BleepingComputer.com: XP Professional file moving

I am assisting a friend with her Dell system which has XP Pro loaded.
This system has 2 hard drives labeled C and D both of which are 512 mb, I think
Her C drive is filled to capacity, so full that it cannot be defragmented
The D drive, on the other hand has a few files and folders contained in it. I would like to move items from the C to D
What files, folders or even programs (?) will I be able to move to the D drive without adversely affecting the systems operation?
I do know that basic Windows programs reside on the C drive, I do not intend to touch these
How do I determine what to move and do so safely?
Am I correct in assuming that the D drive is already recognized in the boot order because she can open files from it already, eliminating the need to make changes in the BIOS?

Thanks in advance !

Simply put:

a. You cannot move program or Windows files.

b. You can move any data files from C: to D:. That means all files which are in My Music, My Videos, etc. can be moved.

c. Any miscellaneous data files which might be on the desktop can be moved, same for programs which have not been installed yet.

You can also delete the hiberfil.sys file and turn off the system restore function...to gain additional space.

Delete Hiberfil.sys in Windows XP before defragmenting - http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-...1-5630184.html#

Louis

newbie in hawaii, on May 1 2009, 03:32 PM, said:

In addition to not being able to move Program or Windows files you have another issue:

The minimum hardware requirements for Windows XP Professional include:

• Pentium 233-megahertz (MHz) processor or faster (300 MHz is recommended)
  
• At least 64 megabytes (MB) of RAM (128 MB is recommended)
  
• At least 1.5 gigabytes (GB) of available space on the hard disk
  
• CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive
  
• Keyboard and a Microsoft Mouse or some other compatible pointing device
  
• Video adapter and monitor with Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher resolution
  
• Sound card
  
• Speakers or headphones

From your post it seems you don't have even the minimum hardware to support Xp Pro? Can you verify the HDD size??

The minimum requirement list from: here.

Unless it is an extremely old computer, 512 mb sounds more like an amount of ram rather than the size of the hard drvies. My windows folder in Windows XP Home is over 2 gigs so I cannot imagine the hard drives in that computer could be that small. I am thinking that the 512 being referred to is the amount of ram installed.

Look in "My Computer" for the size of the hard drives.

Being able to open files on the D drive does not mean that the drive is recognized in the boot order. Unless it has an operating system on it, it is not bootable therefore there is no reason for it to be in the boot order

This post has been edited by Stang777: 01 May 2009 - 11:43 PM

To all those who responded, each hard drive has 200 Gb capacity, my mistake in listing 512 Mb as each unit's capacity.

Yes, Stang 777, the 512 refers to RAM capacity, Thanks for clarifying that the existing D drive is not in the boot order just because files can be read from it.

My original question remains though, how to I SAFELY move these files from 1 drive to the other? Drag and drop? I just need verification on this before I proceed

Thanks Again !

You are welcome. If you drag and drop files to a different location on the same drive it will move it, but if you drag and drop a file from one drive to another drive it will not actually move it, it will only copy it. I am not sure of a way to actually move it so I would drag and drop it, or highlight it, right click on it and select copy, and then right click on the drive you want it on and select paste to copy it onto the other drive, then go back to it on the first drive and delete it.

This post has been edited by Stang777: 02 May 2009 - 01:49 AM