Thinking of installing Windows 7

[whs]

Sorry, I missed that post. Thanks for all of your help! Is the backup to the external hard drive the same procedure as imaging it to the DVD? If so, can there be other files on the external hard drive, or can the image be the only one on it? Thanks once again!

You typically do not image to DVDs. The images can be quite big - e.g. 10 to 50GBs depending on the system size. The compression is a little less than half. You image to an external disk where you define a folder for the images. I have external disks with many images from 3 different systems in 3 different folders and other data folders too. An image is nothing else than a file - just a bit big.
You do, however, need the recovery CD that you burn from the imaging program - this is the first step and takes only a couple of minutes. When you need to pull an image in, this recovery program is being loaded from the CD/DVD reader (need to set up the BIOS boot sequence accordingly). It contains a small Linux distro and a program that rewrites the image to the OS disk - even if that is a new disk because the old one was kaputt.
PS: when you buy your external disk, I advise to buy at least 640GBs. Then you can image galore and still have space for other stuff.
When you have time, watch the video tutorial. I think things will become clear. I will go to bed now (it is past 1AM) but I will be back tomorrow to answer any further questions.

 

[jm1]

Okay. Will I have to burn the recovery software to a DVD, or can I burn it to a CD? Currently, my files and applications occupy about 34.1 GB of space. When I install Windows 7, I'll take your advice and make an image of that as well. How much space would a clean install of Windows 7 take on the external drive? Also, I have to factor in the space for Microsoft's Easy Transfer file. Will a 160 GB hard drive work okay? Thanks once again for your help.

 

[DocBrown]

A CD only has space for 700mb, a DVD has space for 4.7gb. Windows 7 cannot be installed & booted from an external HD. It has to be installed on an internal HD or a partition of an internal HD of usually 16 to 18 gb of free space.

 

[whs]

1. the Macrium recovery disk you should burn to CD. It takes little space
2. your 34Gb XP should an image of about 18 to 19GB
3. A newly installed Win7 should make an image of about 10GB
4. No idea what you do with "easy transfer". I would not use it. Just copy your own files to a folder on the external disk
5. A 160GB external disk will do for a little while, but for serious imaging it is a bit small.
6. If I add up all your immediate space requirements on the external disk, you need about 35GB total (say 20 for XP image, 10 for Win7 image and 5 for your own data) - just a rough estimate. Make sure you create a named folder for each of those on the external disk. Then you know which is which. I hate single files with unreadable names floating around on the disk. Especially the images. They have those long numbers and later you may not be able to keep the XP image and the Win7 images apart.

 

[whs]

A CD only has space for 700mb, a DVD has space for 4.7gb. Windows 7 cannot be installed & booted from an external HD. It has to be installed on an internal HD or a partition of an internal HD of usually 16 to 18 gb of free space.

He was asking about the Macrium recovery disk. For that a CD is ample. Note: the whole discussion is about imaging.

 

[jm1]

Thanks once again for your help! The Windows Easy Transfer tool looks somewhat convenient. Unfortunately my files are scattered everywhere. I ran the tool today and it says it will back up all of my user accounts and settings, and seems to look in every corner to find files that need to be transferred. Then, it creates one simple file, so when I get into 7 all I have to do is run that program and point to that file. Does it sound okay? Also, what's the real difference between the BartPE and the Linux recovery disk?

 

[whs]

Thanks once again for your help! The Windows Easy Transfer tool looks somewhat convenient. Unfortunately my files are scattered everywhere. I ran the tool today and it says it will back up all of my user accounts and settings, and seems to look in every corner to find files that need to be transferred. Then, it creates one simple file, so when I get into 7 all I have to do is run that program and point to that file. Does it sound okay? Also, what's the real difference between the BartPE and the Linux recovery disk?

1. Again !!! I would not use the easy transfer. But you do what you think is best. I predict you'll have problems.
2. Use the Linux version. BartPe is another little Windows based OS. I find it messy. The Linux version works best for me.

 

[jm1]

Okay. Thanks! I'll keep this all in mind. Taking the image of XP and 7 sound like a great idea! I am assuming I will probably love Windows 7, but you never know. Thanks once again!

 

[whs]

Okay. Thanks! I'll keep this all in mind. Taking the image of XP and 7 sound like a great idea! I am assuming I will probably love Windows 7, but you never know. Thanks once again!

By the way, I am not 100% sure whether the XP recovery disk will work for Win7 too. I suggest to burn a recovery disk when you are in XP and burn one when you are in Win7. Just to be sure.
You will also notice that the user interface of Macrium in XP is slightly different than in Win7. But the differences are minor and I am sure you can deal with it.

 

[jm1]

I watched the tutorial! Great demo! A couple of questions, in the scenario if I was restoring XP, would I choose Active, Primary, or Logical from the Rescue disk. Also, on the step where replacing the destination drive Master Boot Record, would I choose Do not replace, Replace with the Master Boot Record from the Backup (Recommended), or Replace with the standard XP Master Boot Record? Thanks once again for your help!

 

[whs]

For XP, you choose "Active" and "replace MBR". For Win7, you chose "Primary" and "do not replace MBR" - that's because of your 100MB partition in Win7.

 

[jm1]

So, if I were in Windows 7 and I needed to restore back to the image I originally took, I would "Primary" and "do not replace MBR"? What's the 100 MB partition from? Sorry, I am still a bit confused about this.

 

[whs]

When you install Win7, you usually get an extra partition of 100MB (sometimes 200MB) that contains the master boot record and that is designated as active. That partition is hidden and you have to check that in Disk Management. If such a 100MB partition exists, you have to do as I said above because your C is not the active partition. If, however, you install e.g. from an OEM 32bit installation disk, you may not have this 100MB partition and the MBR is on C in this case. Then you have to mark C as active and restore the MBR (as I said for XP).
You can also make a quick check in Computer. If your C has the little shield in the front of the disk icon (in Tiles view), then it is active. See picture:

 

[jm1]

If I have the 100 MB or 200 MB partition as well, will I take the images of both partitions? Thanks once again!

 

[whs]

If I have the 100 MB or 200 MB partition, will I take the images of both partitions? Thanks once again!

No, just leave the little partition alone. It is hidden anyhow (has no drive letter), so you will not see it other than in Disk Mangement. The MBR will stay there and since the MBR is "universal", there is no need to replace it.
Now if one day that little partition gets mucked up or you have to install on a new disk because the old one was defunct, that is another story. Then you have to create an MBR in C. But we'll cross that bridge when the case occurs.
But maybe you are lucky and your installation disk does not create the little partition (which is really only for the MBR and for the bitlocker in Ultimate). In that case, everything would be "business as usual". Sorry that this is all confusing, but they make it ever more complex.

 

[jm1]

I am almost ready to buy Windows 7! One more quick question though, most of the time when I run YouTube and flash applications the fan starts moving faster. Should I be concerned about that?

 

[si8mon]

I am almost ready to buy Windows 7! One more quick question though, most of the time when I run YouTube and flash applications the fan starts moving faster. Should I be concerned about that?

Your fan starts moving faster because YouTube is using up your system resources. So your comp (like your cpu) starts heating up and your fan just spins faster to cool your comp. This is normal.

But if your fan wasn't moving as fast a few weeks ago when you were viewing YouTube. Your fan might have collected some dust. If this has happened you should clean your computer's fan.

 

[jm1]

Okay. Thanks! I should probably clean it. Last time I was inside the case it was pretty dusty.

 

[jm1]

Okay! I am getting ready to install it. I just received the DVD. Now I am just waiting for my 160 GB hard drive to arrive. How long will it probably take to take the image of my current XP install that is 35 GB, and transfer it to the 160 GB hard drive via USB 2.0? How long does the Windows 7 install take for a clean install? Thanks once again!

EDIT: On HP's website I found this BIOS update: http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsuppor...249645&swLang=13&taskId=135&swEnvOID=1093#120

Should I really upgrade it before installation? I am a little lost. On the page, it says upgrade utility. But, according to this http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&docname=c00007682

It says I have to look for the terms BIOS update. But, that's not listed. Does that mean there isn't one available? This is what is enclosed before I try installing the firmware.

Several methods for changing the BIOS version may be chosen. Included in this package are the following methods:

- Use the DOS utility with a preboot execution environment (PXE) management application, or to locally update or restore the system BIOS.
- Use HPQFlash to upgrade the BIOS directly in a Microsoft Windows or Microsoft Windows Vista environment.
- Create a CD image to upgrade/restore system BIOS.

PURPOSE: Recommended
SOFTPAQ NUMBER: SP40391
EFFECTIVE DATE: August 13, 2008
CATEGORY: BIOS
SSM SUPPORTED: Yes

ENHANCEMENTS:
- Improves the security of pre-boot authentication (BIOS-based) passwords by clearing data from volatile memory.

PREREQUISITES:
None

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Download the SoftPaq .EXE file to a directory on your hard drive.

2. Execute the downloaded file and follow the on-screen instructions.


Copyright (c) 2008 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.

 

[jm1]

Never mind. I was able to install the update.