[FloOFy]

Hey, I'm kind of new of installing a new hardrive here, not the actaul physical installation of it but after it. I currently have a SATA 250gb hardrive (8mb cache) and I'm planning on replacing it with a SATA 750gb hdd (32mb). Do I just download HDCLONE (on bootable disc), plug it in the new hardrive, copy everything from my other hardrive (including OS), and the bam? Then I just remove my old hardrive and just use my new one?

Or do I have to first boot up my computer (with old hdd with my new hdd in), format it, then do it?

OS: Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit (SP-1)

[Alex]

Your first approach would be the one that should work, i.e. fire up the system with HDClone and both discs connected, copy everything, unplug the old disc and start the system with the new disc (and more space).

Vista though might complain about the disc being different size or not boot at all (if for some reason some boot parameter don't match anymore). In that case, Vista has a tool named sysprep (or something like it) which you engage on the old hard disk, which makes the current system ready for transfer onto a new disc. Then you copy the 'prepped' disc, and start up the new system, where everything should work fine.

Don't forget to use Disc-Disc, since Partition-Partition does only copy the partition, but not the Disc Layout and the Partition table.

[FloOFy]

alex Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Your first approach would be the one that should
> work, i.e. fire up the system with HDClone and
> both discs connected, copy everything, unplug the
> old disc and start the system with the new disc
> (and more space).
>
> Vista though might complain about the disc being
> different size or not boot at all (if for some
> reason some boot parameter don't match anymore).
> In that case, Vista has a tool named sysprep (or
> something like it) which you engage on the old
> hard disk, which makes the current system ready
> for transfer onto a new disc. Then you copy the
> 'prepped' disc, and start up the new system, where
> everything should work fine.
>
> Don't forget to use Disc-Disc, since
> Partition-Partition does only copy the partition,
> but not the Disc Layout and the Partition table.

Ok, so before I copy it I don't have to do anything with the new hardrive? I just plug it it with the old hardrive and bootable disc and then do what you said. So I don't need to format the hardrive first in Windows righT?

[Floyd Reese]

What about partitioning? The drive I am going to copy has a partition name D:/ Will this be copied also or do I have to partition separately?

[Floyd Reese]

I could not find the prepped disk part you are talking about but maybe it won't do this until I actually clone the drive I will see. I am getting braver and may do this soon.

[Alex]

If you use Disc-Disc, you'll get your D: also copied. By using Partition-Partition, only your system drive (C:) will be copied.

Doing a sysprep should be fairly easy:

enter on the command prompt:

c:\windows\system32\sysprep\sysprep.exe /quiet /generalize /shutdown /oobe