XP Home(SP2) on 2 hard drives

[[email protected]]

OK, here's the deal...looks like I am getting a new PC soon that comes
with XP Home SP2...I am currently using the same OS on the PC I
currently have. The drive that comes with the new machine is a serial
ATA and this one I'm on is IDE. I wanted to know that of I set my IDE
drive as a slave and keep my current operating system on it would it be
recognized and would I be able to boot to the master and then still
recognize the slave to be able to use it for storage and drag files to
the master? The reason I'm wanting to do this is so I don't have to
burn a bunch of CDs with my backup files and then do a reformat of the
drive before installing. Also I am not looking to boot from the slave
as I just want to set it up to boot the master and still be able to
have access to the 2nd drive for storage and moving files to the master
drive. If this is possible, would I have to set permissions for files
and folders on the slave drive that I want to move or have access to ?
Also, I'm assuming I'd have to set the boot options in BIOS??? I hope
someone can help me out. I'm planning ahead here so I know what to do
when I get my new system. One more thing, how do you set the IDE jumper
to slave?

[Shenan Stanley]

mooky9669 wrote:
> OK, here's the deal...looks like I am getting a new PC soon that
> comes with XP Home SP2...I am currently using the same OS on the PC
> I currently have. The drive that comes with the new machine is a
> serial ATA and this one I'm on is IDE. I wanted to know that of I
> set my IDE drive as a slave and keep my current operating system on
> it would it be recognized and would I be able to boot to the master
> and then still recognize the slave to be able to use it for storage
> and drag files to the master? The reason I'm wanting to do this is
> so I don't have to burn a bunch of CDs with my backup files and
> then do a reformat of the drive before installing. Also I am not
> looking to boot from the slave as I just want to set it up to boot
> the master and still be able to have access to the 2nd drive for
> storage and moving files to the master drive. If this is possible,
> would I have to set permissions for files and folders on the slave
> drive that I want to move or have access to ? Also, I'm assuming
> I'd have to set the boot options in BIOS??? I hope someone can help
> me out. I'm planning ahead here so I know what to do when I get my
> new system. One more thing, how do you set the IDE jumper to slave?

In other words - you want to get your new system all setup and then put in
your hard drive from your old system because all your data is on it and you
have no network/external drive to transfer things from the old to the new
computer?

Sure - you can do that. Should work fine.

Just keep the drive disconnected until Windows XP is installed and make
sure - if your BIOS has such a thing - it is set to look for the boot
devices from the SATA controller first.

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

[Ronnie Vernon MVP]

As Shenan stated, this should work as long as you are simply retrieving the data files and then formatting the slave drive.

You may need to take ownership of the data files on the slave drive, since they were created using a different account. See the following article for instructions.

HOW TO: Take Ownership of a File or Folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308421

With XP Home, you will need to take ownership in Safe Mode.

--

Ronnie Vernon
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User



wrote:
> OK, here's the deal...looks like I am getting a new PC soon that comes
> with XP Home SP2...I am currently using the same OS on the PC I
> currently have. The drive that comes with the new machine is a serial
> ATA and this one I'm on is IDE. I wanted to know that of I set my IDE
> drive as a slave and keep my current operating system on it would it
> be recognized and would I be able to boot to the master and then still
> recognize the slave to be able to use it for storage and drag files to
> the master? The reason I'm wanting to do this is so I don't have to
> burn a bunch of CDs with my backup files and then do a reformat of the
> drive before installing. Also I am not looking to boot from the slave
> as I just want to set it up to boot the master and still be able to
> have access to the 2nd drive for storage and moving files to the
> master drive. If this is possible, would I have to set permissions
> for files and folders on the slave drive that I want to move or have
> access to ? Also, I'm assuming I'd have to set the boot options in
> BIOS??? I hope someone can help me out. I'm planning ahead here so I
> know what to do when I get my new system. One more thing, how do you
> set the IDE jumper to slave?

[mooky]

Thanks for the help. XP home will be installed on the machine and I'll
check the BIOS for the setup. I hope to get this new PC since mine is
at least 5 years old now and a friggin' PIII. Plus they will install
everything and test it before shipping it off. Mym mom and her husband
are the ones who are going to hopefully get it for me for Christmas and
I need a new one a.s.a.p since the one I have has been giving me
trouble lately.
Shenan Stanley wrote:
> mooky9669 wrote:
> > OK, here's the deal...looks like I am getting a new PC soon that
> > comes with XP Home SP2...I am currently using the same OS on the PC
> > I currently have. The drive that comes with the new machine is a
> > serial ATA and this one I'm on is IDE. I wanted to know that of I
> > set my IDE drive as a slave and keep my current operating system on
> > it would it be recognized and would I be able to boot to the master
> > and then still recognize the slave to be able to use it for storage
> > and drag files to the master? The reason I'm wanting to do this is
> > so I don't have to burn a bunch of CDs with my backup files and
> > then do a reformat of the drive before installing. Also I am not
> > looking to boot from the slave as I just want to set it up to boot
> > the master and still be able to have access to the 2nd drive for
> > storage and moving files to the master drive. If this is possible,
> > would I have to set permissions for files and folders on the slave
> > drive that I want to move or have access to ? Also, I'm assuming
> > I'd have to set the boot options in BIOS??? I hope someone can help
> > me out. I'm planning ahead here so I know what to do when I get my
> > new system. One more thing, how do you set the IDE jumper to slave?
>
> In other words - you want to get your new system all setup and then put in
> your hard drive from your old system because all your data is on it and you
> have no network/external drive to transfer things from the old to the new
> computer?
>
> Sure - you can do that. Should work fine.
>
> Just keep the drive disconnected until Windows XP is installed and make
> sure - if your BIOS has such a thing - it is set to look for the boot
> devices from the SATA controller first.
>
> --
> Shenan Stanley
> MS-MVP
> --
> How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

[mooky]

I'm looking on ecollegepc.com at a custom pc and have been emailing
their sales dept. and they are very quick to respond(which is very
good) and they said that if I have XP installed on the new drive, I can
hook my old drive to the IDE channel and it will be accessible for
storage and drag and drop files to the new drive. I'll copy and paste
the specs on the one I have customized from their site. I found them on
eBay and clicked on the link to their site to be able to customize a
system. Also, they are the only ones I found that allow you to
customize your system the way you want it and I am able to choose the
sound and video cards I need. Most on eBay just have on board video and
sound which I'd have to upgrade and install myself. The PC I have now
and have had for 5 years going on 6 I got on eBay for around $600 ans I
had to upgrade the video and sound cards, which were a bit expensive
back then. The video card on my current system is an ATI all in Wonder
128 pci catd with tv out(older motherboard with no AGP or pci express)
and the sound card is an older Sound Blaster Live 5.1 Platinum which
isn't even on Creative's site anymore...Anyway here are the specs for
the PC I customized and hope to get from ecollegepc.com

3000+ Sempron 64 AM2 CPU Retail Box with Fan
AMD Heatsink and Fan Included
ECS NFORCE4M-A (nForce4-4X, DDR2,SATA, Sound, LAN, PCIEx)
1GB (512MBx2) PC4200 DDR2 533Mhz Memory Major Brand
160GB 7200RPM 8MB Cache Serial ATA300
16X LiteON DVD Drive w/Power DVD
18X Samsung S182M Lightscribe Dual Layer DVD±RW DVD-RAM w/Nero
256MB nVidia GeForce 7300GS DDR2 PCI Express DVI/Tvout
Microsoft Windows XP Home SP2
400watt Black Foxconn FX-776 Mid Tower w/2 Fans (4 5.25, 6 3.5 bays)
Supply included with Case
Onboard LAN included
CreativeSound Blaster X-Fi Platinum
Standard 1 year parts and labor

Total price with shipping is $790

I originally chose 512MB but I knew for this setup I'd need a gig.

mooky wrote:
> Thanks for the help. XP home will be installed on the machine and I'll
> check the BIOS for the setup. I hope to get this new PC since mine is
> at least 5 years old now and a friggin' PIII. Plus they will install
> everything and test it before shipping it off. Mym mom and her husband
> are the ones who are going to hopefully get it for me for Christmas and
> I need a new one a.s.a.p since the one I have has been giving me
> trouble lately.
> Shenan Stanley wrote:
> > mooky9669 wrote:
> > > OK, here's the deal...looks like I am getting a new PC soon that
> > > comes with XP Home SP2...I am currently using the same OS on the PC
> > > I currently have. The drive that comes with the new machine is a
> > > serial ATA and this one I'm on is IDE. I wanted to know that of I
> > > set my IDE drive as a slave and keep my current operating system on
> > > it would it be recognized and would I be able to boot to the master
> > > and then still recognize the slave to be able to use it for storage
> > > and drag files to the master? The reason I'm wanting to do this is
> > > so I don't have to burn a bunch of CDs with my backup files and
> > > then do a reformat of the drive before installing. Also I am not
> > > looking to boot from the slave as I just want to set it up to boot
> > > the master and still be able to have access to the 2nd drive for
> > > storage and moving files to the master drive. If this is possible,
> > > would I have to set permissions for files and folders on the slave
> > > drive that I want to move or have access to ? Also, I'm assuming
> > > I'd have to set the boot options in BIOS??? I hope someone can help
> > > me out. I'm planning ahead here so I know what to do when I get my
> > > new system. One more thing, how do you set the IDE jumper to slave?
> >
> > In other words - you want to get your new system all setup and then put in
> > your hard drive from your old system because all your data is on it and you
> > have no network/external drive to transfer things from the old to the new
> > computer?
> >
> > Sure - you can do that. Should work fine.
> >
> > Just keep the drive disconnected until Windows XP is installed and make
> > sure - if your BIOS has such a thing - it is set to look for the boot
> > devices from the SATA controller first.
> >
> > --
> > Shenan Stanley
> > MS-MVP
> > --
> > How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
> > http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

[diablo]

> wrote in message
ps.com...
> OK, here's the deal...looks like I am getting a new PC soon that comes
> with XP Home SP2...I am currently using the same OS on the PC I
> currently have. The drive that comes with the new machine is a serial
> ATA and this one I'm on is IDE. I wanted to know that of I set my IDE
> drive as a slave and keep my current operating system on it would it be
> recognized and would I be able to boot to the master and then still
> recognize the slave to be able to use it for storage and drag files to
> the master? The reason I'm wanting to do this is so I don't have to
> burn a bunch of CDs with my backup files and then do a reformat of the
> drive before installing. Also I am not looking to boot from the slave
> as I just want to set it up to boot the master and still be able to
> have access to the 2nd drive for storage and moving files to the master
> drive. If this is possible, would I have to set permissions for files
> and folders on the slave drive that I want to move or have access to ?
> Also, I'm assuming I'd have to set the boot options in BIOS??? I hope
> someone can help me out. I'm planning ahead here so I know what to do
> when I get my new system. One more thing, how do you set the IDE jumper
> to slave?
>

That should work fine, also if both PC's have network cards you could buy a
twisted cable and network them together. To set the jumpers look on the
drive it's self for instructions. If there are none then look on the drive
manufacturers web site for instructions.

Brian

[mooky]

thanks...is the price a bit much? I'm saying this because my mom and
her husband will prob. be getting it for me for Christmas. This was the
only site I found that had the sound card and video card I need. I'll
prob just hook it into the new machine as it would be the simplest
solution for me I think.
diablo wrote:
> > wrote in message
> ps.com...
> > OK, here's the deal...looks like I am getting a new PC soon that comes
> > with XP Home SP2...I am currently using the same OS on the PC I
> > currently have. The drive that comes with the new machine is a serial
> > ATA and this one I'm on is IDE. I wanted to know that of I set my IDE
> > drive as a slave and keep my current operating system on it would it be
> > recognized and would I be able to boot to the master and then still
> > recognize the slave to be able to use it for storage and drag files to
> > the master? The reason I'm wanting to do this is so I don't have to
> > burn a bunch of CDs with my backup files and then do a reformat of the
> > drive before installing. Also I am not looking to boot from the slave
> > as I just want to set it up to boot the master and still be able to
> > have access to the 2nd drive for storage and moving files to the master
> > drive. If this is possible, would I have to set permissions for files
> > and folders on the slave drive that I want to move or have access to ?
> > Also, I'm assuming I'd have to set the boot options in BIOS??? I hope
> > someone can help me out. I'm planning ahead here so I know what to do
> > when I get my new system. One more thing, how do you set the IDE jumper
> > to slave?
> >
>
> That should work fine, also if both PC's have network cards you could buy a
> twisted cable and network them together. To set the jumpers look on the
> drive it's self for instructions. If there are none then look on the drive
> manufacturers web site for instructions.
>
> Brian

[mooky]

Thanks for the info. I'll read the article later when my eyes aren't
tired.
Ronnie Vernon MVP wrote:
> As Shenan stated, this should work as long as you are simply retrieving the data files and then formatting the slave drive.
>
> You may need to take ownership of the data files on the slave drive, since they were created using a different account. See the following article for instructions.
>
> HOW TO: Take Ownership of a File or Folder in Windows XP
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308421
>
> With XP Home, you will need to take ownership in Safe Mode.
>
> --
>
> Ronnie Vernon
> Microsoft MVP
> Windows Shell/User
>
>
>
> wrote:
> > OK, here's the deal...looks like I am getting a new PC soon that comes
> > with XP Home SP2...I am currently using the same OS on the PC I
> > currently have. The drive that comes with the new machine is a serial
> > ATA and this one I'm on is IDE. I wanted to know that of I set my IDE
> > drive as a slave and keep my current operating system on it would it
> > be recognized and would I be able to boot to the master and then still
> > recognize the slave to be able to use it for storage and drag files to
> > the master? The reason I'm wanting to do this is so I don't have to
> > burn a bunch of CDs with my backup files and then do a reformat of the
> > drive before installing. Also I am not looking to boot from the slave
> > as I just want to set it up to boot the master and still be able to
> > have access to the 2nd drive for storage and moving files to the
> > master drive. If this is possible, would I have to set permissions
> > for files and folders on the slave drive that I want to move or have
> > access to ? Also, I'm assuming I'd have to set the boot options in
> > BIOS??? I hope someone can help me out. I'm planning ahead here so I
> > know what to do when I get my new system. One more thing, how do you
> > set the IDE jumper to slave?

[mooky]

mooky wrote:
> Thanks for the info. I'll read the article later when my eyes aren't
> tired. Also, could I get away without having to wipe the data of the 2nd drive and if I have to wipe it, after moving files to the new drive, what's the quickest and easiest way to do it?
> Ronnie Vernon MVP wrote:
> > As Shenan stated, this should work as long as you are simply retrieving the data files and then formatting the slave drive.
> >
> > You may need to take ownership of the data files on the slave drive, since they were created using a different account. See the following article for instructions.
> >
> > HOW TO: Take Ownership of a File or Folder in Windows XP
> > http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308421
> >
> > With XP Home, you will need to take ownership in Safe Mode.
> >
> > --
> >
> > Ronnie Vernon
> > Microsoft MVP
> > Windows Shell/User
> >
> >
> >
> > wrote:
> > > OK, here's the deal...looks like I am getting a new PC soon that comes
> > > with XP Home SP2...I am currently using the same OS on the PC I
> > > currently have. The drive that comes with the new machine is a serial
> > > ATA and this one I'm on is IDE. I wanted to know that of I set my IDE
> > > drive as a slave and keep my current operating system on it would it
> > > be recognized and would I be able to boot to the master and then still
> > > recognize the slave to be able to use it for storage and drag files to
> > > the master? The reason I'm wanting to do this is so I don't have to
> > > burn a bunch of CDs with my backup files and then do a reformat of the
> > > drive before installing. Also I am not looking to boot from the slave
> > > as I just want to set it up to boot the master and still be able to
> > > have access to the 2nd drive for storage and moving files to the
> > > master drive. If this is possible, would I have to set permissions
> > > for files and folders on the slave drive that I want to move or have
> > > access to ? Also, I'm assuming I'd have to set the boot options in
> > > BIOS??? I hope someone can help me out. I'm planning ahead here so I
> > > know what to do when I get my new system. One more thing, how do you
> > > set the IDE jumper to slave?

[mooky]

One other thing...can I get away without having to wipe the slave drive
after moving the files to the new one??? If I do have to wipe it what's
the fastest and easiest way to do so?
mooky wrote:
> mooky wrote:
> > Thanks for the info. I'll read the article later when my eyes aren't
> > tired. Also, could I get away without having to wipe the data of the 2nd drive and if I have to wipe it, after moving files to the new drive, what's the quickest and easiest way to do it?
> > Ronnie Vernon MVP wrote:
> > > As Shenan stated, this should work as long as you are simply retrieving the data files and then formatting the slave drive.
> > >
> > > You may need to take ownership of the data files on the slave drive, since they were created using a different account. See the following article for instructions.
> > >
> > > HOW TO: Take Ownership of a File or Folder in Windows XP
> > > http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308421
> > >
> > > With XP Home, you will need to take ownership in Safe Mode.
> > >
> > > --
> > >
> > > Ronnie Vernon
> > > Microsoft MVP
> > > Windows Shell/User
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > wrote:
> > > > OK, here's the deal...looks like I am getting a new PC soon that comes
> > > > with XP Home SP2...I am currently using the same OS on the PC I
> > > > currently have. The drive that comes with the new machine is a serial
> > > > ATA and this one I'm on is IDE. I wanted to know that of I set my IDE
> > > > drive as a slave and keep my current operating system on it would it
> > > > be recognized and would I be able to boot to the master and then still
> > > > recognize the slave to be able to use it for storage and drag files to
> > > > the master? The reason I'm wanting to do this is so I don't have to
> > > > burn a bunch of CDs with my backup files and then do a reformat of the
> > > > drive before installing. Also I am not looking to boot from the slave
> > > > as I just want to set it up to boot the master and still be able to
> > > > have access to the 2nd drive for storage and moving files to the
> > > > master drive. If this is possible, would I have to set permissions
> > > > for files and folders on the slave drive that I want to move or have
> > > > access to ? Also, I'm assuming I'd have to set the boot options in
> > > > BIOS??? I hope someone can help me out. I'm planning ahead here so I
> > > > know what to do when I get my new system. One more thing, how do you
> > > > set the IDE jumper to slave?

[Shenan Stanley]

mooky wrote:
> One other thing...can I get away without having to wipe the slave
> drive after moving the files to the new one??? If I do have to wipe
> it what's the fastest and easiest way to do so?

Disk management, delete all the partitions and create new ones...
You can probably get away without ever having to format it - but I would do
it anyway.

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

[mooky]

Thanks for the help....I have another question....I'm still doing a
search for the best deals for a customizable PC..I've checked Dell, but
can't get the platinum sound card I mentioned earlier...tigerdirect.com
goes over the price I came up with on ecollegepc...someone on another
site mentioned ibuypower.com, but that ended up costing more as
well...anyone have any suggestions so I can compare prices?
Shenan Stanley wrote:
> mooky wrote:
> > One other thing...can I get away without having to wipe the slave
> > drive after moving the files to the new one??? If I do have to wipe
> > it what's the fastest and easiest way to do so?
>
> Disk management, delete all the partitions and create new ones...
> You can probably get away without ever having to format it - but I would do
> it anyway.
>
> --
> Shenan Stanley
> MS-MVP
> --
> How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

[Shenan Stanley]

mooky wrote:
> I'm still doing a search for the best deals for a customizable PC..
> I've checked Dell, but can't get the platinum sound card I mentioned
> earlier...tigerdirect.com goes over the price I came up with on
> ecollegepc...someone on another site mentioned ibuypower.com, but
> that ended up costing more as well...anyone have any suggestions so
> I can compare prices?

Personally - if I were you and all you were worried about was one sound
card...
Buy a Dell or somehting that meets all your other specs and get the sound
card seperately later.
Just make sure whatever you order has the card slot needed to fit the sound
card you wish to buy.

Otherwise you will need to order the computer piece-meal and assemble
yourself.

For Pricing/Opinions/Reviews on various products:
- http://www.dealsites.net/
- http://www.techbargains.com/
- http://www.pricewatch.com/
- http://www.epinions.com/
- http://www.resellerratings.com/

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

[Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE/WM]

Find a local computer store that builds their own computers. You may pay a
little more but it's worth it.

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE/WM
http://www.fjsmjs.com


"mooky" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Thanks for the help....I have another question....I'm still doing a
> search for the best deals for a customizable PC..I've checked Dell, but
> can't get the platinum sound card I mentioned earlier...tigerdirect.com
> goes over the price I came up with on ecollegepc...someone on another
> site mentioned ibuypower.com, but that ended up costing more as
> well...anyone have any suggestions so I can compare prices?
> Shenan Stanley wrote:
>> mooky wrote:
>> > One other thing...can I get away without having to wipe the slave
>> > drive after moving the files to the new one??? If I do have to wipe
>> > it what's the fastest and easiest way to do so?
>>
>> Disk management, delete all the partitions and create new ones...
>> You can probably get away without ever having to format it - but I would
>> do
>> it anyway.
>>
>> --
>> Shenan Stanley
>> MS-MVP
>> --
>> How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
>> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
>

[mooky]

thanks...I really don't want to buy the card seperately and install it.
I have an older SoundBlaster Live 5.1 platinum that was a pain in the
butt to install. It has the Live Drive in the front with remote and
extra audio connections that I need. When I first bought that one
around 5 years ago I read the install instructions and it looked easy
to install, but after I id, I must have fried the live driveand had to
go back to the local PC shop where I bought the card and have him
install it after I told him the Live Drive wasn't working. I'd rather
just get a PC with what I need already hooked up without having to
spend extra on upgrades and self installation.
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE/WM wrote:
> Find a local computer store that builds their own computers. You may pay a
> little more but it's worth it.
>
> --
> Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE/WM
> http://www.fjsmjs.com
>
>
> "mooky" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
> > Thanks for the help....I have another question....I'm still doing a
> > search for the best deals for a customizable PC..I've checked Dell, but
> > can't get the platinum sound card I mentioned earlier...tigerdirect.com
> > goes over the price I came up with on ecollegepc...someone on another
> > site mentioned ibuypower.com, but that ended up costing more as
> > well...anyone have any suggestions so I can compare prices?
> > Shenan Stanley wrote:
> >> mooky wrote:
> >> > One other thing...can I get away without having to wipe the slave
> >> > drive after moving the files to the new one??? If I do have to wipe
> >> > it what's the fastest and easiest way to do so?
> >>
> >> Disk management, delete all the partitions and create new ones...
> >> You can probably get away without ever having to format it - but I would
> >> do
> >> it anyway.
> >>
> >> --
> >> Shenan Stanley
> >> MS-MVP
> >> --
> >> How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
> >> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
> >

[Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE/WM]

Like I said, "Find a local computer store that builds their own computers.
You may pay a
little more but it's worth it."
Tell them what you want in the machine and they'll do it for less money than
it would cost to build your own and certainly a lot less hassle.

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE/WM
http://www.fjsmjs.com


"mooky" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> thanks...I really don't want to buy the card seperately and install it.
> I have an older SoundBlaster Live 5.1 platinum that was a pain in the
> butt to install. It has the Live Drive in the front with remote and
> extra audio connections that I need. When I first bought that one
> around 5 years ago I read the install instructions and it looked easy
> to install, but after I id, I must have fried the live driveand had to
> go back to the local PC shop where I bought the card and have him
> install it after I told him the Live Drive wasn't working. I'd rather
> just get a PC with what I need already hooked up without having to
> spend extra on upgrades and self installation.
> Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE/WM wrote:
>> Find a local computer store that builds their own computers. You may pay
>> a
>> little more but it's worth it.
>>
>> --
>> Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE/WM
>> http://www.fjsmjs.com
>>
>>
>> "mooky" > wrote in message
>> oups.com...
>> > Thanks for the help....I have another question....I'm still doing a
>> > search for the best deals for a customizable PC..I've checked Dell, but
>> > can't get the platinum sound card I mentioned earlier...tigerdirect.com
>> > goes over the price I came up with on ecollegepc...someone on another
>> > site mentioned ibuypower.com, but that ended up costing more as
>> > well...anyone have any suggestions so I can compare prices?
>> > Shenan Stanley wrote:
>> >> mooky wrote:
>> >> > One other thing...can I get away without having to wipe the slave
>> >> > drive after moving the files to the new one??? If I do have to wipe
>> >> > it what's the fastest and easiest way to do so?
>> >>
>> >> Disk management, delete all the partitions and create new ones...
>> >> You can probably get away without ever having to format it - but I
>> >> would
>> >> do
>> >> it anyway.
>> >>
>> >> --
>> >> Shenan Stanley
>> >> MS-MVP
>> >> --
>> >> How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
>> >> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
>> >
>

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE/WM wrote:

> Like I said, "Find a local computer store that builds their own
> computers. You may pay a
> little more but it's worth it."
> Tell them what you want in the machine and they'll do it for less
> money than it would cost to build your own and certainly a lot less
> hassle.


I'm with you. I'm not so sure that it's necessarily less money than it would
cost to build your own, but I certainly agree that it's a lot less hassle.

The main issue is that it's very easy to build a computer, but it isn't
necessarily so easy to troubleshoot it if it doesn't work properly. For
several years now, I've been dealing with a local builder. I can buy all
the parts from him separately and choose to build it myself, or pay him a
small additional amount and let him build it and guarantee the results. For
$40 he'll build it with a one-year guarantee, or for $75 he'll build it with
a two-year guarantee.

To me, it's a no-brainer. I pay the $75.

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
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