Different Q about partitions on NTFS drive

[KlondikeGeoff]

I posted about a problem using Partition Magic to add a partition to my new computer.

My new computer, running XP Home, has a 250Gb NTFS partition. Before using Laplink to migrate all my setup on the old box, I wanted to make two partitions, the primary 60Gb and the other whatever is left. Now I have found out that size drive cannot be partitioned (good old MS helping out again).

My old computer has the OS and several programs on the C: drive, and many other programs and all my files on the D: drive.

If I migrate everything on the two partitions on the old box to the only one partition on the new box, will that work, or screw up everything.

I would hope that it would just merge all the folders and subfolders into one huge tree, which would be OK, I guess. However, what would happen, for example, to the Program Files folder I have on the C: drive and the other Program Files folder I have on the D: drive with different programs? Merge them all in one folder, create two Program Flles folders, or just blow up the new computer?

Anybody tried this?

[engineer_comp_geek]

You can't just copy executables from one disk to another. Some programs will work fine, but others will get completely hosed. Some programs require DLLs and registry entries, which you won't get from file copying. Exactly what you can move and how you can move it depends on the program. With some programs, all you have to do is re-install the program on the new disk and copy over your data files. Other programs will require you to export data and import it on the new disk. It all depends on how they programmed the software.

[Quartz]

My new computer, running XP Home, has a 250Gb NTFS partition. Before using Laplink to migrate all my setup on the old box, I wanted to make two partitions, the primary 60Gb and the other whatever is left. Now I have found out that size drive cannot be partitioned (good old MS helping out again).

Sure it can. Partition Magic is just the tool for that. Or do you mean that you can't resize the existing partition? Do remember that after resizing the Primary Partition you need to create both an Extended Partition and a drive within the Extended Partition.

If you're stuck and still want the seperation of apps and data, perhaps the simplest solution is to buy an additional drive.

I would not, however, copy the programs. As engineer_comp_geek indicates, results will be undefined. Download all the updates then reinstall the apps and apply the updates.

[GusNSpot]

Why not just install the old drive as a slave and you can navigate to it when you want/need to?

[Harmonious Discord]

With Win XP you can have 4 Primary partitions on a hard drive and access all of them. The one you boot from has to be the active one. An extended partition is technically not necessary unless you want more than 4 partitions.

You pretty much need to reinstall the applications on the new drive to register the application in all the places Windows needs information and files to be located. Partition Magic should be able to resize the boot partition on the new computer if that's how you want to set it up. Just remember that during a resize the hard drive could be corrupted. The data partition need only have the data copied over to the new computer to use it.

[Mr. Slant]

Words of experience:
Scandisk/autochk
then defrag
THEN use Partition Magic.