How to move Windows XP to a new and larger hard drive - Using EASEUS Todo Backup
Windows XP has no integrated image backup software therefore a free third party utility will be used to create an image backup of the Windows partition and restore that backup to your new and larger hard drive.
This article covers both creating a “Dual Boot” configuration of Windows XP and Windows 7, (see “Partition Configurations #1 or #2) and how to simply move XP to a larger drive (see Partition Configuration #3).
Why you ask do I want to create a dual boot system when I can simply upgrade to Windows 7 and use XP Mode? Then read about the true cost of upgrading to Windows 7 here.
Unlike Windows 7, Windows XP has no integrated image backup software therefore a free third party utility will be used to create an image backup of the Windows partition and restore that backup to your new and larger hard drive. Your computer’s original hard drive may also contain a “Recovery” partition but this will no longer be needed as your image backup or subsequent backups will serve as a means of recovering Windows. It would be wise to keep the contents of your old drive in tack and bootable for at least a month before reformatting and using it as a secondary drive. The old drive is your ultimate fall safe/backup should anything go wrong with the new drive.
Baseline configuration: Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 3 250GB SATA-!! hard drive (not uncommon for a 2004 to 2006 mid range desktop computer, some desktops or laptops may have only been outfitted with drives 160GB or less).
Replacement hard drive and partition information: 1) If your existing drive is 200 to 250GB in size then I recommend that you choose the Western Digital 640GB Caviar Black SATA-II internal hard drive. See partition configuration #1A, 1B or 3A. 2) If your existing drive is 80 to 160GB in size then I recommend that you choose the Western Digital 500GB Caviar Blue SATA-II internal hard drive. See partition configuration #2A, 2B or 3B.
Laptop users should look at 2.5 replacement drives such as the Western Digital Scorpio.
Note: Computer purchased before 2005 with hard drives that are 120GB or less in size may not support drives larger than 137GB due to BIOS limitations. Windows XP must also have service pack 1A or later installed.
Where to store the Image Backup: If you have an external USB hard drive capable of storing the image backup of Windows XP then this would be your first choice. Use Partition configuration 1A, 2A or 3A.
If you have no external USB hard drive available then temporarily the new drive can be partitioned and use as a destination for the image backup file. Use partition configurations 1B, 2B or 3B.
Notes: 1) Most laptops only allow for a single hard drive, therefore an external USB drive is required.
2) EASEUS Todo backup is a free Image Backup solution, if you already have Ghost or Acronis True image Home the technique covered here will be the similar. Obviously the user interface and options will be different. For instance when using Ghost or Acronis, one option to remember when restoring the image file to the new drive is not to choose to restore the Master Boot Record (MBR).
3) Todo does not have the ability to disable the MBR as part of the restore, therefore only one partition (the first partition) can be a ‘Primary’ partition. The remaining drive space is used to create an ‘Extended’ partition with two ‘Logical’ drives as show below.
4) It is not recommended that you use the same hard drive to store image backups of your Windows operating system. Should that drive fail you not only lose Windows but also the image backup on the drive, leaving you will no means of recovery. The examples provided below are just to get XP off the old drive and on to the new drive. Therefore purchasing and using an external USB hard drive for storing your image backups “Off-Line” and provides a means of easy recovery should your new drive fail prematurely.
Calculating Partition and Logical drive Sizes: You need to convert from decimal values to the equivalent binary value when using ‘Disk Management’ to create partitions. The formula is:Decimal value in Giga Bytes (GB) x 1024 = Binary in Mega Bytes (MB). Enter the partition size in binary (MB) when creating a new partition. Examples: 32GB partition =32768 MB (1024 * 32 = 32768 MB) 150GB partition = 153600 MB 200GB partition = 204800 MB 250GB partition = 256000 MB 300GB partition = 307200 MB 350GB partition = 358400 MB 400GB partition = 409600 MB
Hard drive replacement information: For this article I will be replacing my older Hitachi 250GB drive with a new 640GB Western Digital Caviar Black. In the partitioning configuration information tables shown below I will be using configuration 2B for the following reasons. 1) Some users may not have access to an external USB drive. 2) The Hitachi drive does not have a lot of applications or data on the drive so I will be creating a slightly smaller Windows XP partition on the new drive which allows me to create somewhat larger partitions for Windows 7 and the Image Backup partition. 3) I happen to have an unused 640GB drive available.
However I’ve provided the information you need to partition a slightly smaller and less expensive 500GB replacement drive. The process of moving Windows XP to a new drive or moving XP and then installing Windows 7 to create a dual boot computer remains unchanged no matter what size your new drive is.
Test that new hard drive: A new drive does not automatically guarantee the drive is free of defects. I always make it a habit to extensively test any new drive I purchase.
As a bare minimum you should download and run the WD Diagnostic software (or the appropriate manufacture’s equivalent diagnostic software) and run both the Quick and Extended tests. In addition I also use HD tune and SpeedFan to test and analyze the drive.
For Dual Boot configurations see Partition Configurations 1A, 1B, 2A or 2B ----->
For just moving Windows XP to a larger hard drive see Partition Configurations 3A or 3B ----->