re-loading windows - new harddrive

[Modas]

Hi Guys -

I've finally broken down and purchased a new SATA 500Gb drive to replace my old 20 and 60 GB IDE drives. Since I am completely starting from scratch (windows XP pro), is there a specific order that I need to load drivers etc when I'm doing this?  Should I go out an pre-download video drivers first and install from there or let XP find them, and then upgrade?

I'm also using outlook express for my email.  I've got directories that I have saved emails in.  How do I transfer those over to my new drive?

Any help is greatly appreciated.  I'm looking forward to having more than 3 GB of free space and having to constantly delete stuff.

[Fulmar]

How to back up Outlook stuff and restore it:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/270670

As for drivers.  Once you get into Windows, it's going to search for new devices etc and I install the default Windows Drivers just so I can get some functionality in Windows first.  Then I go back and download updated drivers for my hardware.

[BaldEagl]

Yep, let Windows install temporary drivers then install your motherboard drivers, video drivers and sound card drivers and then anything else.

[CRYPTIC]

Need to hit f6 at the begging of new install and have sata drivers already on floppy. When it ask if you have any other devices you want to install hit f6. Then follow directions. If you have never done this before I suggest you read up on it first. You can take drivers off your MB CD on go see if they have them on their web site. Its not that hard but if you understand it first it is a big help. You can google sata install or check your MB user guide. It may be in there. You have to have a  sata cable and make shur you are putting it in the right place on you MB. Some MB have to different sata drivers. Just a heads up.  You may not need to do this with one drive but with a Raid system you will.

 You really won't notice any difference with one sata drive. If you install 2 or more you can then run a RAID ARRAY o,1or 0 1 .  If you read then you will understand what this means. Its nice to have if one dies you still have all your info in a mirror RAID.  Something to think about.

 I would still use the 60 IDE to store things on though. Like all your pics, downloads and documents you might want to keep. If anything goes wrong with main drive you still have all your info on that drive.

[Fulmar]

You can include SATA drivers on a Windows CD, you just have load the addition drivers on a newly created Windows CD.  You can use nLite to create and customize your own Windows Install CD (with this program you can load Windows Patches/Updates/Drivers so they are accessible right away off the Windows disc).

Though if you are setting up a RAID array, which you aren't, you need a floppy drive.

Correct me if I'm wrong btw.