Move existing os install to new hard drive

[Mr. Tinker]

How can I move an existing install of Windows XP to a new hard drive without losing any installed programs? I know I could image it, but I don't have any imaging software and I want to do this for cheap. Does anyone know of a free utility to do this or a copy/paste trick? Does this (http://www.pcmech.com/show/harddrive/52/) sound like it will work?

[Mr. Tinker]

bump?

[Shark-357]

Use Norton Ghost ;) if u dont have it i can send it on ur email (30mb).

[trodas]

Using Drive Image 2002 on boot cd for this purpose.

However one thing should be mentioned - before you do the win backup, disable use of the swap file. No, it did not make your backup much smaller, but it make it working. Dunno why, but winblows did not like move the swap file to another device and believe me, even if you upgrading HDD to higher capacity one with the very same HDD line of the very same vendor - it IS a new device for winblows and they will hang on with endless complaining about the swap file, if you don't do it.
(delete it with 3rd software like ERD commander mostly did not work as well)

[Mr. Tinker]

cool, thanks.