Transfer data from 'failed' hard drive

I had a disk boot failure on a faltering hard drive that I could not
resolve.

I have fitted a new hard drive and can access the old hard drive but I
cannot make the 'files and settings transfer wizard' move my data
across.

If I simply copy programs across most do not activate. Is there a way
to move the whole drive across so that my settings/access are
restored ??

I have Acronis True Image 10 on the old drive and back ups on a
currently disconnected drive - but the True Image program suggests I
reinstall it.

Will there be a problem reactivating my OEM XP once I restore my
internet connection? Only the hard dive has been changed.

JeffT

Big
Mon Apr 07 14:50:21 PDT 2008

greypound wrote:
> I had a disk boot failure on a faltering hard drive that I could not
> resolve.
>
> I have fitted a new hard drive and can access the old hard drive but I
> cannot make the 'files and settings transfer wizard' move my data
> across.
>
> If I simply copy programs across most do not activate. Is there a way
> to move the whole drive across so that my settings/access are
> restored ??
>
> I have Acronis True Image 10 on the old drive and back ups on a
> currently disconnected drive - but the True Image program suggests I
> reinstall it.
>
> Will there be a problem reactivating my OEM XP once I restore my
> internet connection? Only the hard dive has been changed.
>
> JeffT
If you have the original acronis disk, you can make a boot disk. That
should allow you to access the hardware and your backups.
The other option would be to install your OEM windows enough to get
Acronis working to install it, if that is what is needed to make it
create a boot disk. Have you tried booting from the Acronis CD?

And No, programs copied will not run you have to re-install them.

This is more for other people following this thread but most people
forget a step with ATI that they tell you to make a boot CD to do the
restore. The image is great, but without a way to restore it, you
kinda make the whole process defunct.

Bill
Mon Apr 07 14:54:07 PDT 2008

Generally speaking, if you can use your True Image backup, that would be by
far the easiest approach. Can't you install the True Image program on the
new drive, and then restore the backup from the old drive to the new drive?

greypound wrote:
> I had a disk boot failure on a faltering hard drive that I could not
> resolve.
>
> I have fitted a new hard drive and can access the old hard drive but I
> cannot make the 'files and settings transfer wizard' move my data
> across.
>
> If I simply copy programs across most do not activate. Is there a way
> to move the whole drive across so that my settings/access are
> restored ??
>
> I have Acronis True Image 10 on the old drive and back ups on a
> currently disconnected drive - but the True Image program suggests I
> reinstall it.
>
> Will there be a problem reactivating my OEM XP once I restore my
> internet connection? Only the hard dive has been changed.
>
> JeffT

greypound
Mon Apr 07 15:35:08 PDT 2008

Unfortunately the True Image was downloaded from Acronis and activated
by a code sent to me. I still have the downloaded program but I
will have to search for the code.

Could I use the System Restore on my new drive to restore the Disk
Boot Sector on my old drive so I could reactivate my original XP's
programs. Then I could use True Image to move data to the new drive ??
Sounds weird I know.

Thanks for the inputs. I'll start again tomorrow.

JeffT

Bill
Mon Apr 07 15:46:52 PDT 2008

greypound wrote:
> Unfortunately the True Image was downloaded from Acronis and activated
> by a code sent to me. I still have the downloaded program but I
> will have to search for the code.

Maybe it's in one of the emails. If you haven't done this already (by a
previous copy operation), you could copy the Outlook Express user folder
containing all those dbx files over to the new hard drive, and access them
there, offline, in OE (if you can locate it). Then you'd have to search
for the relevant email from Acronis.

> Could I use the System Restore on my new drive to restore the Disk
> Boot Sector on my old drive so I could reactivate my original XP's
> programs. Then I could use True Image to move data to the new drive ??
> Sounds weird I know.

Don't think so!

> Thanks for the inputs. I'll start again tomorrow.
>
> JeffT

greypound
Tue Apr 08 08:31:43 PDT 2008

Everything has become clear ! After much effort, including buying
the new hard drive I have discovered that it was not my primary drive
that had failed but my second one (with Windows 2000Pro installed).
That makes more sense since it is an older drive.

The problem presented as a main drive problem - since it came up as
'disk boot failure'. The solution didn't present itself until I
reconnected the old second drive as a slave and the failure to boot
represented itself. If I had disconnected the second drive initially
there would have been fewer self inflicted worries.
I hope I have done no damage to my computer's innards with all my
manoeuvring.

I can now reinstall 2000 on my new drive and hopefully return to life
as normal - although I did have a great time sorting out dual booting
XP and 2000 last year.

FYI i did find the activation code for the Acronis True Image which
enabled me to recover the backed up info from the failed drive.

JeffT