Upgrading HDD - Question re mirroring please.

[BertieBassett]

Hi

I currently have 2 identical 320gb HDDs . The second of the 2 (which is currently empty following upgrade to Windows 7) is primarily used for my flight simulators and associated software.

My other hobby is photography and therefore My Pictures folder on primary HDD is becoming uncomfortably full. I also have a fast 37gb internall HDD which is also currently empty.

It makes sense in my eyes to increase the size of 1 HDD to 1GB and I am basically wondering whether to mirror primary to secondary, replace primary and then re-transfer back to primary? By so doing, I preserve My Pictures folder and give myself lots of space.

Sadly, my knowledge of such things is limited and I am therefore asking others opinions.

A) Is this the best way to do it?
B) Is mirroring failsafe?
C) Can I utilise the fast drive for just the OS?

Any thoughts, ideas or suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Incidentally, I also have externals of 750mb and 200mb. The latter is used as a Personal Folders backup.

 

[Mellon Head]

Why not just use another drive and just move your picture files to folder in that drive? There's no real reason to keep them in the My Pictures folder if the drive is getting full. Any folder will be fine for pictures as long as you know they are there.

 

[BertieBassett]

Thanks for that Mellon Head. yes, I had considered that but I really wanted them on one of the internals and, as I said, keep the other one free for my flight sim stuff.

One of the things that us photographer types get paranoid about is backups of work so the externals are used as backup (and back up backup )

These days, with all the graphics software I have plus photos plus a million and one other things, 640gb seems quite small for all the things I do hence the question re increasing the size.

Thanks for taking the trouble to reply.

 

[karlsnooks]

Bertie,

To make sure I advise you correctly,
please make a snapshot, using the snipping tool, of the MAXIMIZED output of Disk Management and include in your next post.

WIN | type SNIPP | ENTER
this will get you the snipping tool

WIN |type DISKMGMT.MSC | ENTER
this will get you DiskManagement.

WIN is the key with the wavy flag.

Following explains how to attach a screenshot to your post.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/9733-how-post-screenshot-seven-forums.html

 

[Ztruker]

You can replace the 2nd 320GB HD with a new 1TB (you said 1GB but I 'm sure that's a typo) drive. Then clone the 320GB drive to the new 1TB drive. Remove the 320GB drive, connect the 1TB drive where it was then put the other 320GB drive back in. You should then be able to boot from the new 1TB drive.

Good info here on software that can be used to clone one HD to another: http://www.sevenforums.com/933352-post16.html

I would also add HDClone Free to the list: Miray Software - HDClone - Hard disk copy, hard disk backup, hard disk rescue!

Then buy an external enclosue and put one of the 320GB drives in it for backup or additional storage, or if the drives are SATA and you have the ports and space to hold it, just leave it as your 3rd internal HD. I have 1 IDE drive and 2 SATA drives in my computer.

 

[BertieBassett]

Bertie,

To make sure I advise you correctly,
please make a snapshot, using the snipping tool, of the MAXIMIZED output of Disk Management and include in your next post.

WIN | type SNIPP | ENTER
this will get you the snipping tool

WIN |type DISKMGMT.MSC | ENTER
this will get you DiskManagement.

WIN is the key with the wavy flag.

Following explains how to attach a screenshot to your post.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/9733-how-post-screenshot-seven-forums.html

Thanks for your interest.

Attached screenshot as you requested.

 

[BertieBassett]

You can replace the 2nd 320GB HD with a new 1TB (you said 1GB but I 'm sure that's a typo) drive. Then clone the 320GB drive to the new 1TB drive. Remove the 320GB drive, connect the 1TB drive where it was then put the other 320GB drive back in. You should then be able to boot from the new 1TB drive.

Good info here on software that can be used to clone one HD to another: http://www.sevenforums.com/933352-post16.html

I would also add HDClone Free to the list: Miray Software - HDClone - Hard disk copy, hard disk backup, hard disk rescue!

Then buy an external enclosue and put one of the 320GB drives in it for backup or additional storage, or if the drives are SATA and you have the ports and space to hold it, just leave it as your 3rd internal HD. I have 1 IDE drive and 2 SATA drives in my computer.

Ztruker, thanks for that, it's kind of what I was thinking so is good to have a confirmation. I appreciate the software link also.

Just waiting for any other thoughts and then I can move forward.

Cheers.

 

[karlsnooks]

Bertie,

1st. Although possible, leave putting the OS on that small fast drive as a brilliant idea for computer geeks. In other words, too many hoops to jump thru and too many possible complications. If you were building a fresh system then the liitle disk would be an option to consider, but for now just forget it.

2nd. Once again, on the keep it simple idea. Leave your operating system where it is.

3rd. I notice that the "D" which you say is empty is marked as system. Is this a vestigal growth from times past? Do you really have zero on that disk? Your disk management display didn't show the % Free for that one.

4th. Are all of your problems solved if simply everything on your nearly full Photos drive is moved to a bigger drive? If so, then probably HDClone will allow you to easily make a copy of your present Photos on to the new monster. Of course, you can always simply use Windows Explorer to move everything on Photos to the new drive. Won't be as fast as some of the "clone" software, but it works.