Installing Windows on a disk already in use.

slipd · 17 Jan 2007 at 23:53

Hey guys,

Would it be safe to install a fresh build of Windows (XP Pro) on a hard drive that already has loads of stuff on it, but that isn’t full?

I’m upgrading my mates PC atm, and I want to swap his drives around – he has a 300 GB with about 100 GB of mp3, photo’s, movies etc that I haven’t got the space to hold for him it I were to format it and start from a fresh. So is it possible to just install Windows around it, I can’t see why a new directory C:\WINDOWS would hurt his other stuff, but because I’ve never done this way before, I thought I’d check first

All his stuff is organised in folders etc.

Traditionally, I’ve always installed Windows on a formatted drive…

Cheers

SW.

Pho · 18 Jan 2007 at 00:00

As long as you choose to leave the file system intact it should be fine.

You may want to make that drive the master when you install, else you end up with your Windows installation being on say D:\ and you can't change it.

slipd · 18 Jan 2007 at 00:04

Pho said:
As long as you choose to leave the file system intact it should be fine.

You may want to make that drive the master when you install, else you end up with your Windows installation being on say D:\ and you can't change it.

Thanks.

Yeah, when I'm installing, it'll be the only HD present.

Can I ask, have you ever tried this kind of thing before then?

Cheers,

SW.

TriedandTested · 18 Jan 2007 at 00:17

Blooming 'eck..talk about taking a risk. :eek:

Can't you at least partition it or something instead? I'd be ****** if all that lot went missing!

Pho · 18 Jan 2007 at 00:30

sam.wheale said:
Thanks.

Yeah, when I'm installing, it'll be the only HD present.

Can I ask, have you ever tried this kind of thing before then?

Cheers,

SW.

Yeah I've done it a few times.

Partitioning could be a good idea, but I always find that more risky. It's like when you're flashing your bios willing the power to stay on

.

slipd · 18 Jan 2007 at 01:03

Yeah, I would have thought partitioning a already formatted drive was more dangerous :confused:

Windows won't be overwriting anything will it?

Aww, I don't know what to do now!

I think I’ll sleep on it

SW.

bledd · 18 Jan 2007 at 03:30

all files will be left in tact

marc2003 · 18 Jan 2007 at 03:58

it'll be fine. i've done it on dual boot systems a few times, no reason why it shouldn't work on a clean install.

just remember that option "leave file system intact"...

slipd · 18 Jan 2007 at 10:21

bledd. and marc2003 - can I quote you both if everything goes wrong

I've had a word with him and he's not 'that' worried anyway, he'd prefer not to loose anything, but it's not the end of the world.

I think I'll give it a go then

SW.

bledd · 18 Jan 2007 at 11:08

sure, but we're both pretty sneaky and untrustworthy :cool:

t31os · 18 Jan 2007 at 13:54

Get partition magic, create the boot floppies, boot from them, shrink the existing partition, but leave some extra space to be sure of no problems, create a new partition in the un-used space, install windows to new partition.

No guarantees, as with all help on these forums.