Ideas on archiving an XP computer

[bucolic_frolic]

I don't use it even weekly, but it does store everything. I plan to clone the hard drive and install Linux Mint as the OS on the replacement drive to make it usable. I have hardware to upgrade the system to 2.67 and 8G. It is currently an XP-MCE - Media Center Edition. There are some files inside the MCE part that I have no idea how to copy to another system, or if Linux could ever access them. MCE was well protected when the manufacturers made them.

I think I should uninstall all the junk on there that is obsolete. TurboLister, YahooMessenger, Photo archiving software, etc. I have Canon scanning software on there that only works on XP. That will stay. But my question is .... how much damage can I do uninstalling all this stuff? Will removing the bits of small programs harm XP functionality? Will MCE still work?

TIA for any insight or experience you take the time to offer........

[AllaN01Bear]

1. a late friend who was a debugger for ibm said .

dont be afraid to take the computer and make it crash. if u dont need ym and othrs fine . do u have install disks incase you wipe out track 0- sector 0 on your harddrive . do u hae anyway to make a copy of it to reinstall if you dont have the oem install disks. good luck. i hate products imbeded in the os which have no functionality and you cant get rid of . micro$oft got in to trouble with that a while back. but shrub bailed them out .

[bucolic_frolic]

2. Yes, I do have backup install disks, 3 sets

I could clone the entire disk and work off the clone to see what happens. That's possible.

Didn't know Shrub did computers. But the Bushes had their hands in everything.

[AllaN01Bear]

3. i killed a windoze 95 machine that way and it wasnt pretty.

good thing i had mmy oem disks . saved my tusch. good luck. at least once u do that u know what u can and cant uninstall. i have 2 macs one 10 yo and the other 9. i am going to completly gut a lot of web stuff and use it as a home work computer . my 9 yo i will use as a web machine and so furth.let us know what happens please .

[bucolic_frolic]

4. Will keep you posted, but it won't be quick

Don't know when I'll get to it.

Also have a somewhat premium HP Ergo monitor that lacks red and needs tearing apart. Thanks for the ideas!

[AllaN01Bear]

5. your welcome .

[ramblin_dave]

6. Yes. clone the XP hard drive and keep the original as the backup

Clone the original XP drive to your new hard drive. Then install Linux Mint on the new drive too, and opt to keep Windows, making the computer dual boot. You should be able to see files on the XP partition using Mint. But if you need to run XP, it's there on the same drive.

[hunter]

7. I'd install the new drive in the computer and install Linux on that.

Then I'd put a usb adapter on the old drive and transfer everything over to a folder named "OldXP" in my new Linux home folder. Then I'd put the old hard drive in the closet.

That's the way I've been doing things since the late 'seventies.

By the time I upgrade to a new machine hard drives are generally 4 to 8 times larger than they used to be, so there's always plenty of room to transfer *everything* on the old drive to the new one, even stuff I know I'll never look at again.

Then I'll only move files and programs into the new operating system as I use them. Everything else remains behind as cruft, for example all my proprietary Windows pdf and image processing software (stuff modern open source software does better), or games I no longer play.

My favorite computers were the Atari 8 bits. I have an Atari icon on my Linux desktop that opens an emulator that transports me back 40 years. I've got all my old DRDOS and Windows machines emulated and within easy reach as well.

Maybe I'm lucky, but my old windows software generally runs well using Wine or in a virtual machine.

I quit installing Windows on my main desktop machines at 98SE. I have a laptop that dual boots Linux or Windows 10. I haven't used the laptop much since the covid crisis began.

My switch to Linux was fairly painless, maybe because I had a lot of previous experience with BSD. Most of my old BSD stuff "just worked" when I switched to Linux., stuff I hadn't touched in years.

[LPBBEAR]

8. Couple Ways

I am also a Linux user. There are several simple ways to do this.

1. You did not mention what type of hard drive the old system uses. Since its running XP the drive could be an older IDE type. It could also be a SATA drive.
In any case remove the old drive before you install Linux Mint. If the new drive is SATA install the new drive to the same connector that the old drive used. If the new drive is some sort of IDE drive set the drive jumpers to the master setting. Do the complete Linux Mint install on the new drive. After the install shut down the system and reconnect the old drive to a second SATA connector. If the original drive was a IDE type set its jumpers to slave and reconnect. Power up the system. Once you've logged into Linux Mint you should be able to access the old drive's data files directly from Linux Mint.

2. An alternate method is to use the Linux Mint DVD in the run from disc mode. Once it reaches the desktop use a usb flash drive to copy any files you need from the original drive. After you have all the files you need from the old drive shut the system down. Install your new drive and install Linux Mint on that drive. Use your usb drive to copy the files from the old drive to the new system.

3. Another simple method is to purchase a usb drive caddy that is appropriate for your old type of drive. Remove the old drive and install it in your new drive caddy. Install your new drive into the system and install Linux Mint. Plug your usb drive caddy in to your new Linux Mint system and copy files.

Welcome to freedom.