How can you transfer boot information to another hard drive?
 

Anyone know? I want to throw out this old hard drive and transfer all the boot information to another hard drive.

How can I do this?

create an image.

Symantec Ghost?

If you use windows before Windows XP create a boot disk. Or follow the instructions from this link: http://www.computerhope.com/boot.htm

Can you be more precise?

Btw, boot information is saved in C:\boot.ini ..

i am still not sure what you are asking..

what do you mean by boot data? the MBR?
the entire data ? - ghost or acronis.

sorry I should have been more clear.

My C: which contains the boot info, is useless. its a 7 year old hard drive that is very loud, annoying, and small. my windows and all my files are on other hard drives. i want to basically move the boot information to another drive, and chuck this old drive.

I dont want to transfer any files from my old drive to the new one.. just the boot information

Well, the previously posted apps does it, simple too.

I tend to use Partition Magic in situations like that, and then copy the whole partition from the old to the new (totally empty is easiest).
Let PM create the special boot flopp(y/ies) with a "DOS"-version of it, boot up on that/those and You won't be copying a "live" partition.. :thumbsup

Can you not simply copy the boot information from one drive to another?

Ah.. when that's what you want, simply make sure there is a partition on the new disk, then set that partition to 'active' and copy C:'s root files + Windows directory to it.

That should work, as long as your old C: is on the same partition number as it will be on the new disk (if it's the 2:nd on the old, it must be on the 2:nd on the new).

You could also edit this in the root's 'boot.ini' - if that data doesn't match the new disk's partition layout (as in which one is the 'system' partition), you'll get a halt as soon as it's boots.