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| Thread ID: 33199 | 2003-05-10 10:00:00 | New hard drive | Richard (739) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 142881 | 2003-05-10 10:00:00 | Computer is a P3/500 running XP Home with 512megs RAM. I am using Pinnacle Studio 7 for video production (a great program) but found the original 15Gig hard drive totally insufficient for capacity. I have now replaced this with a 60Gig drive (the biggest the BIOS wanted to know about) and have retained the smaller drive as a backup facility. So far I have imaged everything to the new drive as 'C' and all is working perfectly. To use 'D' as a backup, should I now delete all that is still on it, or do a reformat so that is totally blank. To use it as a backup drive should any programs remain? Cheers Richard |
Richard (739) | ||
| 142882 | 2003-05-10 10:08:00 | depends on how you define "backup drive". If you want to use it for backing up your files to it, then yes, do a format. If you want it so that if your new hard drive crashes, you can revert to the old one and still boot windows, then don't format. Just deleting the files isn't really a good idea. Apparently it causes problems. |
somebody (208) | ||
| 142883 | 2003-05-10 11:53:00 | > Just deleting the files isn't really a good idea. > Apparently it causes problems. Not that I know of? But yes, I would suggest hiding the partition perhaps, and keeping it there should doze become un-bootable :-) |
Chilling_Silently (228) | ||
| 142884 | 2003-05-10 13:58:00 | Just to add to that: if you do want to keep a working copy of XP on the old drive (in case windows dies), completely format the old drive, then partition it off into 2 partitions. One about 2.5Gb for Windows. And the other partition can be for backing up your stuff. You'll need to reinstall windows in the 2.5Gb partition. And its all go. If you completely want to wipe the old hard drive and free up a whole heap of space, including the partition tables remaining on it: Just get a free copy of killdisk http://www.killdisk.com. Then after thats done, format it as Fat32 and your away laughing. (Note: killdisk will uncover all space on the drive wheras a format most likely won't.) |
PoWa (203) | ||
| 142885 | 2003-05-11 05:52:00 | This is perhaps more a user choice than one system works best. If you have important data is having it on one drive okay if that drive should fail? Also note what if there is a fire or a burglary, etc. |
Captive (3159) | ||
| 142886 | 2003-05-11 09:15:00 | > Just to add to that: if you do want to keep a working copy of XP on the old drive (in case windows dies), completely format the old drive, then partition it off into 2 partitions. One about 2.5Gb for Windows. And the other partition can be for backing up your stuff. This is rather interesting. Can you explain a little bit more how one would access the backup drive if the new drive died? I don't know much about using two hard drives, so if you can explain or have any links to good info that would be appreciated. :-) |
Susan B (19) | ||
| 142887 | 2003-05-11 09:30:00 | > This is rather interesting. Can you explain a little > bit more how one would access the backup drive if the > new drive died? I don't know much about using two > hard drives, so if you can explain or have any links > to good info that would be appreciated. :-) Just open the case and swap jumpers (and IDE cables) as required. Or, do like I do. Both drives are in withdrawable cradles. |
godfather (25) | ||
| 142888 | 2003-05-12 01:46:00 | Susan I don't think that mine is a very original idea! All I am doing is keeping what is not immediately replaceable in two separate places, ie two hard drives. If one dies the other surely survives and the data can be recovered on to a new drive or even in another machine. I gave up trying to do backups on floppies (too many) and CDs (can never find which one is current). InCD was another solution, but by using a hard drive I can do incremental backups, and I always know where the disk is. I also now have tons of capacity. If the D drive dies all my info is still on the C drive, which would then become the backup. Programs of course can just be reloaded. In past years I have had two drives bite the dust, with no backup, and I am determined it will not happen again. Thanks to you all for your replies. Cheers Richard |
Richard (739) | ||
| 142889 | 2003-05-12 06:41:00 | Thanks for that Godfather -- so simple I didn't even think of that! :8} Richard: Might not be a very original idea but it is a very wise one. I have been thinking of doing that myself rather than fuss around with backing up data to CDs. |
Susan B (19) | ||
| 142890 | 2003-05-12 07:12:00 | > Just open the case and swap jumpers (and IDE cables) > as required. > > Or, do like I do. Both drives are in withdrawable > cradles. Too much effort, just go into your bios and tell your computer to load up from the slave. Saves having to get the philipshead out :-) |
roofus (483) | ||
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