Hey Bill, this is probably not what you wanted to hear, but I feel the best way is the hard way, a complete fresh install. The other alternatives don't work well IMHO.

I would download from the internet, all of the latest drivers, software updates ect, for the hardware and programs going into the new machine, then burn them to a cdr(or a secondary hard drive if its more convenient).

Wipe the new machine clean, do a fresh install of XP choosing NTFS for formatting the new hard drive. The rest is just installing everything again. Time consuming, yes, but your machine will be in pristine shape, without any problem causing remnants of the old installation. Point windows to the cdr you made, when it asks for drivers.

BTW, if you have valuable data on your old comp, its not a bad idea to buy a good extra drive and backup everything to it( cdr's just don't hold enough data, and aren't dependable for archiving, organic layers deteriorate, plastic substrates get damaged ect). All drives fail eventually....

Bill,

> Put the new hard drive that is mirrored in the new machine. <

Unfortunately that will not work because the old hard drive's Windows installation has drivers for the old computer's video card, motherboard, etc. Your only recourse is to install Windows fresh on the new computer. Which is a good idea anyway for other reasons.

> I cringe at loading 200 programs plus with over 320 CD's. Would take a fucking month. <

The only reason you're in this pickle is because the drive is not partitioned and organized well. :) I change computers every few years, and it never takes more than an hour or two to copy all my data from one to the other.

> Tell me how to do this best. <

If you haven't seen my three-part series in Keyboard magazine, now is a good time. I explained the best ways to organize, clone, and back up drives, and much more. The first two parts are on my Articles page:

http://www.ethanwiner.com/articles.html

The third part is now on the newsstands. Or wait a couple more weeks when until I put it on my site.

--Ethan

I must agree with the fact that copying a windows HD is a bad idea. It only takes a few hours to re-load windows and install all your software. This way, you get a clean install and you can troubleshoot any problems more effeciently. There also wont be any old drivers or apps that you wont need on your new pc. I have a cd'r with all important files that I have incase I have a HD failure, which would allow me to reinstall all my driver and most applications. Once you format a few times, it gets easier. Just back everything up on a cd, even you windows updates and favorites.

The new box is a "New BOX" new, XP, virgin machine with my sound archetecture loaded into it. Never been on Line.

To load what I have in my old box would take over 3 weeks, I was figuring, just put the C drive in the new box from my old one...and then, I would have it going on.

AND, I want to network the two systems here as well. Seems the donator of the new system will not need my old one.

What would I need to network these and have DSL on each and file sharing between the two?

Doc, Another way (also time consuming) is to upload files to your server on the net and then download them onto your new computer. You can do this at the end of the day however when you're sleeping. If you don't have a lot of server space then you're either out of luck with this method or you'll have to do it in chunks. Good luck with your project and congrats on your new computer bro.

Thanks everyone!

I am going to do this is stages, no way I can do it all on a weekend.

Everyones' advice is appreciated!

What would I need to network these and have DSL on each and file sharing between the two?

Piece 'O cake Bill. All you need is a router/switch, two NIC's and three cat5 cables. You're already running WinXP which makes the config set-up even easier.

I use the SMC Barricade(cost me 50 bucks), its a router combined with a 4-port switch(you'll be using two of the four ports), a WAN port that your DSL modem connects to, a backup port for an aux phone modem (in case your DSL goes down)and it features a print server(for sharing the printer).

I've had four computers(wife's laptop, daughter,son,me) hooked up to a cable modem like this for a few years now, and it works great(although I don't use the print server feature, we still share the printer by having it hooked up to one of the comps, and enabling the sharing feature in Windows).

Check the expansion slots in the two comps you plan on networking, most likely they both feature PCI slots, but if one or both of them have the older ISA type slot its still OK, just be sure you purchase the correct 10/100 NIC (network interface card) also called a LAN card(local area network)also called ethernet. 10/100 megabits/second is the standard speed now, gigabit networks are comming into play, but I don't think you'll need gigabit.

As far as whats the best equip/price you can't go wrong buying from newegg.com .

Tommy P.
:c:

Another way to do this is the way I do it.
I have a cable internet feeding into a computer, running XP of course. Then I have a firewire card on that machine which in turn feeds a firewire hub. Thie than distributes the internet and file sharing from there. The great thing about this set up is
One: fast speeds between each computer for sending files between them
Two: It's an instant firewall in which the computers connected to the server(machine with NIC and FireWire Card) can not be seen from the outside!!!!
Or the easiest way to transfer your files is to just plop that old drive on one of the IDE cables after you install a fresh OS on teh new drive and simply drag and drop!
Hope it goes well!
Cheers
Opus

the easiest way to transfer your files is to just plop that old drive on one of the IDE cables after you install a fresh OS on teh new drive and simply drag and drop!

Yes, that's definately the way to go. It takes five minutes, TOPS, to be ready to transfer your files, with no extra hardware needed. I have two harddrives that I keep maintained specifically for this purpose (Mac and peecee). No OS on them, just the compressed installation files of common apps, OS updates, and other miscellaneous things such as wallpapers, icons, cursor sets, clip-art, sound sets, WAVs, et cetera. I keep them updated with the latset versions, so that when I do a fresh install or a re-install, there is very little extra downloading to do. IMO, this is a MUST for system builders. Some may prefer CDs for this purpose (especially cost-wise), but harddrives are easier to maintain and your data is more safe. The harddrives I use are small, older 5400rpm drives, which are really of no value to me otherwise anyway.