Yes you can chain HDs with those IDE cables... make sure the jumper on the back of each HD is set properly. IE, you dont want 2 master drives or 2 slave drives.

As Kartek said, download Acronis.
Great program, not a real intuitive interface, but you'll get used to it.

Also MOST HDs that you buy will come with a disk that can clone your existing drive to the new one.

I wouldn't reccomend cloning the drive onto the new machine because of the registry settings and all of the amassed junk of the old image.

Setup the new machine the way you want it and then slave the drive on by setting the old drive to slave or plugging it into the CDROM ribbon to avoid messing with the jumper settings. Copy everything over and you're set.

Technically I agree, and should have posted it.

But he is missing the original install disks, this is one way around that.

Someone on the forum must have a similar Dell machine. Someone could "cough" copy it mail it and use the system's existing COA and it should "Activate" and all.

Dell will send a replacement CDROM for a nominal fee. I haven't done it in a few years but they did it.