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DADDY BOB'S COMPUTER Q & A
October 12,
2008
Q.
I have a lot of video files on my hard
drive and it is getting full. Most of the
data is in the My Documents folder. Can I
install another hard drive, and if so, how
can I easily move all this stuff to it.
A.
Yes, it is usually possible to install
another hard drive either in addition to the
current one or in place of it. Replacing the
hard drive with a new, larger one will
require special "Disk Copy" software to copy
everything from the old one to the new one.
Also, some time and knowledge and probably a
little luck may be required. Many times problems with
corrupt files cause this process to be very
trying.
Since
most computers have facilities to
accommodate two hard drives, adding one is
probably the best solution for the problem
you seem to have. Physically installing the
additional hard drive may prove to be more
than most will want to try. For those
willing to give it a try, there are many
"How Tos" on the Internet. Just search for
"Install additional hard drive" and you will
get plenty of help. I would study several of
them as it seems that no one covers all
possibly scenarios.
If your
computer uses the newer SATA interface, the
installation is much easier since there are
no jumpers to be concerned with. However, if
it uses the older EIDE interface, the
installation is a little more difficult.
Possibly you will want to get someone to do
the physical installation for you. If done
by a knowledgeable person, it should not
take more than 30 minutes at most.
The
actually moving of all your "My Documents"
files is much easier as Windows has the
built in facilities to do most of the work
for you. Be warned that this process could
take several hours or longer depending on
how large the My Documents folder is.
First. a
little understanding of just what the "My
Documents" folder is all about. If like most
people, you and the programs you use save
files to the My Documents folder or a
sub-folder in it. This is done by default.
But the "My Documents" on the desktop and in
the start menu aren't real folders. They are
called shell folders which amounts to just a
fancy name for a shortcut. The My Documents
folder is by default located at C:\Documents
and Settings\username\My Documents, but it
can be located anywhere you want it
including on another drive.
XP has a
built in feature that allows you to change
the location of "My Documents" to any drive
or folder you wish. Then with just one mouse
click, move all your files for you
automatically from their old location to the
new one. Here's how.
Right
click on the My Documents on the desktop or
in the start menu and choose Properties.
This window will open.
Delete
everything that is in the Target space, and
click the Move button. This window will
open.
Find the
new hard drive, highlight it, and click the
"Make New Folder" button. Give this new
folder a name. To maintain some semblance,
you could call it My Documents. Click OK and
you will be returned to the previous window
with the new target shown. Now, click the
Move button, and all the files in the
old My Documents folder will be moved to the
new My Documents folder on the new hard
drive. As stated above, this process could
take considerable time.
One more
thing remains to be done. You will have to
tell your programs like Word where the new
My Documents folder is located so all the
new files are saved in the right place.
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