[Mac29]

I'm reading if I move everything on my C: drive elsewhere, so I can install XP fresh on C:, that every





application/applet/etc. will work flawlessly from the other volume or drive. Am I to understand that



all the stuff that gets downloaded to my C: drive will be found wherever I copy it to? Most of my



applications are already on another volume.

[smax013]

Mac29 said:

I'm reading if I move everything on my C: drive elsewhere, so I can install XP fresh on C:, that every





application/applet/etc. will work flawlessly from the other volume or drive. Am I to understand that



all the stuff that gets downloaded to my C: drive will be found wherever I copy it to? Most of my



applications are already on another volume.

It depends on the application, but a lot of Windows application will "break" if you move them and then reformat/reinstall the boot drive. Many applications "sprinkle" support files in the Windows directory on the C drive and put stuff in the registry. If so, then the new install of the OS will NOT have those items and the application may not work properly or even at all.

[techie4fun]

Mac29 said:

I'm reading if I move everything on my C: drive elsewhere, so I can install XP fresh on C:, that every





application/applet/etc. will work flawlessly from the other volume or drive. Am I to understand that




all the stuff that gets downloaded to my C: drive will be found wherever I copy it to? Most of my




applications are already on another volume.

This is sorta the job for disk imaging software, usually called a clone. Rather than copying individual folders, the clone software has to copy the Operating System along with all the settings for a proper image. For what you are referring to , your applications will most likely be crippled when you reinstall the OS.

[BAMT]

Sorry to say, but without major registry and system file reconfiguration, this will not work. If you wish to reinstall Windows, you must reinstall everything; to make a backup image I recommend Clonezilla.

[rgreen4]

Now, that we have a consensus on the question you asked, I will ask the one that should be asked -

Why are you wanting to reinstall XP?

Reinstalling XP evern with SP2 will then require the re-installation of almost 4 years of patches and updates. Even with super high speed broadband that will take a while, and then as the others discussed, will definitely require the re-installation of all your applications, even if the core is on another drive. This is one of the reasons I always install the apps on the system drive, but never the data.

[BAMT]

The updates aren't so bad. I've done this on my PC before and letting it update overnight over a 5mbps connection (~600K/s). There are many good reasons, including cleaning your computer off (XP can get very rusty) or simply "cleaning your slate".

[rgreen4]

I usually just update my clone and then run a registry cleaner. Some do not like them, but I have found that after running one, my machine runs better. I have not yet run one on my Vista machines so I don't know if the "Windows Rot" which is what the IT people at my company call it builds up in Vista as it does in XP and earlier.

It takes less time, and with the full clone backup, I don't have to worry about the cleaner hosing the system drive.

But the important thing is for you to do what you are comfortable with. If it works for you, stick with it.

[Mac29]

First, the reason for my question is 'Windows rot'. (A higher tech at our company says he's read that

many feel Windows updates actually 'breaks/degrades' the OS over time, forcing you to think about

upgrading to the latest.) I must admit I've never used a registry cleaner and that's what I'm planning

on doing at this point.



I'm very interested in some of the comments by BamT and rgreen4: I tried creating a volume for Data

but obviously haven't set it up right. Do you have to specify when installing for each appl. where data

must be written? Up until now, I liked the idea of 'cleaning the slate' - not worrying about some updates

because I'm building a Linux box for surfing - but worry about all the things that get installed on C: .

Many of my appl.s are on another volume, games are on other volumes, but some things sneak past

me and invariably end up adding themselves to the C: drive.



I'm thinking if I can make an image or clone or my C: on a DVD disc, that will be my prefered way to backup C:

unless the writing to a disc changes anything for if/when I need to restore. I still don't understand how rgreen4

is using a registry cleaner on a clone. Are you running the clone as a test? Not cleaning the system drive?

I surmise you're running updates to the clone first and trying the reg clean on it first also...

[Ghostnotes]

About 2 years ago my father bought an external H.D and bought system mechanic and it had a utility that would move your apps but it screwed it up. But at the time these programs were in their infancy so maybe there is something out that is better now. I think it messed up changing the regestry settings because the apps did move and you could open them from the app folder but when you tried the icon on the desktop it would crash, But like I said maybe there is something that will do that now(this was about 2 years ago).

[BAMT]

As long as you have the origional installation media, keeping the unpacked programs shouldn't be necessary.

If you wish to simply clear your system and restart, I recommend making a backup image to an external drive should anything go wrong. Also, since this is a non-mountable image, you should copy your work to another folder on the external drive. Then, reformat your disk and partition it how you like (very easy if you use an OpenSuSE 10.3 KDE LiveCD and go to the YaST partitioner). If you wish to have a system and data partition, you may do so. Next, reinstall Windows and any programs you will use. Finally, copy your data to the data partition and you're good to go. Another idea I've come across is to simply mount another partition as "C:Documents and Settings" (NTFS feature, similar to linux "fstab"), which would make your user profile on the data partition.

I could make some better recommendations with more backround knowledge about the disk size, app size, data size, quantity, etc., so more information would help.

As for the Linux box, you could actually just dual-boot with Windows, saving some $ by not buying a whole new system.

I've done this myself three times, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask (Linux too).

[rgreen4]

First - cloning is making an exact copy of your HD onto another HD. If you are creating a backup version of your system drive onto a DVD that is imaging. The difference is that when you are finished making the clone, you can swap the cables and unless there is a problem, you will not be able to tell the difference. It is an exact copy. This is very helpful when installing a new drive. Here is a [document|d-1276] about the cloning process.
Yes, if you put your data on a second drive, then you do need to tell the application where you store the data. Most have a setting in perferences or options about the default drive and directory to use for data. This avoids the "My documents" (XP) or "Documents" (Vista) folder which is the windows default. In fact, since I use a number of machines at home and always would like to be able to find my data, it does not reside on any PC, but a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device which is then mapped to windows as a drive. In Vista this mapping process is about two clicks and in XP it's 4 or 5. This way I can sit in the living room and work on a file while watching the evening new and when finished, turn off the laptop. Later, I can go into my office boot the desktop and work on the same file without any other machine being on.
"Windows Rot" actually has nothing to do with the updates, but as we add and remove applications, or update applications, they many time leave behind dead end references in the Windows registry that have to be tracked down and then ignored, and the system then has to try the next reference, etc. The more of these dead ends in the registry, the slower the system gets.
The reason I clone the drive before using a registry cleaner, is that sometimes the registry cleaner can mess up the registry. When that happens, Windows may not boot. Every reference in using a registry cleaner cautions to back up the registry first. Well, rather than back up the registry I back up the entire system drive. I also do this when installing Service Packs - why take a chance?
After the cloning, I always test the clone by turning off the machine and removing the leads to the old master drive, leaving only the clone in place. I then boot off the clone to test it. If it is just a backup, after the test, I turn off the machine, revert the connections to the master drive and remove the clone, putting it in a safe place. If I am doing a cleanout of the registry or an update, I leave the clone in and after the test do it on the clone. It then becomes the master and later I will re-clone over the old out of date copy. I label the drives and date the clones so I know which is which.
The reason for this is over the month following a system change I have an opportunity to test everything and make sure it works, knowing all the time that I have a fully functional tested backup (the old master) in the cabinet. If something happens, I never have more that a month or two of updates to Windows and the anti-virus and anti-spyware definitions to go through.

[BAMT]

>Yes, if you put your data on a second drive, then you do need to tell the application where you store the data. Most have a setting in perferences or >options about the default drive and directory to use for data. This avoids the "My documents" (XP) or "Documents" (Vista) folder which is the windows >default.

Not true. You can set the other disk's mount point as "C:Users" or "C:Documents and Settings" using logical mount points, similar to Unix-based systems.

>In fact, since I use a number of machines at home and always would like to be able to find my data, it does not reside on any PC, but a Network >Attached Storage (NAS) device which is then mapped to windows as a drive. In Vista this mapping process is about two clicks and in XP it's 4 or 5. This >way I can sit in the living room and work on a file while watching the evening new and when finished, turn off the laptop. Later, I can go into my office boot >the desktop and work on the same file without any other machine being on.

Just remember to back that up to. ;)

And it's 2 or 3 clicks for XP.

[rgreen4]

The point of setting up a "data" folder and sub-folders was not that you couldn't move the Documents (Vista) or My Documents (XP) folders, but to get away from them and their limitations. If you have more than one user, then sharing documents requires a third shared folder. I have never like document folder under the users, I guess it just goes back to the days that the program disc was in A:> and the data disc was in B:>.

The NAS has two drives set up in a RAID1 (mirroring) configuration so if I lose a drive, I don't lose any data. Once a month I back up the NAS to an external drive connected to my desktop which is connected to the NAS via ethernet through the router. That way even if I lose the Router, I only lose a month's worth of data. Some files such as music and photos are even on local as well as networked drives, but the local drives have expendable data so are not backed up until the clone is updated.

The most worthless thing in computing is the backup you were going to make but didn't.