...I'd do something else instead... ...you can do it that way and learn a lesson if something fails... ...my approach will allow you to KEEP what you have inplace so you can go back if you need to...

O:K: george I Have my lesson this time...Thanks!!!

Just alittle more and I would be pissed off.....

Dam computers!

...tell me about it... ...if things go wrong, it really goes wrong...

Yes if you do an upgrade with Windows XP professional!

But like George's points out, don't do it!

I agree with George's suggestions, just backup your data. Clean your hard-disk and re-install from scratch! In my Oppinion you should create two partitions one for your data and the other for windows and programs you use!
Some people will tell you that these days extra partitions are not necessary, they are wrong in my oppinion; I have seen to many people loose they data because they have everything in one single partition and by some stupid reason windows reinitialized and cleaned up everything!


Finnally, if you treasure your data backup it frequently! cd/dvd's are cheap these days and they can save your data! You can even use an extra hard-disk(external one for example) to keep you backed-up data!

George ...you were right about the funny lost of gig with the compact....
They sell you a 60 gigger only to used a few even before you put anything in it...What a bunch of clowns..
I'm e-mailing about it to them...He!He! there not out of the woods now...

They sell you 60 * 10^9 bytes which is quite different then 60GiB !

My complaints to them will exceed these figures...

...they will put you on ignore faster than you can count to 60...

They will be too curious about me...

I learned the hard way this is very true. Have used CD's for backups since then ... this leads me to my Q:

does anyone have hands-on experience with Archos ARCDisk?
The ad says it's an external HDD about the size of the old floppy, USB 2.0 connect so it doesn't need external power and comes in sizes from 20GB and up I think. At first glance it looks like a neat and convenient package that could speed up the backup process, etc. and the prices have been coming down of late.

Main reason to get something like this, for me, would be to perform scheduled backups without having to be present to baby-sit and change CDs.

Brad:

Sure looks like a better solution than the Burner... ...sorry, I have no experience with this hardware to share with you... ...if your data is in a different partition from Windows, it is less complex for backups... ...depending on the backup program you use, any new directory tree added could be missed... ...be aware and careful of this loop-hole.

Regards,
George

It looks nice, but for the fraction of the price of that one you can get a really nice (normal sized) 120GB external package!

For example using newegg I found this:
[URL=http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-154-317&depa=0]SimpleTech 120GB Portable USB 2.0[/URL]
price US$130


According to the [URL=http://www.simpletech.com/simpledrive/externalHD.php?PHPSESSID=0e76abe02939c4ab9725c3ff9 c245f15]SimpleTech website[/URL] this includes a normal desktop hard disk and they offer a free backup software with it!

The Archos one costs US$159 for 20GB,has a low performance hard disk and it's main advantage is size!

So it all depends on your requirements!
But I can tell you that these days these external devices are usually very reliable!
I am currently thinking of getting an external usb2 disk enclosure, move my current laptop hard disk into it and buy a faster bigger hard disk for the lappy!

i use cdrw's for daily backups and cdr's for monthly backups. Luckily my data fits onto 1 disk. I keep monthly backups in 3 locations, 1 at the computer, 1 in a safe in case the computer is stolen or house burns down, and 1 in my car incase the safe is stolen).

If it was more data i would then use dvd-rw's & dvdr's and the prices for these drives have dropped to about the same price as cdrw drives.

I have all my programs on cd's.

I would then install win xp from scratch including a fresh format, do all the sp's etc, then install programs from cd's then reinstall data from cdrw.


of course with hard drives getting so cheap you could install a 2nd big hard drive and install all the programs [even the original programs which you could later reinstall onto 1st drive] and data on it and install win xp on your 1st drive.

The only thing i don't like about this option is:
1. if someone steals your computer you lose all.
2. if the house burns down u lose all.
3. if a virus infects u could lose all.