How do i transfere hard drive contents??

[NobbyFlagpole]

Hi everyone, this is my first post - so be gentle!

A couple of years ago my parents bought me a computer for school. Now it crashes every 5 mins!! So I am now in the process of buying the parts to upgrade it.
I've bought a new case, a new motherboard (Abit KT7A), heatsink and fan, AMD athlon 1Ghz processor, 256MB of memory, geforce 2 ultra, and a 40GB hard drive. Now I'm a complete novice when it comes to installing components, so it will take me some time to read all the instructions...
What I want to know is how do I transfer the data on my old HD to the new one? And also, in what sequence do I put all the components in and when should I first switch the machine on?
Your help would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

[hiredgoonz]

First, I strongly recomend a fresh installation of the OS when you build a new system...

To access the old data you can either leave the old drive attached to the new system as the slave drive on the primary IDE channel. (You will need to adjust the jumpers on the old drive and maybe the ones on the new one.) Or you can just copy all the files once the system is up and running. (again with the old drive as slave) And then put the hd back. (remember those jumpers)

I would use the old drive in the new system for extra storage unless you're going to keep the old computer around for a backup...

When you first put the system together just put the vid card, memory and cpu (with hs/fan!!!) in and boot the system to make sure you get a display and don't have a bad ground or components that are defective or improperly installed...then put in your floppy drive and cdrom and install your OS, then install cards one at a time to make sure that if you have a problem, you know what is causing it...

I would read up on some of the guides on this site before you start and if this is your first system, don't try to build it all in one night, take your time and be careful...wear a static strap

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When all else fails, read the instructions.

[Rick]

The first thing you need to do is READ ALL THE DOC’s

Then install the CPU onto the mother board.
Install the Heat-sink and Fan “Using the correct amount of heat sink paste”
By Installing these two part Before you install the Mother board into the case you will save your self a lot of hassles.

To Transfer your data content from the old drive to the new one.
I try to install the new drive into the old system as the master on the second channel .
Run Fdisk and Format .
I divide the disk into at least partitions. ( One Primary Dos and One extended)
I Copy all the data files to the second partition .
Leaving the primary blank.

Then remove it from the old system and install it into the new system.
Run Fdisk again and make the primary partition active.

Then do a clean Install of the operating system ( win nn)
This will save a lot of hassle with Old installed drives and unwanted or out dated files.
It’s also the easiest way to get rid of device drives that do not have an uninstall. (Via chip set)

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To ERR is HUMAN
To REALLY screw things UP, YOU NEED a COMPUTER !

[ranchdog]

welcome For an AMD system there is some real good help at www.duxcw.com (http://www.duxcw.com) .... On the Left side of the page, click How To.

Good equipment you have there. Will make you an excellent Box.

Luck.

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......Indecision may or may not be my problem......
...... Kickin' A Rock....

[NobbyFlagpole]

Thanks a lot ranchdog, that site is really helpfull!!

[Bullwinkle]

I suggest downloading XXCopy at www.xxcopy.com. (http://www.xxcopy.com.) The freeware will enable an exact clone. use tech note #10 for guidance. Use freezip if you don't already have a zip utility. It is as the name implies free and very simple to use, automatically unzips files when a zipped file is selected.
Setup a download files (folder) and virus check it and all downloads. The xxcopy program will need to be run from windows. The #10 tech note provides step by step instructions.
On the hardware installation aspects be absolutely sure that your voltage and frequency jumpers are precisely correct; triple even quadruple check. Be sure to apply a good amount of goo (conductant paste) between the processor chip and heat sink; but not to excess.
Are both new and old HDD the same speed, 5400 or 7200? IF they are the same then use the older and smaller drive as C:\ and back it up on a partition on the newer drive which can be later enabled as active should old drive fail. If the older drive is a WD, use it for small boat anchor. Use FDISK (DOS) to partition the new HDD or perhaps a specialized partitioning software program such as Partition Magic. PM is quite the utility.
Insure, absolutely sure, motherboard stand offs are in place. Voltage and frequency multiplier jumper are correct, cable red stripe (number one) matches #1 pins on HDD and CD-ROM and each set master or slave as appropriate. Both HDDs should be on same cable. Good luck

PS http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif Doesn't sound like an upgrade...more like building a whole new machine. Which will be a rewarding feeling. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

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Socialism can work; spread your wealth.

[NobbyFlagpole]

Thanks for all the help but I have no idea what jumpers do and what they are for and why do I need to add more conductive paste or whatever to the processor and fan if it already has some that comes with the fan? It all sounds quite complicated. Remember this is the first time I have attemted this.

[Bullwinkle]

So sorry to put any anxiety into the picture.
It's going to be fun and quite rewarding in the end.
If you received the M/B, CPU/HeatSink/Fan, and memory already tested, then forget what I said about paste and jumpers. By tested I mean, the supply source, such as www.mwave.com (http://www.mwave.com) , assembled the parts and bench tested the gathering.

On the otherhand, your M/B manual (>7megs pdf file, according to Abit.com site) should have everything laid out in detail. It is likely to include instructions for the several variations of the KT7. The m/b accomodates several AMD processors and with the BIOS upgrade V1.11 (07/13/2001) it will handle the 1.4GHz Anthlon. Download it for later use.
Use tweezer, plastic if available, to relocate the jumper clips per the settings in the manual. There will likely be several SW or JP jumpers to coordinate, but it isn't difficult. Just be sure you get 'em right. These same jumpers can later be experimented with for overclocking. Be careful not to scratch the M/B.

The paste needs to be applied evenly across the mating surface between the CPU and the heat sink to avoid hot spots in the CPU. It doesn't have to ooze out the sides like an overfilled jelly sandwich. The Anthlon gets really hot and the paste aids in heat tranfer to the heat sink and the fan take the heat away from the heatsink.
Another fan other than CPU and power supply fans is highly recommended. Absence of cooling leads to instability and frequent shutdowns at the very least. The KT7 does have excellent diagnostics for temperatures and fan speeds.
A 250Watt power supply won't be enough and a 300Watt'r may barely meet current or future demands. Don't get wrapped around the axle about the 300Watt P/S if that's what you got with the new case. Just check with AMD for recommendations. Go with preferred rather than cheap generics for stability. www.motherboards.com (http://www.motherboards.com) may be useful.
It doesn't require a degree in rocket science, I dun it

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Socialism can work; spread your wealth. :D

[This message has been edited by Bullwinkle (edited 09-09-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Bullwinkle (edited 09-09-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Bullwinkle (edited 09-09-2001).]

[Paleo Pete]

Most hard drives come with a utlities disk which contains a program that partitions and installs the drive. Usually it's Ontrack's Disk Manager with someone else's name on it. Use it..set the old drive as Slave, new one as Master, boot with the utilities disk an dlet it install the drive. Most will automatically see existing data on the old drive and ask if you want to transfer it. Say yes, it will transfer everything including a working OS.

No need to download extra programs, cloning applications, etc. IF the utilities disk didn't come with the drive, go to the drive manufacturer's website, it should be there. Seagate calls it Disk Manager, Quantum calls it Disk Go, Maxtor uses Max Blast...all basically the same thing with different names, and it works very well. It's also designed for use with your drive.



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