Installing new operating system

Hello. I recently purchased a copy of windows xp professional. I have a 160 gb hard drive with xp home edition installed. I want to wipe my hard drive clean and install the new os on it. I should also mention that I have a 30g hard drive that I was using primarily for backups. Is there a way that I can only backup or save the folders from my documents(ie: pictures and music and word files) also can I back up or save some application files that I downloaded and be albe to transfer them back to my new hard drive once the new os is installed. I should mention that I have true image 9 installed on my computer and this is the program that I will be using to back up my files with. Or to make this all simple would it be better for me to just save my documents and certain applications to a dvd and just reinstall them from there. Thanks J.L.

 

You can create an image of the existing XP Home install which will capture everything. After installing XP Pro and TI9 you can "mount" the image(virtual hard drive) and copy all of your files into the new installation. You will need to reinstall your applications either from CD or by copying the setup and msi files from the old image. I did this scenario about 2 months ago while re-installing windows. Update to TI 9 B3677 or B3854 if your not already there. Be sure to validate the image after you create it to make sure it is good.

 

I would:
Make a validated image of the existing XP Home system for a safety net.

Copy with Windows Explorer any data files (pictures, documents, etc) and application installation files to the 30G drive.

Wipe drive and install XP Pro.

Install applications.

Copy data files back to the XP Pro disk from the 30G drive.

 

Does that mean that I have to copy in a certain way? Can you please explain this to me. Thanks

 

With Windows Explorer just copy and paste in the normal way. There is no special way to do this. I definitely wouldn't trust True Image to backup just data files unless you have done this and tested a restore of them. Windows Explorer is the way to go - no need to complicate matters.
Applications should always be re-installed.

 

Hello again.

I am trying to mount an image according to directed above but i am not able to. I am not biven the the choice to proceed once I select the image I want to copy.

 

On the main True Image screen, click on mount image. Once you mount the image it will create a new drive in "My Computer". Just access the drive like you would normally access a cd\dvd or hard drive. You can then copy and paste the files you wanted to save to your current hard drive.

 

Disk mount does not work for me. It does not open the next button when I click on a folder. Is it possible to just back up my hard drive to the other one and move from there. But then I guess I won't be able to open my files if I go that route.

 

Navigate to the drive where created your backup file using windows explorer. Right Click on the image file(not a folder) and select "Mount".

 

Question,

Can I make a back up of my disk to the existing hard drive and then from there make a image file of that to the 30g hard drive. The reason being is that I cannot make a simple backup of my own documents because it is too large for the 30g. Thanks

 

Not sure I understand but it sounds like you want to make an image of your existing main disk to itself which is possible if you have the space and ignore the warning.

I don't understand make an image file of that to the 30G drive?

If you have personal data files that are in excess of the 30G capacity you should seriously consider how you have your disks layed out. I, and others, will advise you to split the OS and applications into one partition and put your data files in a different partition. This way you can fool with your OS without worrying about the data files and OS backup/restores are a lot faster since you aren't dragging the data around each time. Lot smaller too.

Why don't you put the 160GB drive as a secondary data drive and install the 30G drive and install XP Pro and the apps on it and use it as your OS/apps drive?

 

Another alternate suggestion.

Buy another 160G drive and use it to install xp pro. After you get pro installed, you can then copy whatever files you need from the old to the new.

Save an image copy of the old home version so you can mount it later--should you have a need.

Now you can take the old 160G drive and reformat it and use it to hold your ti image files.

The 30G is very small and has very limited use. It should not govern your choices. Use the 30G for supplemental storage for more security. Copy a TI image of the old and the new onto the 30G and keep it stored in the closet--not connected all the time.

 

Hello jleroyce,

Thank you for choosing Acronis Disk Backup Software.

We are sorry for the delayed response.

Please note that as it was mentioned it is better to re-install the applications when you install a new operating system. You could check this thread <Restoring a single application> for details. Thus, I would follow the procedure seekforever described in post #3.

As for Mount Image tool of Acronis True Image, please find the step-by-step instructions on how to use it in chapter 11. "Mounting an image as a virtual drive" in the Acronis True Image 9.0 Home User's Guide. Be aware that only disk/partition images can be mounted. Acronis True Image 9.0 Home does not allow to mount file-based backup (backup of separate files/folders).

Thank you.
--
Aleksandr Isakov