"I do this so infrequently I need to remember, or relearn, the sequence. And, a bit more web research reminded me to use cfdisk on the new disk because it has an DOS disklable type by default."
At this point, you might consider compiling some good crib notes or what we used to call "Method of Procedure" or MOP in military parlance for all these sys-admin type tasks that you inquire to the list about. It's always good to have a repeatable, known good method and/or procedure for doing things. You'll start to remember how to do these tasks and in the event something goes wrong, you'll have a standard documented set of steps to refer back to for troubleshooting. And then overtime as your system, components or needs change you can update your MOPs.
