System reinstall question

recotech · Guest

I apologize in advance if any of this doesn't make sense (due to my
ignorance) but I need some help. I presently have a computer I built in
2002 or 2003 (can't remember exactly) running XP Home. I have both all my
personal stuff (Office XP, internet stuff, etc.); but I also use it for
running loads of music software. I am planning on building a new box to be
used solely for music applications which I will transfer my music apps to.
My question is this. I would basically like to reinstall all my personal
stuff (with a clean install of the OS with SP2) back onto the original
computer, getting rid of a bunch of stuff I rarely use or don't need at all.
My problem is that I don't know how to do this safely. I want to insure
that files aren't lost and that I don't need to get the Comcast tech back
here to get me back online with their cable service. I want to protect the
integrity of all my MS Outlook data and any other personal data of that
sort. I do have hard drives available to handle any temporary transfer of
data, etc. but I just don't know the procedure. Any and all help would be
greatly appreciated. Perhaps just a suggestion as to a website I could
visit for guidance and/or any utility program suggestions. I thank anyone
in advance for any help in this matter.

Cheers

in Technicolor® · Guest

Buy a new hard drive and a USB hard drive enclosure. Put the new hard drive
in the CPU and the old full drive in the enclosure. Install the apps that
you want on your updated, freshly installed system and then transfer via the
enclosure the data files and settings you would like to have on the new
unit.

"recotech" <sddeur@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:ev6dnei6p4DFABvanZ2dnUVZ_tmhnZ2d@comcast.com...

Steve · Guest

On Jan 10, 5:33 pm, "recotech" <sdd...@comcast.net> wrote:

Barry Watzman · Guest

To be absolutely safe, make AND TEST a COMPLETE backup of the entire
hard drive (EVERYTHING), preferably to one-time DVD media that you can
keep forever. Doing that, you KNOW that you have everything, therefore
you lost nothing no matter what (you may have trouble finding it, but
that is still infinitely better than not having it).

Having done that, make a list of both everything that you know you want
to back up (e.g. all of your *.jpg photos (just for example)) and also
data that you don't know the location of or filetype of but that you do
know that you want (examples: All of your E-Mails, or all of your (just
for example) Quicken data). Then do web searches and ask questions to
find out where those things are saved, and back them up separately from
the full backup.

MOST (but not necessarily all) cable systems just use TCP/IP with DHCP,
and usually for internet connections, "it will just work" ... you don't
have to do anything. The bigger issue, usually (for people who use
"real" E-Mail, meaning non-web-based E-Mail) is the server settings for
their E-Mail (POP, SMTP and News servers, usually). If you don't have
these, you will usually have internet connectivity but no E-Mail (or
newsgroups). You can usually get this from the currently running
applications before you wipe the system.

If at all possible, do the new install to an entirely new, separate hard
drive. Then you have the original drive and can go back if you need to.

Note that you usually must reinstall ALL applications (programs) from
their original installation media. In general, you can't move installed
applications (programs) from one system to another.

recotech wrote: