I'll try... 1. Should be pretty easy. Just use disk imaging software like Ghost or Acronis TrueImage to clone the entire disk. Those tools are flexible enough to adapt an image of a smaller drive onto a larger drive. Using a 2nd HDD adapter or a reliable external drive enclosure should make it a snap. 2. It shouldn't. The XP image on a ThinkPad should not require activation or be affected by activation-related hardware changes. 3. As mentioned above... 4. No idea 5. I moved from an 80GB 7200 rpm drive to a 320GB 5400 rpm drive in my Dell Precision M65. I noticed nothing obvious, speed-wise. So many other things in the environment collaborate to slow down a system, especially a corporate laptop image like mine, that the disk is probably a minor part of things. By this comment I mean things like antivirus software, firewall software, enforced file encryption, office integration junk, SMS-type software deployment tools, remote support stuff, etc. Even if that garbage were taken out of the picture I believe the raw performance of a 7200 vs. 5400 disk is still not dramatically different.
And you've already answered your own last question but, yeah, that drive is offered in various interfaces. Just make sure to order the correct one for your needs. Rob On Mon, 11 May 2009 09:48 -0400, "TK" <[email protected]> wrote: > I'm thinking of upgrading my T41, which came with a 60gb 7200rpm drive, > to a WD3200BEVE 320gb 5400rpm 2.5" PATA drive: > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136345 > > Questions: > 1) Will it be easy to transfer my entire Windows XP boot drive over to > this new drive? I.e. Can I easily transfer everything, including boot > record, without issue, to a drive of different geometry? > 2) Will Windows complain about changed hardware, or is my Thinkpad > pre-installed version immune to all activation complaints as long as it's > run on a Thinkpad? > 3) What program is recommended for doing this transfer? > 4) I have an external IDE-to-USB enclosure for 2.5" drives, in which I > was planning on mounting the new drive until transfer of OS was complete. > Might I encounter "large drive" issues with the 320gb drive in that > enclosure in the same way that some older 3.5"/5.25" enclosures can't > address drives larger than 127gb? > 5) How much will I notice the slower drive? > > Aside: Every site online that's selling this Western Digital drive > indicates that it's a PATA drive, including the comments from people > saying it's the biggest drive they could get for their old machine. (T41 > requires PATA, not SATA.) Yet Western Digital's own page about the drive > calls it a SATA drive! > http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.asp?driveid=599&language=en > > Thanks in advance for any help... > > TK -- http://www.fastmail.fm - A no graphics, no pop-ups email service _______________________________________________ Thinkpad mailing list [email protected] http://stderr.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/thinkpad
