help "installing" new harddrive

[shadow1100mfp]

so i got my hands on a friends old computer for free, and on the 160gb hard drive windows xp is installed. right now i have it hooked up as secondary harddrive on an old computer of mine (i put it in my computer because the parts on the one i got for free would cost too much to upgrade). when i tried hooking it up as the master (and the only harddrive in the computer) it said that it was missing files (files that i am assuming are hardware drivers). now i have my original harddrive hooked up with winME (its only 10gb,which is the reason i want this 160gb hooked up so badly). my main question is: how do i copy all the necessary files over to the harddrive? i know i've done it before, but i forgot how i did it, and when i google it, i only get programs that claim to be able to do everything for me, but to no avail. and, since i know 10gb is more than enough to store all system files, how much trouble would it be to copy the system files from the 160gb drive to a partition on the 10gb drive? the 10 gb drive is already partitioined in 7gb/3gb parts, so if i could move my winME files to the 3gb, hide or lock it (to preserve the old o/s should i ever want to go back to it), and put my winXP on the 7gb partition? i know it may seem confusing, what im asking, but any help would put me ahead of the game. i need to make this media center pc for a christmas present to my dad as a surprise, (last christmas i gave him over 300 dvds and all my itunes collection, which is now 8000+ songs, so i thought id set him up with a nice computer to run and store all that stuff on his big screen tv)

and just a quick request, if you know any software that would work well for a media center (like utilities, games, even o/s's, etc), if you could list a few?

[Sparda]

You will need to format the 160GB hard drive to FAT32 since WinME is dier and lacks support for any other file system (realy you should 'upgrade' to 2000 if you can, better yet UBUNTU ;)).

[shadow1100mfp]

You will need to format the 160GB hard drive to FAT32 since WinME is dier and lacks support for any other file system (realy you should 'upgrade' to 2000 if you can, better yet UBUNTU ;)).

but won't it be ok to leave it as it is since i won't be running winME after this point (unless i decide to go back, which is unlikely)? really all i want is the WinXP on the computer, but id liek to save winME just in case.

and even still, i can access the harddrive and read/write to it when its hooked up as secondary, but as a master it says its missing files... so doesnt that mean it is already compatible?

[thisiam]

how about make an image of the 10 GB HDD, save to DVD and do a clean install of win XP

[Sparda]

but won't it be ok to leave it as it is since i won't be running winME after this point (unless i decide to go back, which is unlikely)? really all i want is the WinXP on the computer, but id liek to save winME just in case.

and even still, i can access the harddrive and read/write to it when its hooked up as secondary, but as a master it says its missing files... so doesnt that mean it is already compatible?

If you can read/write from/to it when it's the secondary one then it must alredy be FAT32 (It's usualy NTFS). You won't easily beable to get that instalation of XP to boot, it would mean manauly find the XP driveras  for your system (the ME Drivers almsot certinly won't be compatible) ripping out the exsisting ones and sticking the correct ones in place. Best bet is to reinstall it.

[shadow1100mfp]

how about make an image of the 10 GB HDD, save to DVD and do a clean install of win XP

how would i go about doing that? the most i've ever done with harddrives is copying certain drivers, but i was guided through it (i had to copy usb stick drivers from an ME machine to another ME machine) right now, theres only about 2 gb on the ME harddrive (10gb), so could i save it to cds? or, (i dont have a dvd burner hooked up to this computer yet), could i save the image on another computer on my network and burn it to dvd from there? also, if i have the original cd key but not the disk, i can use any windows xp disk to install as long as i use my original key, right? i know thats a stupid question but i've only ever reinstalled an os twice and that was with an original key and cd.

[thisiam]

check this out, http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/

scroll down to Hard Disk Cloning Tools and read, always read before you do anything.

you should be able to save i to another computer on your network as long as it has enough space for the image

and you don't have to burn it to DVD if you are able to leave it on another drive and XP install with your key should Work if not

google can find you other ways to do it.

Edit: this might be  better http://www.ubcd4win.com/contents.htm

[shadow1100mfp]

check this out, http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/

scroll down to Hard Disk Cloning Tools and read, always read before you do anything.

you should be able to save i to another computer on your network as long as it has enough space for the image

and you don't have to burn it to DVD if you are able to leave it on another drive and XP install with your key should Work if not

google can find you other ways to do it.

Edit: this might be  better http://www.ubcd4win.com/contents.htm

which tool were you refering to on the second link? there are about 5 there... and also, after i make images of both disks and burn them (i dont have a problem burning to dvd,, but i have to do it on another computer) wont i have to wipe the 160gb drive before i can reinstall? really all i absolutely need to do is make the 160 gb drive work with my computer, and i can use the 10gb drive somewhere else i was just wondering how hard it would be. if i do a clean install of xp on the 160gb disk, will it automatically find drivers for the hardware currently installed? when i put the disk in the cd drive, will it ask which drive i want to install to? (10gb is c, 160 is d, and the partition from the 10 gb shows up as e), or should i disconnect the 10gb altogether while installing...

[SomeoneE1se]

dude... this is windows me you'll NEVER need that EVER... just trash it and save the product key somewhere

[shadow1100mfp]

dude... this is windows me you'll NEVER need that EVER... just trash it and save the product key somewhere

...still.

[SomeoneE1se]

if you really really want to keep ME[me=SomeoneE1se]shudders[/me]

back it up at a dvd as suggested by thisiam or a cheep external HD

[shadow1100mfp]

just to update the information here: i decided to yank the 10gb disk (ill later wipe it and put some free os on there or splerge a little and put some windows *media center?* os on there, and use it for the basis of my own media center pc). currently, i've tried installing winXP to the 160gb disk, on fat32 it was a nogo. right now its at 93% formating to (forgive me, but the format starts with an n i believe)... then ill install winxp on that... if its still a no go then ill just throw some free os on there and make it work out somehow.

[shadow1100mfp]

if you really really want to keep ME[me=SomeoneE1se]shudders[/me]

back it up at a dvd as suggested by thisiam or a cheep external HD

don't need it anymore... i decided to take out the 10gb drive (containing ME)and reinstall XP on the 160gb drive. infact, im replying on that computer, with xp on the 160gb drive. there is one problem though.. somehow it installed twice, and when i turn the computer on it asks which o/s i want to boot with, and it lists "windows XP HOME blahblahblah" and "windows XP HOME blahblahblah".... as far as i know, the top one is the only one that works (and is the new one i just installed)... is there an easy way to get rid of the second installation?

[VaKo]

Yes, reinstall again, but delete all the partitions (after making sure you have backed up any data from said disc that you want). Then create 2 new partitions, a 20GB OS partition (c:) and the rest as partition for your data. Yeah, not an easy option like removing the offending entry from boot.ini, but it would be better in the long run.

[shadow1100mfp]

Yes, reinstall again, but delete all the partitions (after making sure you have backed up any data from said disc that you want). Then create 2 new partitions, a 20GB OS partition (c:) and the rest as partition for your data. Yeah, not an easy option like removing the offending entry from boot.ini, but it would be better in the long run.

well right now (after i installed all the programs i want) the hardrive is only 3.x gigs full, so why would i need such a big o/s partition? but when ireinstalled the first time it didn't give me an option to delete any partitions.... i don't mind there being 2 installs on here, if i could just make one like a default o/s and make it boot to that everytime?

[VaKo]

well right now (after i installed all the programs i want) the hardrive is only 3.x gigs full, so why would i need such a big o/s partition?

Future proofing, you can get away with less but with the price of HDD's these days its kinda a non-issue, just slap another TB in for data. I would say that 10GB is kinda a bare min though.

but when ireinstalled the first time it didn't give me an option to delete any partitions.... i don't mind there being 2 installs on here, if i could just make one like a default o/s and make it boot to that everytime?

If your lazy, edit your boot.ini file and remove the offending entry. If you want to do it properly nuke the disc and start again. If your using a standard XP CD you will have the partition editor come up during the initial stage of the xp install process.

[shadow1100mfp]

If your lazy, edit your boot.ini file and remove the offending entry. If you want to do it properly nuke the disc and start again. If your using a standard XP CD you will have the partition editor come up during the initial stage of the xp install process.

checked out the second install thismorning, and its the exact same as the first, same options same programms same everything, just a second option nat startup so i think i could get away with editing it...

i just checked it out, and this is what it looks like:

"[boot loader]

timeout=30

default=signature(xxxxxxxx)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(1)WINDOWS

[operating systems]

signature(xxxxxxxx)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(1)WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /fastdetect

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /fastdetect /noexecute=optin"

what exactly would i delete, if someone could highlight it or just explain?

as for h/ds, i plan on adding another 500gb diskx2, for music movies and pictures but they will mirror eachother, and thats plenty of room for me.

but with the install of windows, the "activate now" icon and popup keep showing up, when i click on them it says already activated... what do i do abot this? can i reactivate?

edit: i fied the double os problem by setting display time to "0" at startup, and for a somewhat slow machine (128mb ram, dinosaur of a m/b and onboard video) it runs pretty smoothly and fast (it installed and ran firefox,internet explorer, itunes,quicktime, limewire, bitcomet, antispyware, antiadware antiviruis, and ccleaner all at once lastnight, while doing windows update. took about an hour to install and run everything, and now it all works great), compared to 3 of my other computers running 256mb ram (and one  at 128), much newer m/bs and midrange videocards... but i'll be adding a new m/b in the near future, aong with new memory (2gb at minimum) so the only problem left is the activation thing.... that aside though this should make for the perfect media center pc, thanks for all the help guys =] (ill come back when i get ready to build my computer for college lol)

[VaKo]

OK, what you need to do is work out which of the options is your good install, and which is your old install (ie is it the 1st or 2nd entry in the menu that works). Then, delete the offending entry.Yours should probally look like this:

[boot loader]

timeout=30

default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)WINDOWS

[operating systems]

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /fastdetect /noexecute=optin

But, if it was me I would download an ubuntu CD, and use it to delete the partitions on the disk, then install a copy of XP pro on it. No point keeping crap from an old install on a disc.

As for the activation crap, I've never ever had to bother with it. Corporate versions of XP don't require it and I see no good reason to use XP home edition.

[MRGRIM]

I'd just ghost it across (UBCD has closing tools, not used)

[shadow1100mfp]

OK, what you need to do is work out which of the options is your good install, and which is your old install (ie is it the 1st or 2nd entry in the menu that works). Then, delete the offending entry.Yours should probally look like this:

[boot loader]

timeout=30

default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)WINDOWS

[operating systems]

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /fastdetect /noexecute=optin

But, if it was me I would download an ubuntu CD, and use it to delete the partitions on the disk, then install a copy of XP pro on it. No point keeping crap from an old install on a disc.

As for the activation crap, I've never ever had to bother with it. Corporate versions of XP don't require it and I see no good reason to use XP home edition.

i agree, i think its just something to get people to spend more money on keys that they really dont need (if you buy software you should be able to use it on all your computers without paying extra). so is there a way to shut off activation notices? because it pops up every couple minutes unless you click ok which adds steps to the startup (iwant it to be as easy as possible to run). im only using xp home because i already have it and i don't want to pay for xppro, and i want it to stay windows (atleast for now). i set the one that didn't end with "noexecute" as default and set the display time to 0, will it use resources if i don't delete the other one?

[VaKo]

See, your making a common mistake. Your not paying for the software, your not paying for the disc, your paying for a license which grants you the right to use the software on one machine. If you want to use it on multiple machines you will need a license that reflects this.

What you need to do is go to a library or similar, somewhere with PC's that won't be using the software that came pre-installed, and look for a valid XP home key which should be on a sticker on the back of the case. Then use this key to activate your windows install. Or, use a program called productkey.exe from Nirsoft to get a valid product key.

[shadow1100mfp]

See, your making a common mistake. Your not paying for the software, your not paying for the disc, your paying for a license which grants you the right to use the software on one machine. If you want to use it on multiple machines you will need a license that reflects this.

What you need to do is go to a library or similar, somewhere with PC's that won't be using the software that came pre-installed, and look for a valid XP home key which should be on a sticker on the back of the case. Then use this key to activate your windows install. Or, use a program called productkey.exe from Nirsoft to get a valid product key.

correct me if im wrong, but isn't this just as illegal as downloading it along with a keygen? (though, my school did just get 100 new pcs, so it would be easy to do. ill try it) where would i get XPPro though (legally)?

[SomeoneE1se]

not if you get permission

[VaKo]

correct me if im wrong, but isn't this just as illegal as downloading it along with a keygen? (though, my school did just get 100 new pcs, so it would be easy to do. ill try it) where would i get XPPro though (legally)?

Its a gray area. Most of the time, when a company/school/etc buys a truck load of new machines they will all come with XP home or Vista Home Basic license as part of the cost. The first thing we do is throw our XP pro image on the machine, which has also been paid for. So, there is an genuine XP home license that will never be used, why not use it?

As for where to get XP Pro legally, with money and such trading hands, I have no idea. Ebay? Shops?

[shadow1100mfp]

correct me if im wrong, but isn't this just as illegal as downloading it along with a keygen? (though, my school did just get 100 new pcs, so it would be easy to do. ill try it) where would i get XPPro though (legally)?

Its a gray area. Most of the time, when a company/school/etc buys a truck load of new machines they will all come with XP home or Vista Home Basic license as part of the cost. The first thing we do is throw our XP pro image on the machine, which has also been paid for. So, there is an genuine XP home license that will never be used, why not use it?

As for where to get XP Pro legally, with money and such trading hands, I have no idea. Ebay? Shops?

so the only "instone" legal way to get it is to pay for it, but (with permission) its ok to use the o/s that came on a school/business machine as long as they aren't using that o/s? it sounds a little shady, but even still... like you said, pro versions dont need the activation, (where the product key is used), and i know my school actually put home ed. on the library machines, but they came with pro. what are advantages between the two, really?