m fixing a computer for someone and there motherboard fried, so we bought em a new one, but it wont boot up properly so we need to reformatt there HDD, but they need all there fiels and such since its there business computer.so i need to transfer there stuff to a spare HDD then reformatt there HDD, then transfer the stuff back on. I have there HDD salved into my computer right now and can transfer stuff via copy/paste, but i can just copy the whole HDD and paste it cause some files cant be copyed or are in use... is there anyway to tranfer everything from the HDD to my HDD? Or do you think i should only try important stuff like all the program files? Also if i transfered all the program files to the new HDD would that mean like word and stuff would work on the new HDD?


thanks

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No MMOs currently played

buy a new computer :D

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I beat FF. Maats Cap is over rated.




BLMAF2:3/5
RDMAF2:2/5
BSTAF2:5/5(lies!hi2ublacksage)

why would i buy a new computer when this one works fine? the problem isnt getting the computer to run, it works, i just need to save there files

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No MMOs currently played

lol im juust being an ass :D

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I beat FF. Maats Cap is over rated.




BLMAF2:3/5
RDMAF2:2/5
BSTAF2:5/5(lies!hi2ublacksage)

Copy only data. The guy should know what is his data and what isn't, and if he doesn't that he's a nimrod.

You can't copy program files or those files in use (which are probably system files), because if you copy those over to the new system, you'll be hosing it beyond all belief.

A) Copy data off
B) Reimage system with Operating system, reinstall device drivers as needed
C) Reinstall all applications
D) Copy client data back to PC

Make sure he signs off on the fact that it's all of his data before you wipe it though, otherwise he'll be crying later.

What if i got a new harddrive.... like some 20 GB one, installed windows on that, then put it in there Computer, then slaved there old HDD, would they still be able to use all there files and programs with ease? i'd just have to then make desktop icons correct? that'd be the only difference

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No MMOs currently played

The programs wont work (or most of em wont). But you can get your data off atleast.

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COBRA KAI DOJO NEVER DIES
RIP Shiloh

the method i use is throwing the harddrive at a dead cat as hard as you can and manually prying the files out from the bloody explosion !!!!!!!!

Good point. Best not to mess with the registry. Another thing u can do is install windows(and boot from) on the 20gig and use the other as a slave? If u need a HD just go to any college at the end of a term and u can snag like 10 computers for parts . http://www.newegg.com has some good deals on WD harddrives 80g for ~$60.

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"My dreams are all dead & buried. Sometimes I wish the sun would just explode. When God comes and calls me to his kingdom, I'll take all you sonsabitches when I go"

You can just get an IDE to USB adaptor. I truns any HDD into a Mass USB storage device.

here is one:
http://www.cwol.com/usb/usb-2-ide-adapter-ud200.htm

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If only you all had a large Proton-Enhanced Nuclear Induction Spectroscopy machine like I do.

My preferred method of hanging on to my personal data during a reformat has always been to use PartitionMagic or such, create an extra partition at the end of the drive, move anything I want over there, then reformat the original partition.

The even simpler way is to partition your HDD to have an OS partition and a DATA partition, and install only OS stuff to the OS partition, and everything else to the DATA partition.

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*RNG75* WAR42 NIN37 SAM30 SMN19 BLM18 WHM14
DYNAMIS - XARCABARD INTERLOPER x 2
Windurst Rank 10 ~ San d'Oria Rank 1 ~ *Bastok Rank 6*
Zilart: Complete ~ CoP: Complete

The other option, is to use Norton Ghost, and make a ghost image of his original harddrive, then setup the new one and restore the image on the new harddrive, then it will be identical.

Of course, "identical" as in with all the crap he had on his old harddrive... even harddrives need a good springcleaning format now and then.

I gotta do that soon Tooyoo, ghosting seems to be a pretty safe way to test things out.

Oh yeah, its a great way for testing software.
Where I work, we use tons of diff ghosts images on a 2nd partition to test software on all sorts of setups...

Win98
win98SE
winME
win2K
win2k service pack 4
winxp
winxp SP2

so on and so forth... along with different directx installations.... it makes things sooo much easier.

(it just takes a few days to create all those config images tho, but once you have them made... its cake.)

*edit** cool sig btw pix... gonna gank it