondary drive and retrive all programs,

> folders and files???

> Thanks, Alan

 

Yes you can if you have a full Retail XP CD not an OEM machine.

 

http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org/how_do_i_install_windows_xp.htm

http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/clean_install.htm

After successful clean Installation hook the Old drive as Slave and rescue

your Data (Note Scan for viruses first to be safe with an up2date Anti-virus

application).

HTH.

nass

----

http://www.nasstec.co.uk

[Guest Frank Saunders MS-MVP IE,OE/WM]

Re: crashed xp

 

"alanrr" <alanrr@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:812EEE4B-139D-4113-9D64-F0B72E1A0437@microsoft.com...

> Hello, my computer crashed. Can I:

> 1. Buy cheap hard drive and install it as the primary drive and un-install

> old drive.

> 2. re-install XP.

> 3. re-install the old drive as the secondary drive and retrive all

> programs,

> folders and files???

> Thanks, Alan

 

The programs will have to be reinstalled. Copying them over won't make the

necessary Registry changes.

 

--

Frank Saunders MS-MVP IE,OE/WM

http://www.fjsmjs.com

Do not reply with email

[Guest Ken Blake, MVP]

Re: crashed xp

 

On Fri, 14 Mar 2008 15:33:00 -0700, alanrr

<alanrr@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

> Hello, my computer crashed. Can I:

> 1. Buy cheap hard drive and install it as the primary drive and un-install

> old drive.

 

 

Yes.

 

> 2. re-install XP.

 

 

Yes.

 

> 3. re-install the old drive as the secondary drive

 

 

Yes.

 

> and retrive all programs,

 

 

No.

 

Except for a very occasional small program, all programs have pointers

to where they are located in the Windows registry (and elsewhere) as

well as supporting files. If you try to use a program that wasn't

installed in that copy of Windows, those pointers will be wrong and

the supporting files will be missing, and the programs will not work.

 

 

> folders and files???

 

 

Yes.

 

 

 

--

Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience

Please Reply to the Newsgroup

[Guest Gilgamesh]

Re: crashed xp

 

"nass" <nass@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:9A16F0BC-0300-4826-BAE7-E64E2999374D@microsoft.com...

>

>

> "alanrr" wrote:

>

>> Hello, my computer crashed. Can I:

>> 1. Buy cheap hard drive and install it as the primary drive and

>> un-install

>> old drive.

>> 2. re-install XP.

>> 3. re-install the old drive as the secondary drive and retrive all

>> programs,

>> folders and files???

>> Thanks, Alan

>

> Yes you can if you have a full Retail XP CD not an OEM machine.

 

Given they are just replacing the hard drive and not the motherboard it will

also work for OEM versions.

>

> http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org/how_do_i_install_windows_xp.htm

> http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/clean_install.htm

> After successful clean Installation hook the Old drive as Slave and rescue

> your Data (Note Scan for viruses first to be safe with an up2date

> Anti-virus

> application).

> HTH.

> nass

> ----

> http://www.nasstec.co.uk

[Guest nass]

Re: crashed xp

 

 

 

"Gilgamesh" wrote:

> "nass" <nass@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

> news:9A16F0BC-0300-4826-BAE7-E64E2999374D@microsoft.com...

> >

> >

> > "alanrr" wrote:

> >

> >> Hello, my computer crashed. Can I:

> >> 1. Buy cheap hard drive and install it as the primary drive and

> >> un-install

> >> old drive.

> >> 2. re-install XP.

> >> 3. re-install the old drive as the secondary drive and retrive all

> >> programs,

> >> folders and files???

> >> Thanks, Alan

> >

> > Yes you can if you have a full Retail XP CD not an OEM machine.

> Given they are just replacing the hard drive and not the motherboard it will

> also work for OEM versions.

 

Some brands will not allow you to do so,as the OEM been locked on the CD for

a serial number for the HDD ;)

 

> >

> > http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org/how_do_i_install_windows_xp.htm

> > http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/clean_install.htm

> > After successful clean Installation hook the Old drive as Slave and rescue

> > your Data (Note Scan for viruses first to be safe with an up2date

> > Anti-virus

> > application).

> > HTH.

> > nass

> > ----

> > http://www.nasstec.co.uk

>

>

>

[Guest Patrick Keenan]

Re: crashed xp

 

"alanrr" <alanrr@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:812EEE4B-139D-4113-9D64-F0B72E1A0437@microsoft.com...

> Hello, my computer crashed. Can I:

> 1. Buy cheap hard drive and install it as the primary drive and un-install

> old drive.

> 2. re-install XP.

> 3. re-install the old drive as the secondary drive and retrive all

> programs,

> folders and files???

> Thanks, Alan

 

First, what do you mean by "my computer crashed"?

 

Second, yes you can install a new drive and install XP to it if you have the

install media you need. If your system depended on a recovery partition,

you have a problem (which you can overcome with cloning software, presuming

that the old drive still functions). To do that, you will need another

system with XP and a way to mount both drives, the old and new, at the same

time. USB2 drive cases are good for this.

 

But you cannot, once you've reinstalled XP, recover the *programs or

settings* from the old drive. Programs have to be reinstalled; you can use

the Program files folder on the old drive as a reminder of what you need to

reinstall, but you generally can't just copy the files over.

 

Data can be copied, but be aware that many core programs keep their data in

folders helpfully set as hidden. Many email programs do this. You have

to set Explorer to show hidden/system folders and know where to look, or at

least what you're looking for.

 

Finally, don't buy a "cheap" hard drive. Buy a *good* one, which won't

likely cost much more.

 

HTH

-pk