Someone have an extra Windows 2k/XP loaner PC I could borrow for a bit ("a bit" being "the weekend")?

My primary HDD just shat itself, and while I have free space (and two partitions) on the secondary, I need to be able to access it (to move files I want out of the partition I'd need to format in able to reinstall Windows and get up and running again) before I can get anywhere.

9/15/2006 9:57:01 AM

Anyone?

9/15/2006 11:51:19 AM

if i'm understanding what you want to do correctly, you don't need a loaner

you are just going to remove the primary disk and install windows on the secondary

you can choose to leave the file system in tact when you install windows - it won't format the secondary drive, just add to it.

9/15/2006 12:08:19 PM

if you're not using an NTFS file system, you can get a friend to burn a Knoppix Live CD (bootable linux on a disc) which will allow you to move files around your hdds.

however, if you are using NTFS, then you should do as stated above ^

there ARE solutions to writing to NTFS in linux, however, it's probably more complicated of a solution than you are looking for.

9/15/2006 1:08:07 PM

or you could just use a DOS NTFS bootdisk and xcopy

http://www.bootdisk.com/ntfs.htm
http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/NtfsDos.html
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/xcopy.mspx?mfr=true

[Edited on September 15, 2006 at 2:08 PM. Reason : *]

9/15/2006 2:01:44 PM

^
I don't have any floppies.

Yeah, I think I'm just going to go the "install without format" route. I just hate doing that because I've always wound up getting "spooky" behavior afterward.

*sigh*

9/15/2006 4:41:28 PM

well then make some friends

or buy some extra hardware

(or buy some friends, and make some extra hardware...)

[Edited on September 15, 2006 at 5:24 PM. Reason : .]

9/15/2006 5:24:32 PM