ok, so I'm buying a big ass smokin' computer. Can I....
 

somehow transfer the entire contents of one system to another, programs, settings, the whole fucking buffet?

(different manufactures too I should mention, so the system crap that comes on these things will be different.)


or am I doomed to have to reinstall all this fucking shit and set every damn thing up again. Settings and shit take forever to get the thing just where you want it, and I don't wanna spend a month tweaking a new system. Rather just transfer the shit somehow and be done with it.




yes? no? :helpme

There is some kind of software that does it. Sorry I dont know the name of it.

http://www.powerquest.com/driveimage/

check this one out...not sure if that's what you mean

I bought that program about 3 years ago.... but I never trusted it after it started corrupting regular backups. Been on the shelf ever since.

cant you just take your c drive put it in the new machine and have that be your master?

no, not an option. (and will take too long to explain why.... so just take my word for it on this one)

oh! fuck that then, never tried it myself...I know it kinda sounded like what you wanted to do :winkwink:

:thumbsup

did you not just see where I said that's not an option?

ok.

Umm then hell ask a hardcore computer geek. I am sure they have a way.

Norton Ghost does that...that's what I used and it worked fine.

Yeah, there's lots of programs that can do that. I don't know the names of any offhand, but I've seen them in stores and stuff.

Could you just get a few feet of crossover cable and transfer everything from computer to computer?

you will have big time driver issues, and the system will never work to its full potential. Fuck Ghost. If you want the machine to run correctly, re-install everything from scratch

i don't think that works for installed programs and settings.... that stuff is all in the registry and shit. Otherwise I'd just send it all across the LAN.

this is what I was afraid the answer would be.

i've heard of Norton Ghost, never tried it, and I don't trust Powerquest's software.

i guess I'll be reinstalling. Shit.

We used to use it where I work, and it was great as long as the motherboards and hardware were identical. As soon as you changed the motherboard, the system was not stable. We used them in a manufacturing environment where they ran 24 hrs a day, and the ghosted computers would end up popping up the blue screen of death from time to time where the computers we setup never did.

Its the only way to get the best performance out of it. Its a pain in the ass, but worth it in the long run.

Newer machine=newer parts, diff parts, diff drivers,
Config is prolly tottaly diff also.

it wont ever work

Only thing you transfer is data imho, the rest you need to freshly imstall.

windows restore

not true... run sysprep before creating the image:glugglug

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/p...troduction.asp

I'll buy a nice computer soon. My PIII 600 keeps crashing ("frozen screens", blue screens, errors... ). I thought about formating the HD, but I would have to install everything and config... and it would probably crash again and again.

I have a great program for doing this.. I can send it to you if you drop an email addy in this thread Amp.

if you are running XP you can use the files transfer wizard ..

it works well for transfering all of your settings and prefrences from all your programs all you will have to make sure of is you have installed all of the programs that you have running on your current system .. i have used this once or twice and it works quite well

I just did this too. My old computer died (power supply fried, which then blew my mbd, memory, and video card), so I bought a new smoking system.

After many years of upgrading things, the *only* good solution is to re-install everything. I keep all of my downloaded utilities in a "download" directory, and *all* of my personal files in another "data" directory tree. That way, once I re-install all of my stuff, I can just copy the entire data directory tree over, and all of my data files are there and not lost or forgotten about.

Re-installing all of the applications that I use often only took about 3 hours; the rest of the junk I used to have installed can be re-installed as I need them. It's really not that big of a deal, and my registry isn't cluttered with crap from applications that I used once 3 years ago.

Hey Amp ...

You are going to have to reinstall from scratch .. it's the very easiest way.

Let me make a couple of suggestions here though.

1) Once your system is installed precisely the way you want it, ghost it. If you ever need to reinstall that system again, it's easy as 1 - 2 - 3.

2) Take this opportunity, if you aren't already, to include redundant hard drive capacity. ATA Raid cards can be bought for less than $100. They'll run 4 drives on two channels, and with the low cost of hard drives, you'll have an effective redudant system. You shouldn't ever lose a system, pretty much.

I know that doesn't relate to your question so much .. But having lost a system drive lately, I'd highly reccomend it. :thumbsup

maybe buy one of those external hard drive thingamahgigee's KRL posted earlier. set that as your C drive

then format the other ones and go weeeeeeeeeeeeee. ok, i think i studied too much portfolio management for one night

Definitely. For the longest time I was convinced I could find some program to transfer all necessary data..tried drive image and others..none of them truly worked.

Re-install is the only way you can go.

there is nothing like a fresh install

Save yourself more problems now by installing it fresh and clean.

There are ways to do that but then you have to be a pro at it to minimize mistakes or you'd get more problems.

very easy to do, however windows will have to reinstall your new hardware, it will take a couple of reboots at least and its not garunteed to all work 100%
best option is to reintall, its not that hard

norton Ghost will make an exact copy of your current hard drive

i am doing a similar thing right now on two systems (before going to a toga party). i am going for a nice clean fresh reinstall. i think you should do the same...

yeah,i do exactly the same

start from scratch and install the OS. Less problems that way!

I haven't had to try this myself yet, but how about the "Transfer files & settings"-guide? - assuming you're using XP.

If it works like Microshaft intended, that's your saviour :thumbsup

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