Transfer NT 4.0 HD to a new XP PRO machine?

[Thyezer]

I am wanting a way to transfer all HD data from an NT 4.0 Machine on the brink of death, to a new XP pro machine. I cannot just swap drives as the NT HD is about to give out. The reason is there are specific applications that have been customized and cannot be replaced.

Does XP offer something for transferring old HD (Boot drive) to itself?
Are there any other programs that could do the task?

Thanks

 

[wolluf]

You mean you want to migrate the apps from NT to XP? Without reinstalling them? If so, I think you have a problem! (I'm assuming they have system files & registry entries - so won't just run if you copy program folders - as obviously in that case could just slave NT drive to XP machine or copy over network if both connected).

NT machine 'on brink of death' - is this just the drive on its way out or whole machine? Can you carry on running NT if you can move the installation? Or do you have to go XP?
If just drive could try copying the NT installation to new hard drive (using something like Norton Ghost). Carry on as is with new drive.

If whole machine, try putting new drive in new machine & see if it will boot (as different hardware it may or may not). If it will, run as is. If you have to go XP - upgrade the NT to XP (take another backup first) - and hopefully app will still run (XP has compatibility mode if problems).

 

[jdeane]

you could ghost the orginal drive onto the the new drive and then upgrade NT to XP which should give you all you app's although you will also get the rubbish as well, always better with a clean install rather than an upgrade but in your case it's what I would do.

 

[Thyezer]

The last time we did this...We upgraded to NT 4.0 and reinstalled the App's. The only problem was the application is an outdated Metal Fabrication Design program that noone really knows how to setup. We had to have a Consultant from Australia fly in and set it all up again....(Someone should have taken notes!)

So, IF I were to use Norton Ghost....I could swap the data from the NT machine over to the XP? or do I need to upgrade the NT first?

The XP machine is basically clean...I could re-format if it made it easier?

Can I make the NT drive a non-boot drive and just add it into the XP system?

 

[jdeane]

this is what I would do:

use ghost to create a copy of the existing drive
see if the new drive will boot in the new pc (different hardware etc, may not boot)
if it does boot okay just upgrade to XP
if it does not boot try putting the new disk into the old pc and do the upgrade from there. Before swapping the drive over to the new pc check out this first
thread616-553290 will help prevent any blue screening

 

[wolluf]

Suggesting ghost to clone the drive to new one, so you can (hopefully) boot from that. So all apps are intact.

You can copy data from NT to XP but not apps - they would need to be reinstalled. Which is why the sugesstion to upgrade a cloned NT to XP with the apps in place. And also the question - do you have to upgrade to XP? Because if not, you could just run the cloned drive in existing machine under NT. Also as asked before - if machine is defunct (ie, not just drive), could try installing cloned drive in new machine & seeing it it boots (may or may not because of change of hardware).

If you add cloned NT drive as slave to XP, apps won't run (as they are not installed in XP) - unless they are just executables. After your comment about flying a consultant from Australia, I'd guess this is not the case!