Computer help needed

[VS Omega]

Hey guys, I know a lot of us are cluey here so I have a quick question if you wouldn't mind sharing a few minutes of your time..

I have a 120GB HDD in the other computer, with only about 4GB of data including Windows (a waste I know).. now what I want to do is image that data onto a 5GB drive I have lieing around so I can steal the 120GB for my XBox..

Anyways I've tried Norton Ghost 9 and it comes up with an error saying the destination is too small to hold the data (but it's a lie, the data is only 4GB and the image on the disk 2GB), I don't really want to re-install Windows (much rather image the drive to save heaps of time), just wondering if there's a way to circumvent this drive is too small message or know of a software which I can use to get the 4GB of data?

Cheers and have a fantastic day

[michaelw]

Ghost has two ways of running. Ghost partition, which is a copy of the data to fill any size partition and Ghost drive which makes a bit by bit image of the drive and needs the host drive to be the same size.

Personally I think you will run into trouble running your machine on a drive that small. If you just want to use the 4gig drive for data just plug it in to the computer and copy the data over by hand.

Mike

[vinnywelsh]

NOTE: copying the windows directory by hand will not work, it will copy the directory across but good luck trying to boot windows..

[sixshooter]

Do you know anything about setting disks up on a computer ?

ie. how to use the BIOS - and Slave/Master relationships ?

Do you have your motherboard manual ?

Juzza you can not fit a 120 GB partition into a 5 GB partition even though theres only 4GB of data in the 120 GB drive.

Before you try anything make sure your important files are BACKED UP !!!

I'll assume you can set up a secondary drive on your computer...

So plug it in and create a primary partion on it in the same file format as the existing windows drive.... NTFS or Fat32

Then remove any unnessary programs / files and defrag your windows drive...

You will then need a partition tool that will let you shrink an existing partition down... such as Paragon Partition Manager...what this does is restructure your drive.

Then you need a disk imaging tool such as Ghost to copy the drive over to your other drive...or make a disk image that you can image other drives from... if you have a DVD Burner then burn the image to that. ACRONIS TRUE IMAGE software is excellent for making dvd images...

Then shut down the computer... remove the 120 GB put the 5 GB in the master position make sure jumpers on the drive are set... I usually stick them both in cable select anyhow makes life easier...

Boot from the floppy into Paragon again.... set your new drive to Boot...by making it the primary active partition...

To make the process as fast as possible with Ghosting drive to drive you will need to run your 5G disk on a the secondary ide channel...but if you're going to burn images to disk and install from those you will need to put the other drive in as the slave on the primary channel.

I hope that gives you an idea of what you need to do...

[stocky]

when i put a new SATA drive in my computer, i just copied my windows partition using partition magic. i had to mess around with the boot menu a bit, but i got it all working

i would get PM, create a new 4.5gb partition on the 120gb drive, copy your windows install onto that, then use PM to copy the partition onto the smaller hard drive.

[VTSSDUDE]

If you make an image of your 120GB drive then put the image onto the 5GB HDD this should work. Only downside is that you will need a third hard drive to hold this image as you can't ghost images onto the same partition.
But there could be other factors stopping you from putting that image across, it may only say 2.2GB or whatever. Mind you, if it is compressed by ghost it has to uncompress it back onto the 5GB.
There might be to your eye 4GB of data but by the time the data gets across to the 5GB there could be an increase of misc. stuff that you aren't aware of.
Get yourself a 40GB HDD, they don't cost much these days. Then you should be right.
But as said to do it the way I said you will need a third storage device to hold that image.
Good luck.

[HoZy]

Try WINHEX and do a RAW copy, 1st hdd to the 2nd hdd

If you need any xbox help just ask, I been doin mod's/installs since late `02

Cheers
MaT

[sixshooter]

Try WINHEX and do a RAW copy, 1st hdd to the 2nd hdd

If you need any xbox help just ask, I been doin mod's/installs since late `02

Cheers
MaT

Surely your MBR will be all ****ed up ? Windows will flip out (crash) when it needs to access files through the F.A.T then suddenly find that the sectors from 5 - 120 GB are non existant....

It's safer to ghost from same size drive to same size drive or slightly smaller drive to larger drive...Then this won't be an issue...

but I haven't tried it your way Hozy...so i could be wrong

Jeez...you got me digging through all my hardware fundamental books now...

[VS Omega]

Thanks for all the help and comments guys, I didn't even realise there were so many replies, I jumped ahead and just reinstalled Windows.. I didn't even think of reducing the partition size with one of those apps.. damn it I need to focus harder, I just assumed what google said was right

Appretiate the offer HoZy.. all I can ask is to fix xbins if you can do that I need some emulators, stat!