2nd hard drive

[Bubba]

I just ordered a 2nd  hard drive,  WD 40GB WD400JB EIDE ULTRA-ATA/66-100 8.9MS 7200RPM 8MB BUFFER for 54$.

OK, is this just a plug-n'-go thing, or do I have to configure it ?

My existing hd is the same thing, just an different cat. number as it is a year or so old. I am down to  5 gb of free space so I need to spread out. Can I just drag-n'-drop games and files to the new drive, and leave my "main" WinXP stuff on the original drive ?

[scuzzy]

A brand new hard drive will have to be partitioned as FAT, FAT32, or NTFS. Then, the newly created partition(s) will have to be formatted.

Once that's done, you can install Windows (or whatever) to it. Or, it can be setup as a slave drive, in which case you can drag-n-drop files to it from the master.

[Bubba]

yikes,,,,,,,,, you're scaring me. How do I know which Fat to set it at ?  Can go to my "setup" screen on boot up and see what my present HD is set at ?

I guess I will keep the onboard HD as the master, and the new one as the slave.

My Dell has a mid point tap on the EIDE ribbon, is that the slave position, since my current HD is on the end tap ?

Finally, my Dell uses the Cable Select setting for the two CD drives, does that mean I need to use the CS setting for HD's ?

[scuzzy]

Don't sweat it, between my first poast to you and this one, I just installed a slave WD hard drive, partitioned it, and formatted it. It's already up and running.

Okay, you want to use the new hard drive as a slave. And your Dell is already setup with Cable Select. No problem.

Ensure the new hard drive is setup for Cable Select. If it's anything like the new WD hard drive I just installed, it's already setup that way. If not, do it now.

Go ahead and install it, boot up the computer, then come back here.

Oh - I'll need to know if you plan on setting up logical drives. In other words, do you want the entire drive to be a single drive, or do you want it broken down into smaller drives?

[Bubba]

I am too stupid to partition or whatever,,, I just want one big 40GB room to store stuff in,,,,,,, to take some of the weight off my original drive. Just ordered it, so I 'll wait for installation tips.  But I can plumb it all up, and boot up, "THEN" configure it  ?  It won't lock up or error message me to death by saying:

There is some kind of drive installed and we [windows] don't  know what it is, where it is, why it is, and why do you think you can just bolt something in here and expect us to make all work ??

I hate it when my pc/windows scolds me with those scary error messages

[scuzzy]

Don't complicate it. It's simple, and the boogy-man won't bite you.

Install the hard drive as mentioned above. I'll then instruct you on setting it up within Windows XP. This will be done through Windows XP's "Computer Management". We'll do it step-by-step.

If you get confused, I'll make fun of you, then we'll continue from there. No big deal.

[scuzzy]

BTW: Regardless of whether you want a big monster drive, or broken down into half-a-dozen little drives, you'll still have to go through the same steps.

One single big drive is okay, if that's what you want, so don't sweat it. I suggest you format it NTFS, which is the default anyway.

[scuzzy]

Bubba, I have to go eat dinner with the family. Here's what you need to do to create a single large partition:

Do the following steps:

Click on ?Start? >>> ?Settings? >>> ?Control Panel?

Double click on ?Administrative Tools?

Double click on ?Computer Management?

Maximize the window for easier viewing

On the left panel, under ?Storage?, double click on ?Disk Management?

Find the new hard drive on the BOTTOM list. It will be listed as ?Disk 1?.

Now RIGHT-click inside the panel that?s on the RIGHT side of the ?Disk 1? label. It?s important that you right-click inside the panel on the right, NOT the small panel where it says ?Disk 1?.

When you right-click, select ?Create Partition?, then click on ?Extended Partition?. Do NOT select ?Primary Partition?.

Accept the entire amount for the partition size.

Follow whatever instructions until the wizard closes.

Now, right-click again in the same area as before (there should now be a green band there). Once again, select ?Create Partition? or ?New Logical Drive?.

Once again, follow the wizard. This time, you?ll want to create a ?Logical Drive?. Again, select the entire amount for the partition size.

Follow the wizard to completion again. This time, you should have the option to format the drive. NTFS will be selected by default.

That?s all there is to it.

[Bubba]

Thanks Scuzzy,,,,,,,,,, it will take a couple days for the drive to get here, I will print out your recipe.


Tanx again