moving files to different drive

[speedy11309]

looking for a quick and easy way of moving my files from my primary c drive to my large sata drive. my reason in doing this is because i think its time to format the drive and start over. ive got about 30 gigs of stuff i need to move to another drive. i dont want to have to manually move it and change the destination of everything so that it starts properly. the only thing is, i dont want to just copy the entire partition because windows is on it and i want to uninstall it. what would be the easiest way for me to do this? oh and yes, when i do format and reinstall, i will make a partition just for windows and keep my files on the other drive. thanks for the help.

[Rudegar]

the program called total commander is alot easier to do stuff like that with then explore

it's kinda like normal commander back from the dos days

[speedy11309]

now if i totally move my harddrive from one to another, and then i go and whipe out windows and reinstall it, will i be able to straight use the programs right away with no problems or whats the deal with it there?

[speedy11309]

ok it DEFINETLY doesnt automaticall switch it for me. looks like im going to have to go through manual and do it.

but still the other question stands: what will happen when i reinstall windows? will i have to reinstall everything else too?

[chris000001]

more than likely your going to have to reinstall everything because when you install a program it adds stuff to the registry

[LiquidPsyrix]

Seems like you're getting in a bummed situation with this..

Honestly, if you want to keep your programs you've installed (or at least save points in games, saved databases in Access, Outlook e-Mail files, & stuff to that degree), you might be best off "exporting"/copying/or finding a way to obtain those saved files you've accumulated (unfortunately manually) before you proceed with dumping to a new drive (or just blanking the one you have currently and starting fresh).

What I would do in this situation:
1. Copy all imporant "loose" files, like word documents, eBooks, saved game files & maps, internet favorites files & folder(s), XP desktop themes, music & video files, and any other useful (hard-to-replace) things you've become used to over the years.

2. Make a note of all the programs you've installed that you're needing to keep and locate those install sources (CDs, .EXEs, .ISO, etc) for after you're done with fresh windows.

3a. After you're sure of the first 2 steps being completed, go ahead and back up everything to your other HDD or DVD media.

3b. If you decided to copy your backups to a local HDD (Non-USB/1394), I personally unplug the drive that has the backups on it while installing XP on the main disk fresh. (This way, there is no confusion as to what HDD you're wanting to partition/format and boot to later on.) If this does not apply to your scenario, forgive me for rambling. I've wiped the wrong disk in the past and believe me, it's really scary knowing your partition restore software is on the disk that just got a new XP written all over it.

4. Once your XP is back up and functional, get your Drivers CD handy and knock that out; Install the programs that you like to use from whichever sources you obtained earlier on this checklist.

5. Copy all backed up data back to the machine and you've completed this task. "Importing" necessary data files, such as email and database files is necessary to get that information back in the place it was left. Copying your internet favorites is just the same as copying them away from the folder they lived in (backwards). If you have more than 40GB of files, this can become very time consuming.. However, it's a fairly proven and trusted way to get your information back on a fresh installation while avoiding data disaster.

*Remember to Seach the HDD for specific types of files in case you're not sure where they may be hiding. Time & time again I find even myself losing track of certain documents and the only way they turn up is by the integrated XP search. Although a half TB of small files is much harder to manage than a handful of gigs..

Good Luck!

-LiquidPsyrix-

[speedy11309]

ok. so now that i ROYALLY jacked a lot of ************************ up, i really fed up my startup stuff. i get all kinds of nice error messages now when i startup telling me this isnt here, there, its now an elephant, i dont know. i need a program or a way to fricken change the path of the startup objects. any suggestions?

[LiquidPsyrix]

Have you tried "MSCONFIG"?

[Start] -> [Run] -> ' msconfig ' -> [Enter] -> Restart PC
Locate the startup tab, uncheck all applicable regions that are NOT necessary for startup (usually, everything can be unchecked here).

Beyond that, uninstall programs that you dont need anymore. This is the best way to tell XP that you dont want these programs anymore, and it will clear the variables associated with any startup applications upon boot-time. If you accidentally deleted a programs folder without uninstalling, however, you may be SOL unless msconfig saves the day. Keep me posted. I'll check on this area more often.

Good Luck!!

-LiquidPsyrix-