Getting new hdd, how bout windows?

So, im getting my new hdd this week (hopefully) and I have one question. I had vista preinstalled, so can I somehow mirror all info on the old hdd to the new trough a ext.hdd? Is it possible to install the OS on the new hdd with the recovery disk?

Or in fact, I only need the OS files themselves, cos I have everything backed up on the ext.hdd allready

 

Someone else just posted the same question, so I won't tell you to just simply search (since this is a topic that's been covered many many times), but rather I'll give you the link to the discussion:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=199211

 

Gentle as I am, you've got two options:
-Making a Ghost Image from your 1st HD and put that on your 2nd HD
-Install the OS on your new HD again!

If I were you I'm gonna install a new OS! Better/ quiker/ easier!!

 

New OS ftw.

Upgrades are always nasty...

 

But can I do a clean install with the recovery disk? Also, the reason why I want to clone the drive to the new is cos the amount of installed software and properties I have set, and it would take like a week for me to get it back to what it is like now.

I know you can get the Vista settings by system restore, and files by backup, but will it just work to copy the program files to the fresh vista? I mean, the registry n stuff, can I somehow get that into the fresh vista too. And I dont want to have a million diffrent backup files I need to run.

 

A recovery disk is a recovery, not a fresh install. It mounts the image of a past installation, and depending on when you made that image, the OS probably had a whole bunch of stuff installed. So that is not a clean install. And no, you can't copy the program files to the new OS. Anything installed has to be re-installed again, you can't just copy and paste the folder from a previous OS.

 

Thats the problem, I dont want to install every single program again on my lappy.
And I had a factory installed vista so that means I cant do a fresh install...

Need to get some info bout that cloning...

 

For cloning go to Acronis and get a trial version of Migrate Easy or True Image (which includes the Migrate Easy functionality). The trial is fully functioning but with a time limit. I recommend that you make the stand-alone CD and then boot from it. The cloning takes a few hours but once it it done then slot in the new HDD and start up where you left off. Acronis has an option which will automatically expand the existing partition sizes to fit a bigger HDD.

John

 

Great, now I jst need to figure out how to get my new hdd plugged into the same pc as the old one

 

You need a 2.5" HDD USB 2.0 or Firewire enclosure with internal SATA connector. Once you have done the cloning the enclosure can hold the old HDD which you can then use for backup or extra storage.

John

 

Yeah, thats the only option if my dads laptop cant hold 2 hdds

 

That is an option. You would need to install both the old and new HDD and boot off an Acronis CD. Make sure his laptop has SATA connectors.

John