I use the xcopy command inside of Win9x to dup hard drives from my master
hard drive when ever I build a new machines for a client. Takes only minutes
(in Windows 9x). I actually have written a bat file so I do not have to
remember the switches every time.

Let me stress, it must be done in a DOS window inside of Win9x (not a boot
to DOS by any method). Otherwise, it will take 10 times as long since it is
not using the 32 bit access drivers to access the hard drive. Also you will
lose all LFNs. If you are in Win9x and inside of a DOS window and type
XCOPY, windows will actually run xcopy32 so as to keep LFNs and use 32 bit
process.

Suggest you use the following procedure. Fdisk/Format the new hard drive
from a boot (startup) disk with the new disk as Master on IDE 1, i.e. the C
drive and no other hard drives connected. When asked during Fdisk if you
want to make the disk active, i.e. bootable, answer "yes". Then add your
original (old) hard drive as C drive, and the new as a D drive. Remember to
change your BIOS settings and and jumpers for Master/Slave on the HD each
time. Boot to Win9x and run the xcopy(32) command to copy all files from C
to D. Shut down. Make D (new HD) the C drive (again...BIOS/Jumpers). You can
make the old C (old HD) the D and use it as a backup or just to store data.
I like using a second (physical) drive as a backup which is ready to replace
the C drive if it goes down by using xcopy everyday to copy new/changed
(switch A) files from C to D and that way have a copy of my C drive without,
at most, only 1 day of data/changes.

Why do the fdisk/format with only the new disk in the system? First, when
you Fdisk it, it will ask if you want to make the disk bootable, (active)
and answer "yes". that way, when you reinstall it after the xcopy as the C
drive, you do not have to re-set it as the active disk. It happens
automatically. Again, less chance of making a mistake and Fdisk'ing the hd
clean. Second, humans being what they are and Murphy aways lurking about, it
keeps you from accidently fdisk/format'ing the orignal (old) drive and
whipping out all the data. Trust me, it can be done by even the experienced
:-(

WRT changing mobos, the best success that I have had is booting the first time to safe mode, deleting the Sys Props and then rebooting and letting Win9x find everthing new. Do this with only the video card installed and no other cards. Install SC, modem, etc after you get the system working. Even with this process, I have gotten yellow ! on the IDE drivers sometimes, which cannot not be removed and required a clean install. Also make sure that you have the CAB files for Win9x on the hard drive and changed the Reg file to show them on the hard drive and not the CDROM drive because it may need the files before it finds/loads the driver for the CDROM.

PM is not necessary for what you want to do. Save the money and buy RAM.

BTW why an Intell processer? AMD and/or Cyrix are usually a better deal. Save the money and put it into RAM. The only time I would use Intell would be if the client needed the power (and the expense) of the fastest chip available and/or dual processors. And since you are only going to a C300, you either don't and/or can not afford it.

Daniel Wysocki
Twin*.*Star Computers
770-498-2582 /800-816-0663
[log in to unmask]
Fast - Reliable - Wallet Friendly

-----Original Message-----



>At 18:51 12/18/98 -0700, Steve Face wrote:
>>I am upgrading from a 200MMX configuration to a Celeron 300A. I also
>>want to use this opportunity to upgrade my HD. My first question is
>>how to reliably copy my master HD to the new HD...
>>My second question is what to expect when the new system boots from
>>the cloned HD. At best, I predict removing the Registry files and
>>rebuilding through a reinstall of Wndows 98.
>
>You could use Partition Magic 4 (or one of Powerquest's other utilities,
>Drive Copy or Drive Image) to copy partitions from one drive to the
>other. IMO,
>
>As you mentioned, you could use "XCOPY C:\*.* D:\ /R /I /C /H /K /E /Y"
>from
 the Run Menu in Win9X. (Using XCOPY from other places can leave
>you open to problems. Don't use xcopy32.)
>
>After you have copied everything and physically changed the drives
>around, you'll have to set the primary partition on the new drive
>"active" (bootable) by booting from a Win98 Startup diskette and using
>"Fdisk". (You can do this with PM4 *before* switching the drives. )
>

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