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

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

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.

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?

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.

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.

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, 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