Have a question about a new HDD...

[pat]

I'm getting a new Hitachi 60GB 7200RPM hard drive for Christmas (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDe ... 020&depa=0) and I was wondering how I can make an exact copy of my current 40gb 5400RPM hard drive. I know I could use Ghost, but would I be able to save the image onto a external USB hard drive? Would I be able to make a boot cd after I make the image, so I can grab and install the image onto my new HD? Or should I just start brand new?

thanks

[cj3209]

There's quite a bit of varying opinion on this matter. While I'm not specifically in the IT arena, I am involved quite a bit in maintaining notebooks and desktops at my work (we predominantly use Thinkpads for our notebooks and Dells for our desktops).

We do use Ghost on our network to quickly and easily install (and re-install) images onto new and old computers. But I find that problems do occur with some of these images.

Since you're going to a faster and larger HD, I recommend that you manually do the fresh install. Yes, it's a pain and time-consuming but, I think in the long run, it will lead to a more stable notebook. I would backup your 60 GB HD with Ghost though.

Check out www.blackviper.com for an interesting read on keeping Win XP 'toned down.'

Good luck!

[JHEM]

First, get the drive from Zipzoom instead: http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDe ... ode=100519 it's cheaper when you factor shipping into the equation and it's NOT an OEM HD.

Regardless of what Newegg says on their webpage about warranty periods, I've heard far too many tales over the years of folks buying OEM HDs from Newegg and finding out the hard way that it didn't have any warranty.

Every IBM/Hitachi HD I've gotten from Zipzoom over the years, back to when they were Googlegear, has carried the full 3 year warranty.

I'd perform a fresh install in this instance.

Regards,

James

[cj3209]

Hmmm...I'm new to this OEM warranty business. My understanding is that as long as you buy your HD from a reputable retailer, the three-year warranty comes from the manufacturer and not from the retailer. For instance, I had a Travelstar 60 GB (7200) HD go bad on me within 3 months; I contacted Hitachi and they promptly replaced it for me. They never once asked me where I got it or if it was an OEM item. He just took my serial number.

FYI.

[lfeagan]

They know where you bought it from based on the serial number.

[pat]

I believe what I think I will be doing is a fresh install then once I have everything that I would need on it, I'll ghost it. That way, if anything goes wrong with it, I can just use the ghost image

[JHEM]

They know where you bought it from based on the serial number.

Yep! First stop after purchasing an Hitachi HD should always be http://www.hitachigst.com/portal/site/h ... 6460e4f0a0

Enter the serial number in the "Quick check" field and you'll immediately know the warranty status of the drive.

For the record, OEM HDs normally carry NO warranty beyond a 30 day DOA replacement for the original purchaser, i.e. a system builder. Any subsequent warranty would come from the manufacturer of the machine the HD was used in unless a warranty contract exists between the HD and laptop manufacturers. That's the difference between retail and OEM HDs.

Regards,

James

[cj3209]

FYI, I contacted Hitachi directly and asked them about OEM/Bare Drives. Here is their response:

"Some online stores will cause confusion by calling a bare drive OEM. Bare
drives are drives that were sold thru the distribution channel without a
box, screws, jumpers and cables. Since the drive was sold thru the
distribution channel, it would have a three year warranty, the same as our
retail drives. OEM drives are different, when a drive is sold to an OEM
such as Dell or Gateway; they are sold without a warranty thru Hitachi. If
the company is advertising an OEM drive, the drive may not have a warranty, or it may just be a bare drive. You may want to contact the company that is selling the drive to clarify this before making a purchase."

BTW, they responded VERY quickly. I can see that Hitachi is doing well with IBM's Travelstar line...Now if only, Lenovo can do the same to the ThinkPad lineup...