[mdlug-newbie] Swap Windows hard drive for openSUSE hard drive

[Raymond McLaughlin]

CLMalmsten wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> I'll soon be swapping out my Dell Inspiron 1000's hard drive,
> which is installed with Windows XP, and installing openSUSE on
> a new clean hard drive.
> 
> I learned yesterday at the mdlug meeting that before making the swap,
> I should backup the folder C:\Dell. I no longer have my original
> drivers/utilities disk from Dell, and Backup is not an option under
> System Tools. I'm wondering if I should backup anything besides
> this C:\Dell folder.

Actually, if you are going to physically replace the drive, backing up
stuff from the old disk is not that highly critical, though a good idea
in the long run.

> As a follow up to that question, does it matter whether I swap the hard
> drives out, or whether I keep the Windows hard drive where it is (in my
> laptop) and attach the new drive by USB?

For purposes of backing up, no.

> Any reason I wouldn't want to do
> that? and if I did connect the new drive by USB, would I have the option
> at startup to choose which hard drive to use?

If I recall, you laptop will boot from USB devices, so you *could*
install Linux to a drive attached to the USB, but that might reduce the
convenience of using the Linux. Swapping the hard drives isn't that
hard, but you do want to pull the drive adapter straight off, with only
the slightest side-to-side wiggle, to avoid bending the pins on the
drive. I saying this under the assumption that your Dell is like all the
others I've worked on.

> Thanks for your help,
> Christy

I hope this helps.

Raymond McLaughlin