Need some opinions!

I am pondering this task....

I have built a new computer which will have Windows XP Pro on it for the OS on a new hard drive.

I also want to use the 80 gig hard drive out of my old machine (which currently also has XP on it) for a second hard drive for files and such.

How would you all proceede as to adding that extra drive. If the machine boots from the new hard drive, does the XP need to be removed on that second drive? How would you remove the old OS from that second drive. I personally have never un-installed an OS - can this be done before I remove the old drive from the doner computer?

Ray

 

Physically connect both drives in your machine, having changed the 80Gb drive to a slave on Primary IDE or Master on Secondary IDE controller. Now boot to Partition Magic boot disk/s and when it's loaded select the 80Gb drive and delete it, followed by apply. When this is done create a new drive/volume on the 80Gb drive, make your decision as to a Primary or Extended partition and number of partitions or Logical partitions, select apply. HTH.

 

Huh? What's this about partition magic?

Sheesh.

Put the drive in as secondary master, or slave.
Boot the computer.
Open Admin tools, computer management, Storage, disk management, right click the drive you just put in, and select the option you want.
Too simple.

 

Just an opinion Sheesh, as requested by Experience: A+ Tech and MCP.

You have yours, I have mine. Prove mine won't work and I'll edit my post.

 

I didn't say it wouldn't work.
I just can't find in Rayz post anything about him owning Partition Magic...

 

Re. Need some opinions...

Maybe I've had a slight stroke or something, but:

You've got a new PC, with a new HDD, and a fresh install of XP on it ?
Set your old (80GIG) HDD to slave and connect it to IDE 0.
Boot into your new install of XP on your new HDD.
Your old HDD should show as D - providing you've no partitions on it.
Then delete <old HDD>\<systemroot>\all the files.

Apologies if I've missed the point.

Alternatively, edit your new XP install C:\boot.cfg to reflect both your new and old OS's, and you've got a dual boot system for when you follow the advice on these pages and bugger one of them up...

 

And I don't see anything that indicates he doesn't, but he was seeking opinions and that's what I offered.

 

Where would someone find boot.cfg?

 

My humble apologies.
I meant boot.ini.
I must have spent too much time on programming, and not enough time on pedantry.

 

Apology accepted!

 

Thank you for all of the opinions!

Yes. I have Partitian Magic in case anyone is wondering.... But I am not going to need it.

Since the machine will boot fine from a fresh install of XP on a new drive, there was little problem today when I simply attached the drive as primary slave and started the machne. The 80 gig drive was assigned as "D ". I have a ton of files on the old drive which I want to retain, Since the drive will never be used to boot the machine, I will simply delete the old OS when I need more space in the future.
It take a heck of a while to fill an 80 gig drive.

Ray