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General discussion

2nd HD install to laptop - Advice please

Feb 25, 2004 2:34AM PST

I want to install a 2nd external HD to my laptop (Gateway 600XL Laptop,WinXpPro SP1, 60GB, 512MB Ram) - bear in mind I'm new at this. The reason being is my laptop locks up in the middle of anything, randomly, especially during booting up & even in safe mode (seem like it can't access the HD anymore at some point), therefore can't do any system tests, etc. Hardware tests shows my HD & CD/DVD-ROM are ok but I'm not convinced. I get a better chance of running my laptop when it's well rested for awhile - could be a heating problem but I really can't pinpont what the real problem is at this point & this is my last resort.

My plan is to install a 2nd HD via firewire, install the OS with my WinXpPro CD & do clean reinstall of my programs. My concern is: Since my current laptop is so unreliable & locks up all the time I'm worried that it might intefere with the new HD installation. Will the installation of the 2nd HD & OS be relying on my current laptop HD & OS to do its job?

Do you have any recommendations as to which external HD is good? I'm thinking 80GB - 120GB capacity & currently looking at SmartDisk CrossFire 120GB Firewire/High Speed (1 Yr warranty). What are the key things to look for when purchasing an external HD for a laptop? I appreciate any help & advice. Thanks.

Discussion is locked

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Re:2nd HD install to laptop - Advice please
Feb 25, 2004 2:45AM PST

The problem is finding support for this endeavor. I will note that if your BIOS supports such a boot, then you can try it.

But imagine the number of people I surprise when asking if the machine has an uptodate BIOS and they have not done that for either not thinking about it or other reasons.

Beyond the usual Virus/trojan/worm that XP on a clean install can catch just by hooking up to the internet even if you install an Antivirus, we have the other pests such as adware, Kazaa, spyware and web page hijackers and more to eject from a machine.

Five tools that usually find most are noted at http://reviews.cnet.com/5208-6132-0.html?forumID=32&threadID=1313&start=0 Followon discussions note Hijackthis and new links for that and CWSHREDDER.

Bob

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Re:Re:2nd HD install to laptop - Advice please
Feb 25, 2004 3:02AM PST

Thanks for the quick response Bob. I will do further research.

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Re:Re:Re:2nd HD install to laptop - Advice please
Feb 25, 2004 3:43AM PST

Bob's suggestions are good and well worth pursuing. To answer your question any hardware left hanging or being added may well contribute to both a heat or power problem. Having a shop do a through diagnostic might be worthwhile before attempting the following.

I suggest you pick a compatible drive and swap it out for your existing drive, do a clean install from the restore CD and see if that resolves your problem. It will a) remove the old suspect hard drive as a possible problem and b)also remove the O/S and applications (perhaps corrupt ones) as a problem.

If its not the old drive, you can put it in a firewire or USB cage and reformat it and use as a backup or spare storage device. You can also recover your files if needed.

This all presumes you are comfortable doing a "clean" install and swapping out a hard drive.

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Re:Re:Re:Re:2nd HD install to laptop - Advice please
Feb 25, 2004 3:38PM PST

Thanks jconner. Btw, I do have Adware, SpyBot & AVG virus detection. Problem is, I can't run them (& everything else) to completion cause my laptop locks up in the process. Am looking into getting a new HD. Thanks again.

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Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:2nd HD install to laptop - Advice please
Feb 25, 2004 9:38PM PST

From what you describe it is very unlikely that hard drive is the cause of this problem. don't expect to be able to boot from an external drive.

Your most likely problem is that the system is overheating or some internal component has failed.

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Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:2nd HD install to laptop - Advice please
Feb 26, 2004 12:44AM PST

Thanks JMarchi. I suspected that too. I'm getting an external HD anyway. If that doesn't work I can still use it as extra HD for a new laptop (as opposed to replacing the exact current HD - which may still not work because some internal components is already busted). Thanks all.