If I replace my C:> hard drive with an SSD, do I then have to reinstall the Vista OS and all my software, or is there a way to avoid that? The current C:> drive is an 80 GB IDE drive; I would replace it with a 128 GB SATA SSD.

tanstaafl.

That's more a question about Microsoft Windows than SSDs.
Can't help you with that one, but others here likely can.

Cheers

Not sure about Vista, but you used to be able to clone the drive using Norton Ghost or similar and just pop it back in and go. In more recent versions of windows this can produce some booting issues and also trigger re-activation (no big deal...just call the number and tell them you're upgrading).

I did this in the past using Acronis True Image. Worked perfectly, and is very easy to do. Basically as easy as choosing the source and target drive and let the software do it's thing. Once it's done, you swap the disks and voila. They used to have a trial version that was free that was able to do this, but now I don't see it anymore, so I guess it'll cost you.

On the other hand, a Google search turned up this result. Ok, it's for Windows 7, but maybe it'll work with Vista as well. Can't hurt to try.

It never hurts to do a reinstall of everything, and doesn't really take but a few days.

Will 128GB be enough room?

Yes.

I keep almost no data on the C:> drive, primarily the OS and programs. I have 3TB of data storage in two drives in the computer, 3TB of backup in external drives, and 3TB of backup stored off-site (neighbor's house).

My 80GB drive has served me for more than six years, and while it has less than 10GB free, I could probably find 5GB that I could delete or move to another drive if necessary. So 128GB would be plenty.

I remember the days when just the thought of a whole gigabyte of disk storage was something out of science fiction.

tanstaafl.

I manage with 128GB in my main desktop, which has Visual Studio installed. While I have to keep a fairly close eye on it, I'm sure that Doug'll cope fine.

That said, I'll be putting at least twice that in my new PC, if I get around to replacing it, because SSD storage is cheap enough these days.

I am not sure if all versions of Vista supported mirroring, as I haven't been using Vista for years, but I usually create a mirror, break it and remove the old drive. That's the easiest, and actually you can work while the mirror is being generated, so the whole disk upgrade takes possibly 5-10 mins of down time including opening and closing the case, and reboots.

You may probably upgrade to 7, since you're at it? I'd recommend it. I am not a Microsot, or Windows, or Vista hater :), I just think you'd benefit from a newer, faster, safer and more recent OS, extremely similar to Vista as to GUI. You won't have to re-learn anything.