C:\1386 folder for XP

[Gwizz]

Does anyone have this file on their hard drive? C:\1386
The one listed under C:\Windows\ is for uninstalling XP.
I need to change my noisy hard drive.
I've read that I need this file 1386 file to move XP to a new hard drive.

My computer came without any recovery disks. It only has a recovery partition on the hard drive and this 1386 file is not on either partition. I had a hard drive problem shortly after buying the computer and at that time a new hard drive was installed under warranty by the seller appearently without the file I need.

[JFMarvelous]

Gwizz, I believe the file is (i) I386 not 1. Check out max blast 4 (or later versions), as this program can set up your new drive and transfer all files plus make the drive a system bootable drive.( install as slave drive, run program,remove old drive, make new one master.) This took me about a half hour total to replace my hard drive when it started sounding like my washing machine.
Also did you check in C:Windows\service pack files\I386 ?

[Blackhawk]

Do you mean i386? I think I have 1 computer with XP professional that doesn't have that folder (but I have restore cds for that computer) and on this Dell laptop without restore cds I have an i386 folder, that's around 840 mb. I've never tried copying it to a new drive and running it so I don't know how that would work or if you would still need to reinstall your drivers seperately etc.
http://ask-leo.com/so_just_what_is_the_ ... nyway.html

I assume you've already checked to see if the recovery partition allows you to make a set of recovery/restore cds. If the recovery partition asks which drive you want to restore, you might be able to put in the new hard drive and see if you can run the recovery on that drive.

You might also be able to use some cloning software and copy everything from the first hard drive to the second.

I suppose another route to go would be to "find" a copy of Windows XP (whichever version came on your computer, home/professional) and then install that and when you need the Microsoft cd key use the one that came with your computer. (Laptops usually have a sticker on the bottom with the info, desktops might also have it on the side of back of them, it's been so long since I've had a desktop. I think it came with the sticker on the front of a window's pamplet of its legal terms and conditions)

[Hawk]

I'm not sure about all hard drives brands but if you buy a Western Digital hard drive, retail version - not OEM, it comes with a CD with Data Lifeguard Tools on it. Using that cd you can copy the contents of the old drive to the new one.
I've never used that feature of Data Lifeguard Tools as I always star from scratch so I don't know how well it works but I assume it does it's job as advertised.
'Course you know what happens when you ass-u-me.

[JFMarvelous]

Hawk, "Max Blast 4" came with a Maxtor hard drive(now Seagate?), but will work with any drive I think. It will allow you to Clone your system drive (in master pos. to new drive in slave pos.). You install it on you computer, then shut down and install new hard drive as a primary ide slave drive. Then restart computer, and if maxblast dosen't autostart, open it from the desktop or start menu. The new drive can also be any size,( I cloned my old 30GB HD to a 140GB HD). The program can format, partition,and transfer complete drive to new one,(as a bootable system drive) in effect cloning it. Shut down computer down and remove old drive, replace with new drive, (change setting jumper to master pos.) and restart computer. It should be just the same as it was.(except for any difference in size).
You can Google Max Blast 4 for downloads of this program.

[Hawk]

That's the same thing Data Lifeguard Tools does, except you can run it from the cd and don't have to install it. It looks like the only difference between Max Blast and Data Lifeguard Tools is that Data Lifeguard only works with WD drives, and you don't have to install it.

I've always used Western Digital drives and have never had a problem with any of them so I continue to use them.

[WPandP]

I've always used Western Digital drives and have never had a problem with any of them so I continue to use them.

I've also always used WD, since 1995! In that time, I've had just one failed drive, and that one failed after it was replaced (it was a secondary drive at the time). I'm running a 3-disk RAID 5 right now, built on WD platters.

However, brand loyalty might not be such a good idea in the computer world, esp. when the technology base shifts. As SSD's get more competitive with HD's, I don't expect WD to be the leader, just as I found myself disappointed slightly by my Viewsonic LCD; they made great CRT's, but the flat panel is just mediocre. And it took me a long time to try any GPU other than an ATi, but I finally switched to Nvidia a couple of upgrade cycles ago and was well pleased. Although, I guess that particular race keeps swinging back and forth, ATi/AMD is still a decent choice.

Like you, I've not used the Data Lifeguard tools either, preferring to rebuild with fresh installs. Still, nice to have the software though!

[Gwizz]

Thanks for the ideas
and for refreshing my memory.

I mis-read the instructions. It was an (I)386 file and there are many of these files on my old drive.
Too my surprise, one is a Gateway Max Blast 4 (I)386 that is on my new system for making an OS restore DVD. I'll try this first.

I believe it was a Seagate drive that I heard could make a total image copy of my hard drive. Not sure.

I also have the Western Digital program that came with another Hard Drive that I put on my Old Gateway, although I did read that it will not make a complete image of my XP Pro, since it is installed on another brand of hard drive.

I priced a new XP pro = over $150.00 Same price as 7.
A friend, who works at MS as a contract employee said she is finding few problems in the German version of 7. She also said MS is a sweat shop of a place to work. I've heard that before.


The following were helpful computer sites that I used in my hard drive search.

They cover other repairs as well.

http://www.howtofixcomputers.com/forums ... der-117763. ( It sure looks like the #one)

http://www.thefreecountry.com/utilities ... mage.shtml

http://www.spyfu.com/Term.aspx?t=7893

PS: I hope the links work for you. Only the last one did on my computer.
If not, you might shorten the links. They then do work.

[Hawk]

The second link didn't work because you had it as htmlttp instead of http. I fixed it and it now works.
The first link doesn't work. Could be the thread is no longer in existence. Not sure.

[Hawk]

As SSD's get more competitive with HD's, I don't expect WD to be the leader

The biggest problem with SSD's right now is that they only work to their fullest capability on Win 7 and Server 2008 systems. That's due to a feature of them called "Trim'.
Here's an article about them.

Windows, solid-state disks, and 'trim'

By Fred Langa

It's a little-known fact that all solid-state disks — all of them — suffer inevitable performance declines over time.

It's also little known that Windows 7 and Server 2008 are currently the world's only operating systems to fully implement the new trim command that helps forestall this speed decline.


The Achilles' heel of all solid-state drives

Reader Peter Jackson is frustrated by the diminishing performance of his solid-state disk drive (SSD):

"I have a 64GB solid-state hard drive, but no way to restore it to factory-new condition. It has to do with getting the 'pages' to read as empty and not just overwritten. It's important to all SSD users, as the performance degradation is something [all SSDs] eventually suffer from.

"The few solutions I've found are very complex; so far, I haven't been able to get any of them to work. My SSD seek times degrading from .1 [millisecond] to .4 or .5 may sound silly, but it's not."

Performance degradation over time is a known issue with all SSDs, Peter. There are a number of contributing factors — I'll come back to this in a moment — but some of the worst culprits are standard disk operating commands that were originally designed for use on magnetic, spinning-platter hard drives. SSDs operate differently, and that leads to problems — especially when attempting to reuse previously accessed data blocks, such as the former location of deleted files.

To correct this problem, most current SSDs support a new command called trim. This SSD-specific command does just what you want — it automatically clears out old, overwritten data.

The trim command specification is being made a computing standard by the International Committee for Information Technology Standards, so all OSes will eventually support trim. But for now, only Windows 7 and Server 2008 fully support the trim command. While Linux 2.6.28 is SSD-aware, its partial implementation of trim falls short of Windows' full support.

That's worth repeating: Right now, Win7 and Server 2008 are the only OSes that offer full, native support for trim. They're the only OSes that let you get the most out of an SSD right out of the box!

Absent a trim-aware OS, you either have to rely on the workaround routines built into some SSD firmware or use add-on trim-ming tools. For example, G. Skill's Wiper software is designed specifically for its Falcon Series SSDs; you can download and read about the utility on the G. Skill site. "Hdparm," a Linux-based tool for modifying hard drive parameters, includes experimental trim scripts in version 9.17 and higher. More information is available in an LWN.net article, and Hdparm itself is downloadable from a SourceForge page.

However, one look at the extensive cautions and warnings on those pages, and you'll see why having trim baked into your OS is obviously the best way to go.

SSD performance is a complex topic. WindowsITPro's article 101947 by John Savill explains why all SSDs suffer gradual performance slowdowns. Article 101966 by the same author explains how a trim-aware OS can help.

A longer Computerworld analysis of SSD performance by Lucas Mearian delves more deeply into why SSD slowdowns are inevitable. All three of these articles include links to more information on the subject.

But Peter — and anyone else using an SSD — the bottom line is this: Upgrade to Win7 or Server 2008, pronto!

[Gwizz]

I got the first link to work to the home page with:

www.howtofixcomputers.com

[Hawk]

I got there and into the forums but I couldn't find that particular thread you tried to link to in your previous post.

[Gwizz]

I went to a lot of sites. Normally I did a search using the (One)1386 number.

I also when here:

http://www.howtofixcomputers.com/forums ... 17763.html