Solved Windows not easy transfer. Insufficient space ( xp to win7)

[Viscount]

Hi all,

thank you for this great space to seek help.

my pc is currently in transition from xp home to win 7 prof 32

I have backed up my files and settings from xp to an external hard drive 455 gb. Files on two hard drives 320gb each. (second drive partitioned)

I have added an additional 2tb internal hard drive (partitions 2)
after installing win 7, when I tried to "easy transfer" back up of course insufficient space.

Can I reinstall my oem win 7 os then easy transfer to my two original hard drives?
Can I or should I reinstall to one of the 1tb partitions on the new drive?
Is there another solution or something else that I need to do?

thanks for your consideration.

cheers Glenn

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Whatever you do, don't rely on Easy Transfer to work the way you want it to.

Have a Plan B to go to if it fails utterly. It's been known to.

Not sure I understand your situation, but all other things being equal I'd do a clean install to one of the partitions on the new hard drive.

Unless you have an unusual situation, I wouldn't divide a 2 TB drive into 2 equally sized partitions if I wanted to put Windows on one of the two. I'd either use a single partition of 2 TB for Windows, all applications, and all data or (more likely) a relatively small partition (say 80 to 200 or 300 MB) for Windows and all applications, and a much larger partition (the entire remainder, circa 1.6 TB or larger) for all of my personal data.

Frankly----I wouldn't even attempt to use Easy Transfer, having had that headache before.

 

[Viscount]

not easy transfer

thanks ignatzatonic for your response.

Given that my initial back up with easy transfer was done with files collected off two hard drives and three partitions will easy transfer allow me to install it to a single drive with a different letter?

 

[AddRAM]

Really, very confusing post

Why do you want to pull data back to your new install, I would just leave it on the other drives and clean them up.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

If you are going to do a clean install, you'll need to reinstall applications.

As I understand Easy Transfer, it supposedly will transfer personal data, user accounts, and certain configuration data related to applications from the registry. Not your applications per se.

Why bother with it at all when it's a dull cryptic tool that may or may not work as you want it to? Apparently it already is not working as you hoped it would.

Your data already exists on certain hard drives. You presumably intend to install Windows to some other hard drive, thereby not risking your data.

I'd plug in the new drive, disconnect all other drives, partition the new drive as I wanted, install to the new drive, install applications to the new drive, and then drag data back from your other drives to the new drive. That's a general recipe.

But I have no idea where you ultimately intend to house your data. On the new drive? On some other internal? On an external? Other? You haven't said what your intentions are for this big new drive.

Regardless, Easy Transfer would not be on my radar.

 

[Viscount]

Hi Addram,

sorry it is a confusing post.

I thought easy transfer was to assist in data images docs, files, transfer.

What would you like me clarify?

Happy that you have responded so quickly.

 

[Windows Sniper]

Hi and Welcome to SF!

Very quickly, You are using ET to backup your old settings (XP C:\) to the new 2TB drive correct? (We shall call this D:\)

You are then installing Windows 7 onto a seperate drive (Calling it X:\)

So what you want to do is backup your files from C:\ and store them on the new drive D:\.

You then should disconnect all drives, except the one you wish to install windows 7 onto.


Once you have done this, you should first connect your D:\ drive, then you can use the ET in Windows7 to transfer the settings back from D:\ to you x:\


Instead of telling you why not to do things, here is a link showing you exactly how you should use the tool.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/11470-windows-easy-transfer-transfer-computers.html

hope this helps some.

 

[Viscount]

Hi Window Sniper,

appreciate your welcome to a first time poster.

How do I wish I backed up my files to my 2tb new internal drive.

Instead WS, I used easy transfer to copy files and setting to an external hard drive with the expectation that after doing a clean install to my c:\ drive I would be able to transfer my files and settings.
My reading of Ignatzatsonic and yourself is that a good option would be disconnect original drives, do a clean install to the new 2tb drive then use the backed up files from easy transfer to restore my data, images docs etc.

cheers Glenn

 

[Windows Sniper]

Hi Window Sniper,

appreciate your welcome to a first time poster.

How do I wish I backed up my files to my 2tb new internal drive.

Instead WS, I used easy transfer to copy files and setting to an external hard drive with the expectation that after doing a clean install to my c:\ drive I would be able to transfer my files and settings.
My reading of Ignatzatsonic and yourself is that a good option would be disconnect original drives, do a clean install to the new 2tb drive then use the backed up files from easy transfer to restore my data, images docs etc.

cheers Glenn

Why don't you just copy the EasyTransfer file from your External to your 2Tb?

Oh and if you use that tutorial i linked, when you get to step 2. Click Customize underneath your user profile, you should then be able to choose what files you specifically want saved on your C:\ and what you want saved to your D:\..

To select what to transfer, click Customize, and then click Advanced to change your selections. After you make selections, click Save.

Note To map user accounts or to map drives, click Advanced Options.
Click Transfer.

 

[Viscount]

Windows Sniper, that may be a good way to go.

When I did my original transfer I ended up with a 100 gb file on my c drive from the attempted transfer.
It ended up hanging with 1 minute to go. That was why I was looking at the install everything to the large drive.

If your way works then I could look at cleaning up my c:\ drive

cheers Glenn

 

[Windows Sniper]

Windows Sniper, that may be a good way to go.

When I did my original transfer I ended up with a 100 gb file on my c drive from the attempted transfer.
It ended up hanging with 1 minute to go. That was why I was looking at the install everything to the large drive.

If your way works then I could look at cleaning up my c:\ drive

cheers Glenn

Not a problem mate,

you might want to clean your C:\ before hand, just so there are no corruption issues.




If your interested, the way i do it is, Windows 7 on my C: with primary apps (Such as Office, SAGE) and a few games that benefit the quick loads.

My (1.5TB) D:\ has everything else installed on it, it also has all my user data such as files, pictures and video's.

I then have a backup 500Gb drive that stores a copy of most recently used files, and older files are on the D:\

This way if my SSD fails, i can remake it, without worrying about the user data.

 

[Viscount]

thanks very much for your assistance
Windows Sniper and Ignatzatsonic
Glenn

 

[gregrocker]

Hi Glenn -

We suggest not to use WET because we've seen how many times its failed here with data loss over the years. In addition importing AppData User settings is a corruption path which defeats the purpose of a fresh clean install.

The easiset method for backup is to sort your data into User folders and then drag each one to your backup drive. Confirm by size that the backup matches the original folder.

In your case since you have several drives to choose from I'd use a different drive besides XP to install Win7 upon, and be sure to unplug all other HD's except that target drive. The illustrated steps are here for doing the actual Clean Install Windows 7.

This way if you do use WET and it fails you'll still have your data in place on XP drive. You'd just need to plug it in to access it or the OS.

There are other tips here that cover everything not to forget when you're changing OS's, and also installation tips, tools and methods which assure you will get and keep a perfect install. These are the same for Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 even though we know you're not doing only that.

Feel free to ask back any questions and let us know how it goes.

 

[Viscount]

Hi Greg Rocker,

thanks for the detailed response.

I should have sought advice before I started.

I trawled through the available info on this site but not in enough detail. I didn't think there were so many issues with easy transfer.

The difficulty is that the machine is already in transition.

I have already installed Win 7 on the old C:\ drive over a reformatted drive. The back up was only done with easy transfer to an external drive so I don't think I can just do a clean install as I want to restore my files that were previously on the C:\ drive.

I will give an update when I have succeeded in restoring all files and have a decent set up.

Cheers Glenn