Transferring WIN95 a New Drive

NOTE: There are software package available to simplify setting up and preparing new drives as well as moving data. A couple of notable ones are Partion-It from Quarterdeck, and PartionMagic and Drive Image from Powerquest. Here is a link to Western Digital's recommended approach.

Microsoft has an article that uses a different approach here - Q166172

NOTE: I have been informed that the method outlined below will not always work. The same is true for the one described in the MS article and also in the Western Digital approach or any other approach that uses a Xcopy(32) or explorer. In short, the problem that may occur is that the processes may not retain the proper file names and links. The issue here is the truncation of long file names where the beginning of the file names are the same.

For a more detailed description of this issue please see John Nava's Page.  He was kind enough to inform me about this potential problem.

Thus, while this may work (and will most of the time) there is really no easy way to know whether or not it will work for a particular installation. The approach may cause problems specially with links in the registry. Based on this my recommendation for transferring windows95/98 are as follows:

1. Use Ghost - Free trial download available

2. Use Drive Image

3. Check some of the options listed on John's page

  1. First use control panel -system icon then click the performance tab.
  2. Select Virtual memory and click  "let me specify".
  3. Set the virtual memory path to the new D: drive. This is the best and safest way if the new drive has a least two partions. If the new drive only has one then we need to be careful since later on we will be booting WIN95 without a D drive. The options here is to disable virtual memory. When doing it move all the files in \windows\ start Menu\Programs\Startup to a new folder to minimize potential for problem. We will find out in the next step. An alternative is to still use D and leave the old drive in in step 14.
  4. select OK and reboot. IF you disabled virtual memory and had problems. You can boot to safe mode and change it. In this case leave it on the C drive and make sure that you do not try to copy win386.swp
  5. Following the reboot there are two ways which seems to work for transferring WIN95 to the new drive <no guarantees from me>.  I will explain both. I have used both and they both worked for me.
  6. The first uses windows explorer to copy all the files. In order to do this you need to use view --> options from the menu in explorer and select show all files. There are lots of files and directories in win95 that are hidden and will not copy unless you do this.
  7. Next use explorer to drag and drop all of C: drive onto the D: drive. This will not work unless you did step 1 through 4 above. You must use copy here - do not use move
  8. Second approach is to use XCOPY32. It must be done from win95 if done from DOS you will loose all the long file names and the system will not work.
  9. Use start run and type in the following command XCOPY32 C:\ D:\ /c /e /f /h /r /s   (or use xcopy)
  10. Note: All of the switches are important and I'm assuming the old drive with win95 installed is C: and the new drive is D:
  11. Run scan disk after completing the copy process and make sure there are no errors.
  12. Shutdown the system and turn power off.
  13. Reset the drive jumpers such that what was the slaved drive is now the only drive what was primary is now the slaved drive.
  14. My recommendation at this time is to disconnect the old Primary drive by removing the power and cable. Leave it in the system. We will reinstall it shortly. (An alternative here specially if the new drive has only one partition is to leave it in and use it as the D drive for the Swap file)
  15. Turn on power and go to BIOS setup during the initial boot (Normally hit delete key).
  16. Use autodetect to detect the Hard Drive and accept the parameters. Check to see if it came out the properly. You will only have one drive at this time - The NEW one. Also make sure that the boot sequence is set to A, C for boot up.
  17. Insert the floppy boot disk or your win95 startup disk and then save and exit from BIOS setup.
  18. At the DOS prompt  type FDISK
  19. Select "Set Active Partition". Exit FDISK, remove the Disk from the floppy.
  20. Restart the Computer. WIN95 should boot and you should be exactly where you where prior to starting except with a new Hard Drive.If you only had one partion on the new drive and disabled Virtual Memory, make sure the first thing you do after booting is to enable virtual memory again. Then copy  the items you stored in another folder back to \windows\ start Menu\Programs\Startup.
  21. IF it does not boot and gives you some error message about missing system or something of that nature, do not despair. Just boot the floppy and then type sys c: from the A:> prompt. Then try again and check that you made the partion active with Fdisk.
  22. Now shutdown your system again orderly and turn power off.
  23. Connect your old Hard Drive and reset the jumpers for the new C drive to a primary drive with a slave installed.
  24. Reboot and enter BIOS on setup.
  25. USE autodetect to detect the Hard Drives. Accept the default parameters and check to see that they are what you expect. You may also want to change the boot order to C, A if you want.
  26. Save and exit BIOS Setup
  27. The system will reboot and win95 will come up. The new drive is now your C drive the old is D and the additional partition you may have created on the New drive will E: F: etc. and your CD-ROM is moved to the end.

Note: There are ways to prevent this order of drive letter assignments. Please see my note under installing a new Hard Drive.

        28 close the case and your done.

29 NOTE: After all this you may find that WIN95 have outsmarted us. It is quite likley that folders specially those located in the startup group (assuming you did not remove them first) will have the wrong path. If some application do not seem to work, then try right clicking on the icons and check properties. Win95 might have changed the path to D drive when we moved the applications. Just change the path back to C and you'll be fine.

 

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Last revised: December 19, 1999.