hard drive upgrade guide please

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bluecollar

11 posts

Geek

#80024 26-Mar-2011 01:29

please help me,
this seems easy,
i would like to know that i am on the right path,
and haven't completely missed key points or procedures,
i want to buy a new hard drive to upgrade from
WDC WD800BEVS-60RST0
it was fitted as an upgrade to the laptop when new - prior to purchase,
i plan to buy,
SATA HDD External Case Enclosure (or similar)
to connect to
Western Digital Scorpio Black 2.5 inch 500GB SATA 7200RPM 16MB Cache, (or similar)

i am not allowed to post links yet, or i could clarify / show / explain specific item
i tried to post this earlier,
but i have to start again due to my tradeMe link,

my idea is to connect the new enclosure and hard drive,
format the new hard drive,
shift / copy all data / info etc. from my still fitted hard drive to the new,
before i remove the old hard drive and install the new,
and expect it to work,
as if i just took it out for dusting,

please help me,
it sounds easy,
but you might be laughing your head off, banging your head on the desk hurling abuse at me?

i am trying to get the plan right before i make any purchases,
AND any ma$$ive mistakes

thanks for being here,

trig42

5889 posts

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#451953 26-Mar-2011 08:58

Do you wish to replace the internal drive in your laptop? That's what it looks like.

Are you planning a fresh install or just wanting to move the system from the 80 to the 500?

Fresh Install, simple, just take out the 80, put in the 500, install windows then plonk the 80 into your enclosure and copy files back (you will have to reinstall all software you are using, but you will be able to copy data back).

Moving system: Bit more complicated. You will need some sort of Disk Imaging software. I use Acronis True Image. It is not horribly expensive, and can be used later on for backups. There are free alternatives, none of which I have used however.
Once you have the disk imaging software, you need to put the 500 into the enclosure and copy the disk image from your 80 to your 500. Some programs will let you do it on the fly (ie., while windows is running) and some will require you to boot to a WinPE or other environment off CD. Once done, swap the disks over and your laptop should boot off the new drive.
Some programs will automatically resize your partitions to take up the full free space on the drive, some wont - so you could end up with a whole lot of unused space on your new drive. If this happens, not a problem, download EASEUS Partition Manager (Free) and resize you partition(s) as you see fit.

I do this quite a lot, and 95% of the time it works without a hitch. The only problems I run into are when the laptop has Manufacturer recovery partitions and hidden partitions. Usually they are OK, but sometimes the laptop won't boot after the HDD change. What I do here is make an image file of the Source HDD (for that you will need another HDD or PC to do store it on and then I can rewrite the image leaving out or adding partitions in until I get it to boot.

You may find taking it to someone who has done it before and has the gear/software to do it may be easier and cheaper. I usually charge about an hour to an hour and a half of time to do this.

geekiegeek

2513 posts

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+1 received by user: 625
Inactive user

#451963 26-Mar-2011 09:41

Simple answer is no you cannot just copy your laptop drive to another drive and have it work - the copy itself will fail as the Windows system files are in use.

Your only options are as trig42 said.

A. Copy your photos and music and what ever else off to another drive - not the replacement drive! and then install the replacement, re-install Windows and copy your files back.

B. As trig42 stated, use an image backup product.

Judging by your question and not trying to be rude, I think this may be a bit much for your skill level so I suggest you go to either a professional company or find a friend who knows what they are doing. The last thing you want is to lose your data!

bluecollar

11 posts

Geek

#451997 26-Mar-2011 11:20

Trig42 - Thanks for your reply,
I'm a bit frightened now,
The partrition stuff,

Thankyou to Geekiegeek, I am not insulted,
It would be more embarrassing to have simply gone ahead and ruined EVERYTHING,

I best contact local firm,
They are usually quite helpful,
Oh well, I guess I asked,
Hopefully this post will also help others