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will this work? I don't see why it won't.....

MtnBikerChk

MtnBikerChk

Squeaky Wheel
Aug 3, 2001
5,478
38
Southern New England (where there ain't no TITUS d
I have win xp pro and things are starting to "not work" so I think it's time to reload. One of the things that isn't working is my dvd burner (well, it works sporadically) so backing up is nearly impossible. I'm thinking about buying a new hard drive, formatting it and installing xp and then taking the old drive, backing it up and then formatting it and reinstall programs and data on it (and leave the os only on the new drive).
 
binary visions

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,101
1,153
NC
That will work. You just have to install the new drive as a master drive, and then you can install your old drive as a slave. There's no particular reason to install your programs on the slave drive. I have a master drive that my OS and all my programs go on, and I just keep all of my data (documents, music, movies, etc.) on a secondary drive. That makes formats and reinstalls a snap since I don't have to back anything up but my bookmarks and maybe program configurations.

It's fine if you just want to reload things, but you should check your DVD burner manufacturer's website for firmware/driver updates. It's pretty rare that Windows will cause your DVD burner to burn coasters (which is what I'm assuming it's doing, right? It's just burning bad DVDs?).
 
MtnBikerChk

MtnBikerChk

Squeaky Wheel
Aug 3, 2001
5,478
38
Southern New England (where there ain't no TITUS d
binary visions said:
It's fine if you just want to reload things, but you should check your DVD burner manufacturer's website for firmware/driver updates. It's pretty rare that Windows will cause your DVD burner to burn coasters (which is what I'm assuming it's doing, right? It's just burning bad DVDs?).
Click to expand...
Nope - it doesn't even recognize the drive - either for that matter. I try to open it and it says "drive not accessible" or some crap like that.
 
MtnBikerChk

MtnBikerChk

Squeaky Wheel
Aug 3, 2001
5,478
38
Southern New England (where there ain't no TITUS d
Motionboy2 said:
How about you buy a firewire or USB 2.0 drive and back everything up on there, then use it as a permenent portable backup drive?
Click to expand...

I could, but my drive right now is 120GB. I wasn't going to buy a 2nd drive that big. It's all IABs high resolution pics and my videos that take up the space LOL.



So what drive mfgrs are good right now? They all run hot and cold, don't they?
 
binary visions

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,101
1,153
NC
MtnBikerChk said:
I could, but my drive right now is 120GB. I wasn't going to buy a 2nd drive that big.
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You, uh, were going to buy a smaller drive?

Why?

For $100, you can have a 300gb Seagate drive with a 5 year warranty. Even if you don't need the space right away... who cares? It'll let you grow. If you buy another camera, or start doing more video, that space is going to go away quickly.

I don't know how new your computer is, or if you have Serial ATA or Parallel ATA drives, but here's a 300gb Serial ATA drive for $100:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148131&ATT=22-148-131&CMP=OTC-B1zrat3

And here's the equivalent Parallel ATA:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148061R

Don't get anything smaller than your 120gb drive. Seagate and Western Digital are both good brands. I avoid Maxtor since I've had a handful of Maxtor drives die on me.

Hitachi's drives are supposed to be good, and I'm trying one out right now (I got a 250gb drive for a paltry $63), but I haven't used it enough to recommend it.
 
MtnBikerChk

MtnBikerChk

Squeaky Wheel
Aug 3, 2001
5,478
38
Southern New England (where there ain't no TITUS d
binary visions said:
You, uh, were going to buy a smaller drive?

Why?

For $100, you can have a 300gb Seagate drive with a 5 year warranty. Even if you don't need the space right away... who cares? It'll let you grow. If you buy another camera, or start doing more video, that space is going to go away quickly.

I don't know how new your computer is, or if you have Serial ATA or Parallel ATA drives, but here's a 300gb Serial ATA drive for $100:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148131&ATT=22-148-131&CMP=OTC-B1zrat3

And here's the equivalent Parallel ATA:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148061R

Don't get anything smaller than your 120gb drive.
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seems silly to have the os on a drive with space I'll never use - shouldn't the smaller one be the os and the larger for data and programs?

my computer is roughly 3 years old - give me the quick parallel vs serial difference :)

edit: This is what dell.com says my current hard drive is "2K222 HARD DRIVE, 120G, I, 1N, 7.2K, WD-XL40 "
 
binary visions

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,101
1,153
NC
MtnBikerChk said:
seems silly to have the os on a drive with space I'll never use - shouldn't the smaller one be the os and the larger for data and programs?
Click to expand...
I'd still keep programs on the main drive. When you format, you want all of that crap gone since the programs won't run until you re-install them. But whatever you like :p

my computer is roughly 3 years old - give me the quick parallel vs serial difference :)
Click to expand...
Probably parallel, then.

The most noticable difference is that Parallel ATA uses the standard, wide, 40 pin IDE connector. Serial ATA is a new standard and uses a small, ~3/4" connector with no pins.
 
MtnBikerChk

MtnBikerChk

Squeaky Wheel
Aug 3, 2001
5,478
38
Southern New England (where there ain't no TITUS d
binary visions said:
I'd still keep programs on the main drive. When you format, you want all of that crap gone since the programs won't run until you re-install them. But whatever you like :p


Probably parallel, then.

The most noticable difference is that Parallel ATA uses the standard, wide, 40 pin IDE connector. Serial ATA is a new standard and uses a small, ~3/4" connector with no pins.
Click to expand...

gotcha, I can open it up and take a looksee.

the link to that parallel one says "open box." I think I want a NIB. Other recommendations :) ?

what's the difference between the IDE Ultra ATA and the SATA?

(I was in tech consulting in another life but lost track when I went back to accounting)
 
binary visions

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,101
1,153
NC
MtnBikerChk said:
the link to that parallel one says "open box." I think I want a NIB. Other recommendations :) ?

what's the difference between the IDE Ultra ATA and the SATA?
Click to expand...
As long as it comes with the warranty, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Up to you, though. Any 250 or 300gb Seagate or Western Digital would be my recommendation, feel free to buy from your favorite vendor - I like NewEgg buy if buy.com has something cheaper... ZipZoomFly.com is another good one.

The only real difference between the two brands is that Seagate has a 5 year warranty, while WD runs 1 or 3 years depending on the drive you buy.

The difference between the two standards is basically transfer speed and scalability. SATA is faster and has a bigger bandwidth cap so, in the future, SATA drives can continue to grow in speed.

Also, the hardware interface is a hell of a lot easier to work with - the SATA plugs have no pins, so they have a nice, secure, and hard-to-screw-up fit, and the cables are thin and flexible instead of being bulky, inflexible and breakable like the IDE cables. There are also no Master/Slave/Cable Select jumpers, which makes things simpler.

Plus, SATA is hot-swappable. It's a great new standard from a technical perspective. Along with the new PCI Express standard, it really shows that the people who design the standards are really keeping an eye towards the future.
 
MtnBikerChk

MtnBikerChk

Squeaky Wheel
Aug 3, 2001
5,478
38
Southern New England (where there ain't no TITUS d
binary visions said:
Also, the hardware interface is a hell of a lot easier to work with - the SATA plugs have no pins, so they have a nice, secure, and hard-to-screw-up fit, and the cables are thin and flexible instead of being bulky, inflexible and breakable like the IDE cables. There are also no Master/Slave/Cable Select jumpers, which makes things simpler.

Plus, SATA is hot-swappable. It's a great new standard from a technical perspective. Along with the new PCI Express standard, it really shows that the people who design the standards are really keeping an eye towards the future.
Click to expand...
I got it - if it's parallel, get the the IDE. If it's serial, get the SATA.

Thanks BV :) :love:
 
binary visions

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,101
1,153
NC
MtnBikerChk said:
I got it - if it's parallel, get the the IDE. If it's serial, get the SATA.

Thanks BV :) :love:
Click to expand...
Um, yeah. It does boil down to that. Most people would look at me like I was an alien if I told them that, though :p

No problem :thumb:
 
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