Install second hard drive for dimension 2400 and get vista on it?

[iamtgood]

Hi, this is my first day on this site, and I definitely need some help!

I have a dell dimension 2400 with a 40 gig hd, and I'm trying to get vista when it comes out. problem is, I don't have enough free space left to install it, since it requires 15 gig. I want to get,say, another 40 gig hd so I have room, but I was told if I move all my files to a new hd I will have to reinstall all the programs due to registry issues. Is it possible to leave my master drive the way it is and just install vista on the new one? I don't want to take out my current drive and pay for a large, expensive hd as money is tight, so having another small drive is my only option.
any advice on the easiest way to proceed, where to install vista, what to transfer, etc?
any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!!

 

[Ididmyc600]

Hi

As Vista is the new OS, when you install it, it should see your old OS and create a boot loader, allowing you to choose at startup which OS to choose.

But 15GIG for an OS, another reason not to bother with Vista, I mean what the hell takes 15 GB of space, i'll tell ya, a full copy of Vista as a backup plus space to store all the keystrokes for a month, see told ya I was paranoid....

Regards

 

[RealBlackStuff]

Also, your bottom-of-the-line Dell 2400 will hardly be powerful enough to run Vista. Built-in graphics is not going to work!
If you insist on more bloatware from Microshaft, run the Vista compatibility-test first before you spend any money.
Putting a second hard disk in that PC for another OS is no problem otherwise.

 

[retroman]

I have the same computer, and...

The Dimension 2400 has 128 megabytes of RAM, and you'll need around a gigabyte.

Also, the integrated graphics that it uses, also called onboard graphics, will not run Vista. You will have to get a PCI graphics card from Newegg, because the Dell won't accept AGP or PCIx16 cards. A compatible one would be the ATI Radeon x1300 with 256 megabytes of VRAM.

Overall, you'll be spending around $250 or more, OS included. I think by the time Dell starts selling their low end Vista machines, that will be the more economical buy.

If you do decide to upgrade it, way to go, because the 2400 has a half decent processor.

As for your new hard drive, just format the one you have. Unless you really need to keep all those video, music, and other files, its really rewarding having a clean slate. Plus, if you call Dell, after being on hold for a while you can get their XP home operating system disks. Just tell them your old hard drive died.

 

[Tmagic650]

Please visit the Microsoft Vista website site before you deside on buying Vista. I have a feeling Techspot will be loaded with problems dealing with installing and running Vista very soon.

As a general rule, Microsoft says any computer less than 2 years old can run Vista

 

[retroman]

The Dell in question is from 2004, I think.

 

[Tmagic650]

The Dell in question is from 2004, I think.

Vista Basic may run on this system at best