Hard Drive replacement question

NickM · 11-20-2006, 02:59 PM

Hi,

Sorry if this is a stupid question or one thats been asked before but Im stuck.

Have a HP computer with two 300gb hard drives ( C & D ).

The primary drive that boots the PC ( Drive C ) has loads of errors on the disk, and the computer tells me they are unreadable sectors. Cant fix these.

Anyway drive D is fine, but I want to go out and buy a new drive to replace the primary one.

Can someone please tell me how I can replace drive C without having to buy a new OS?
The computer came with XP pre-installed and didnt supply me with a OEM version or anything.

Is it even possible to replace my primary drive without having to go out and buy a new copy of XP?

Hope this makes sense, many thanks for any advice.

Nick

**linderman** · 11-20-2006, 03:04 PM

yes I believe it is possbile to replace your "C" drive without having to buy a new copy of Win XP

you have several options

why not just use a friends Win XP cd and your serial number for your fresh install ? as long as you use a like version (your is xp home I presume & get a buddies disk that is alos XP home >>>> you cant mix like yours being Home and a buddies being XP Pro)

another avenue is look in your "C" drive do you see a folder named I386

**8210GUY** · 11-20-2006, 04:10 PM

Ordinarily I'd suggest something like Ghost to copy the drive to the new one, then it should be done as though nothing has changed, what worries me is the bad sectors, I don't know if they would have any negative bearing on this method .

**cjessee** · 11-20-2006, 06:24 PM

Ghost has the option to try and repair the bad sectors and check the disks. IT TAKES BLOODY FOREVER! I have heard good things and bad things. I have copied a questionable disk one time and it seemed to come across without any problems. It did take about 6 hours though.

**Doby** · 11-20-2006, 08:24 PM

Hp puts there OS recovery on a separate partition on the hdd, it is the the users responsibility to create the recovery disks.

Try this, tap F10 at boot up and see if you can access the recovery partition. If you can, reinstall, even if you receive errors. If you can successfully do this and windows works you can then create the cd's to restore XP.

This is a one time process and its located somewhere in the start menu, if you get these disks created you can then install a new hdd and use them to install windows

11-20-2006, 02:59 PM	#1 (permalink)
NickM Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 1 OS: XP	Hard Drive replacement question Hi, Sorry if this is a stupid question or one thats been asked before but Im stuck. Have a HP computer with two 300gb hard drives ( C & D ). The primary drive that boots the PC ( Drive C ) has loads of errors on the disk, and the computer tells me they are unreadable sectors. Cant fix these. Anyway drive D is fine, but I want to go out and buy a new drive to replace the primary one. Can someone please tell me how I can replace drive C without having to buy a new OS? The computer came with XP pre-installed and didnt supply me with a OEM version or anything. Is it even possible to replace my primary drive without having to go out and buy a new copy of XP? Hope this makes sense, many thanks for any advice. Nick

11-20-2006, 03:04 PM	#2 (permalink)
linderman Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 19,383 OS: win 2000 pro / Win XP pro My System	yes I believe it is possbile to replace your "C" drive without having to buy a new copy of Win XP you have several options why not just use a friends Win XP cd and your serial number for your fresh install ? as long as you use a like version (your is xp home I presume & get a buddies disk that is alos XP home >>>> you cant mix like yours being Home and a buddies being XP Pro) another avenue is look in your "C" drive do you see a folder named I386 __________________ Even a Broken Clock is Right Twice a Day ! Power Supply Selection LEARN TO BACK-UP YOUR DATA FREE & EASY YouTube - Runtime Software DriveImage XML tutorial

11-20-2006, 08:24 PM	#5 (permalink)
Doby Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Central PA (USA) Posts: 7,924 OS: XP sp2/ Vista My System	Hp puts there OS recovery on a separate partition on the hdd, it is the the users responsibility to create the recovery disks. Try this, tap F10 at boot up and see if you can access the recovery partition. If you can, reinstall, even if you receive errors. If you can successfully do this and windows works you can then create the cd's to restore XP. This is a one time process and its located somewhere in the start menu, if you get these disks created you can then install a new hdd and use them to install windows __________________ Would you like to help TSF fight cancer and other diseases??? JOIN TEAM TSF

11-20-2006, 04:10 PM	#3 (permalink)
8210GUY TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 1,558 OS: xp Pro	Ordinarily I'd suggest something like Ghost to copy the drive to the new one, then it should be done as though nothing has changed, what worries me is the bad sectors, I don't know if they would have any negative bearing on this method .

11-20-2006, 06:24 PM	#4 (permalink)
cjessee Uh oh. Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 794 OS: Windows NT/2000/XP, Dictaphone, Windows 2003 Server	Ghost has the option to try and repair the bad sectors and check the disks. IT TAKES BLOODY FOREVER! I have heard good things and bad things. I have copied a questionable disk one time and it seemed to come across without any problems. It did take about 6 hours though.