Reloading Windows XP

[Reggie Duncan]

I think that my studio cmputer needs a new install of it's OS. To many blue screens, errors, is sluggish and I don't really have an answer for it.
Reloading programs didn't help, and the drive is
3 years old and has recorded a couple thousand
gigabytes.
It has Drive C with programs...and Drive D with music files. I want to add a new drive with the new OS.
Suggestions helpful. Can I just leave the current OS on the C drive and add the new one with the new OS?
Or no.....
As always, thanks for your time....

[Wiz Feinberg]

I think that my studio cmputer needs a new install of it's OS. To many blue screens, errors, is sluggish and I don't really have an answer for it.
<snip>
Can I just leave the current OS on the C drive and add the new one with the new OS?
Or no.....
As always, thanks for your time....

Reggie;
Yes, you can leave the existing drive as is and install a brand new hard drive, then install and activate Windows and load your programs onto it. Windows will ask which hard drive you wish to install it onto, when you boot from the installation CD.

Windows XP will create a normally hidden, read only, system file in the root of the new C drive, named boot.ini. It will contain instructions used by the "boot loader" to load the correct Windows boot drive. Technically speaking, you can even edit that file in Notepad and change back and forth between the two bootable hard drives (not that you'd want to do that).

Once you boot into Windows XP, after the installation completes, and re-activate it over the phone with Microsoft, your old hard drive will appear in My Computer as Drive D. Your CD, DVD, external USB hard drives and USB memory card reader will appear as drives E, F, G, H, etc.

Note, that you will have to reinstall programs that were used to create or read files made or saved on the old installation. You will also need to reinstall your security software and apply any commercial registration codes anew. This information will still be stored on the old drive, somewhere.

[Papa Joe Pollick]

Good question..I'm considering the same thing.
Will that work the same way if my current drive is ide and my new drive is sata? Will they work together?
What's the thing about phoning microsoft?

[Wiz Feinberg]

Good question..I'm considering the same thing.
Will that work the same way if my current drive is ide and my new drive is sata? Will they work together?
What's the thing about phoning microsoft?

Joe;
Does your motherboard have SATA connectors? If so, there is no problem having both types of hard drives. However, only one drive can act as the boot disk.

If your motherboard lacks SATA jacks, you will need to buy an adapter. It plugs into the primary IDE channel jack and contains one or two SATA jacks.

You will also need to purchase a SATA power cable conversion, unless your power supply already has one, or two.

Don't neglect to purchase screws to mount the new drive into a space in the drive cage. OEM drives don't usually come with screws.
<hr>
The thing about phoning Microsoft has to do with the fact that once you have activated your license for Windows over the Internet, the next time you re-install it you must call Microsoft on the phone to request a new Activation Code. Explain that your old hard drive died and you replaced it with a new drive unit.

The Activation code is based on the Product Key found on the Hologram sticker that should be on the computer case, or on the original Windows CD or DVD box.

The same applies to OEM Windows 7 re-installs. Microsoft only grants one Internet activation. You must explain your reason for reinstalling the product to be granted a new Activation key. If they don't like the explanation you may not be allowed to activate that Windows Product Key again.

[Reggie Duncan]

What if the computer has never been connected to the internet?

[Mike Davidson]

The harddrives are the bottleneck of most computers. The faster the drive and more of them the better your system will perform. I use 3 Raptors on my music computer with:
C: OS
D: Applications
E: Data

This system will allow great recovery and transfer methods. All data you create is on one drive and if you outgrow it transferring to a new drive is simple. Backups are also simple. If you ever have to reload OS you are not interfering with your data. OS and applications can always be reloaded. Data is priceless.

[Wiz Feinberg]

What if the computer has never been connected to the internet?

Then, how did you Activate Windows in the first place?

That's like the ad for Progressive Insurance, where the guy asks "What if my mother won't let me drive?" The sales girl answers, "Then you wouldn't have had an accident in the first place!"

Here's your sign!

[Reggie Duncan]

It has been a while and I am not sure the process. Perhaps I used a thumb drive, accessing the net from my home computer.

[Wiz Feinberg]

It has been a while and I am not sure the process. Perhaps I used a thumb drive, accessing the net from my home computer.

If you bought a major brand of PC, the operating system may have been activated at the factory. If you reinstall the OS with the set-up disk, or partition supplied by that manufacturer, you probably won't have to active Windows should you perform a full reinstallation, or recovery.

The phone activation usually applies to people who build their own computers, using an OEM Windows disk.

[Mike Davidson]

I've had pretty good luck with the phone activations. Had major hardware changes on 12 machines and had to reactivate after mobo and chip changes. Never once had to talk to a human. The keys they had me punch in were a mile long. That was the only hassle.