Changing primary drives and backup/restore process

I have a PC with two hard drives. The secondary is larger. I fear that
the primary is getting old. Norton Ghost says it has errors when I try
to copy its image.

I would like to make the secondary the primary and not have to go
through reinstalling my OS, drivers, configuring personal settings,
etc....

I am copying the entire C drive using Ghost but I'm not clear if it is
creating an image or simply copying files. This leads me to a
question.

Could I simply copy all of my C drive to my secondary hard drive,
remap the drive letters so that the secondary drive is C and upon
reboot my system would boot up using the larger drive as the primary?

 

If your drive already has errors and Ghost is *finding* those errors, then
the backup will be faulty and not near complete. You *have* to reinstall,
it's too late, you waited too long to back up. Take this as a lesson.

 

No lesson required. Its only one partition that gets the errors.

What if I were to simply copy the program files AND the registry?

Would that plan prevent me from having to reinstall applications?

 

Xp assumed

The program files and the registry only? No, for one all your .dll
files for the programs are located in the windows/system32 dir. Other
file are scattered everywhere:
E:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data being an example.

If you were to boot up with a boot disk. Then copy the entire drive to
the new one it should work.

Too many errors on the copy, run a Repair install.
http://michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

If you haven't installed SP3 yet, slipstream XP and SP3, then you
shouldn't be stopped in the middle of the operation because of an
update you don't have that it want's.
www.helpwithwindows.com/WindowsXP/Slipstreaming_Windows_XP_Service_Pack_3.html
If you don't have auto updates on, it should work, no problems.

 

wrote in

No it *won't* Penny. These are *physical* errors, The drive is dead, the
data is gone.

 

If the OP is getting can't read disk continue? or skipping sector as
it can't be read (it's been a long time, can't remember the terms).

Yes files would be missing or corrupt, a repair install would fix the
windows files or OS, the program files, or anything not MS would need
to be replaced.

Think of a repair install as "scannow sfc" but for the entire OS.

But like SFC a few updates and it might abort, or you reboot cause
your tired of it asking for so and so file and hitting cancel isn't
getting you anywhere no matter how many times you click on it

But the OS will still boot up with no lose of data - this case
depending upon just how many errors encountered, on just how many
"program file" programs make it.