Clean Xp Reinstall, Can It Recognize

[penzman]

I've got two hard drives.

1 (30 gig) will be used to install OS and software.

2 (40 gig) will be dedicated to digital recording.

I've had bad experiences in the past when after reinstalling the OS, my recording software and recordings were still on my second drive but the software would not run anymore. I would reinstall the recording software over itself but presets for effects and other things would not work properly afterwards.

Is there a way for a fresh install of XP to search for installed software on other drives and make it updates it's registry so the software on that second drive will nor need a reinstall?

Is there an XP feature that will do this?

Shall I ghost or image?

I've never used those before.

Thanks in advance!

Penzman,

RMPU (Recovering Messy Pc User)

[Phil Conners]

No and no. A new Windows installations require you to reinstall the apps.

[monty]

Penz,

there is software which tries to detect all the software installed, saves the settings / registry settings in a file and then restores all the stuff after you do a clean reinstall of windows.

It works some of the time but not always...

I Know I have it somewhere around here so hang on and I'll post the link to download it...

[waldwolf]

penzman - When reinstalling most version of Windows using the OEM supplied "reinstall disks", one should be aware in most cases using said disks will either reformat your main HDD before installation or overwrite data already present. In either case, all your data will probably be destroyed.

However, if you have either an "Update" or "Full" version of a Microsoft Windows CD, then is it possible to reinstall the Windows OS without overwriting or damaging other installed programs and data. Details on how to accomplish this re-install are on the Microsoft website. (My trying to detail them here would be lengthy and difficult, as exact proceedures vary from one OS version to another.)

Some OEM's (eg: Dell) will provide you with a Windows OS disk, on demand.)

As a general rule, it is best when installing the same program, to uninstall earlier versions or identical versions of the same program. (Where possible, would recommend said programs or utilities be installed in "Safe Mode", to avoid possible conflicts with "running" programs, such as your antivirus.)

In most instances, Windows when reinstalled (without re-format) will pickup your old settings and you should not have too many problems with previous software.

One point to keep in mind........most, if not all OEM's, modify the Microsoft supplied Windows OS, and tailor it to their own specific needs. (Things are added, things are taken out.) Therefore, few if any remain loyal to the retail versions you find in stores. IMHO the full retail version is basically your "Gold Standard".

good luck

[Mr_Happy]

Best way is to use norton ghost... it will transfer partition to the new drive...