Remember that WinXP "sometimes" has product activation, and while
changing a hard drive will not "automatically" cause you to have to re-activate,
if you have changed lots of other stuff recently and wind up with  less than "7"
points (as assigned by MS), your Windows will reduce itself to "beg-ware"...
Meaning you will have to beg MS to re-activate it for you by proving that it
is still working on the same basic computer it came on, (or more correctly, was
first activated on...)
ALL of the above assumes you have a "white box type"/small OEM, or FPP (Retail)
version of Windows that actually needed activation in the first place...

In other words, if you are using the same hardware (except for the HD) this should
work.

Having said all that...
You can go to the manufacturer of your hard drive's WEB site and look for their
installation software. I am more familiar with Maxtor's.
There is "always" a utility buried deep in the advanced or maintenance sections
of their downloadable software. (You might have gotten a disk or CD with your HD
if it is new, but newer files are always available on the WEB and I would use the newest
since it is less likely to have bugs and problems...

I have used them many times, but in the last year or so switched to using Imaging software.
Acronis has some programs that do this, but cost money. I have also bought Ghost.

Don't erase you old hard drive until you are CERTAIN the new one copied correctly,
and I even tell people to burn-in the new one for several months, just be sure it is
not going to be one of the few "early failures"...

Watch your jumpers, and everything should come out fine. Remember to "archive"
the old HD till the new one proves itself.

                            Good luck...                       Rick Glazier



From: "gregory Moyer" <[log in to unmask]>
> I would like to transfer all my files and programs from one
> hard drive to another. My os is windows xp pro. How can I do this?

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