new hard drive installation question

i bought a new 500gb 7200 rpm WD Hard drive. i would like to do a clean install but at the same time keep all my files from my other hard drive. is it possible to do a clean install of windows from the disc onto the new hard drive then simply transfer the files over then reformat the old one or would i need another backup method for my current files?

 

Sure. You can clean install Windows on your new HDD, then transfer all your files from your old HDD to your new one.

 

do i need to put the new one in the second bay and set it ub first or could i just simply put it in the first bay and go

 

Since you dont sound like an expert, let me point out that simply coping over applications will not work. you need to reinstall those. But data can be copied or moved

 

Install your new hard drive in the 1st bay, and transfer your old hard drive to bay 2. Then clean install Windows 7, all drivers, and programs to your new hard drive.

 

Couldn't have said it better myself. Copying software folders over will not work, you will have to install them again on the new drive, and it doesn't really matter where you put the second drive as long as you change the boot order in the BIOS. That said just put in the 1st bay.

And yup, you basically answered yourself, good luck

 

No disrespect to the newbies, but if they're lacking in hard drive installation knowledge, then I am reluctant to step them thru changing BOOT settings in the BIOS. I worry someone will mess up their BOOT order and their system won't boot at all...then its on me for suggesting a change to their BIOS.

 

i installed the new hard drive in first bay and old on in second and i have changed my boot settings in bios to boot the 2nd bay before the first. having trouble getting windows installed on new drive. gonna try again and see what happens.

Edit: I tried installing again and was unsuccessful. it got to the first time to reboot and upon reboot it said the application(winplesh.exe or something like that) failed to start and rebooted agiain. after rebooting again it says please wait and stays on that screen.

 

winsplash.exe? That could be something wrong with your installation DVD (so scratched its corrupting the files).

 

hmm. its first time ive tried to use it. ill wipe it off and see what happens then.

edit: this cd is hardly scratched at all. that can't be whats going on.
If i try using another cd from a dell computer it shouldn't matter as long as i use the code on bottom of computer right? my neighbor has a dell windows 7 cd i could try.

 

Take your old hard drive out and set it aside. That way there is no chance of the installer getting confused on which drive to install to. You can re-install your old hard drive when you get Windows installed on your new one.

Were you using the Alienware Windows 7 DVD to install when it failed? Try doing it again but have the windows installer perform a full format (not the quick format) on your new hard drive. If there are any bad sectors present (very rare for a new hard drive, but still possible), the drive format may detect them. Then attempt the OS install again.

 

You may have interrupted the installation, and it's waiting for the final routine(s). Or, the installation may have been corrupted by the interruption. Put the Win 7 disk back into the CD/DVD drive and change the boot order back to the (first) Hard Drive as the top selection. Then reboot. Best case, it will continue and finalize the installation. If that doesn't work, start again, leaving the boot order set so that the new HDD is first and then boot from the Win 7 disk via F12 at the boot screen, reformat and install to the new HDD.

 

it won't even let me boot with my new hard drive. says hit CTRL ALT DEL to restart

 

It won't let you enter into windows install DVD from boot?

 

i got it figured out. booted into dvd and installed to hard drive and it went through fine. now im working on all the drivers for it. thanks for the help