First rig with two SATA drives in it.

[Skiutah]

I recently installed two new hard drives into my computer. One 500GB and one 250GB, both are Seagate 3.0 SATAs with perpendicular recording.

I'm not trying to set them up in a RAID configuration, I just want my 500GB to be my main hard drive and have the 250GB on there as well so I can have the extra room.

I installed Windows XP on the 500GB one (left the 250GB one alone in the Windows bios/setup menu).

After installing all of my devices and drivers, etc. I have a wonderfully working computer...except for one thing.

Every time I go into "My Computer" to look at my drives, I only see the 500GB one displayed.

What do I need to do? Do I have to go back and install Windows XP again on my 250GB as well? This is my first time I've had two hard drives in a computer of mine since I was using IDE connections, and I don't remember having to do that with them, so I'm guessing that's not it.

Any info would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Aluvus]

Right-click My Computer, choose Manage. Storage, Disk Management. You need to create a partition on the drive.

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: Aluvus
Right-click My Computer, choose Manage. Storage, Disk Management. You need to create a partition on the drive.

Yep, except it also will have to be formatted.

 

[Roguestar]

:thumbsup:

Beaten to the finish by Aluvus and myocardia. Make sure to format it as NTFS, by the way.

 

[Skiutah]

Thank you all!

One question before I do that however: After I format the other drive for Windows XP and restart, what windows will automatically load when I start my computer? The installation that's on the 500GB one or the installation that's on the 250GB one?

 

[Smartazz]

Originally posted by: Aluvus
Right-click My Computer, choose Manage. Storage, Disk Management. You need to create a partition on the drive.

I have the same problem, except that when I follow these steps there are no drives reported in disk management.

 

[Smartazz]

Originally posted by: Skiutah
Thank you all!

One question before I do that however: After I format the other drive for Windows XP and restart, what windows will automatically load when I start my computer? The installation that's on the 500GB one or the installation that's on the 250GB one?

Whatever hard drive is listed as priority to boot in the BIOS.

 

[alaricljs]

Formatting a hard drive does not install windows on it. Therefore there will be no choice to be made.

 

[Skiutah]

Originally posted by: alaricljs
Formatting a hard drive does not install windows on it. Therefore there will be no choice to be made.

Uh...

I installed Windows on the other drive, then was given an option in my startup screen as to which OS I wanted to boot to. (XP Pro or XP Pro). The second choice gives me the Windows installation I did on the 500GB and will bring me up to my normal screen.

The good news is that now I can access the other drive!

Don't know if I did it right though. After I put a windows installation on the other drive it doesn't look like I need to right click on My Computer and go to Manage and everything. I thought format meant to put Windows on a hard drive.

Maybe I did this wrong, and if I did, should I delete the Windows installation on the 250GB?

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: Skiutah

Originally posted by: alaricljs
Formatting a hard drive does not install windows on it. Therefore there will be no choice to be made.

Uh...

I installed Windows on the other drive, then was given an option in my startup screen as to which OS I wanted to boot to. (XP Pro or XP Pro). The second choice gives me the Windows installation I did on the 500GB and will bring me up to my normal screen.

The good news is that now I can access the other drive!

Don't know if I did it right though. After I put a windows installation on the other drive it doesn't look like I need to right click on My Computer and go to Manage and everything. I thought format meant to put Windows on a hard drive.

Maybe I did this wrong, and if I did, should I delete the Windows installation on the 250GB?

wow...yes. That's definitely not the right way to do it. Uninstall windows from the drive you don't want it on.

Format means start the file system structure on an otherwise blank disk drive. Otherwise windows cannot use it. This isn't special for SATA drives. It has always been this way.

 

[RPatrick6]

I was told by several people that when installing windows for the first time, you should only have 1 Sata drive hooked up. After the windows installation is complete, then hook up the cables to the 2nd drive and then initialize/format, etc.

With two hooked up during the initial installation of windows, sometimes windows will write some of its files onto the other Sata drive instead of putting everything on the bootup drive. If this happens it ruins the install.

 

[PClark99]

Originally posted by: RPatrick6
I was told by several people that when installing windows for the first time, you should only have 1 Sata drive hooked up. After the windows installation is complete, then hook up the cables to the 2nd drive and then initialize/format, etc.

With two hooked up during the initial installation of windows, sometimes windows will write some of its files onto the other Sata drive instead of putting everything on the bootup drive. If this happens it ruins the install.

that is inaccurate.

I have installed winxp on my machine many many times with 2 SATA HDs plugged in.

 

[Skiutah]

Okay, I've uninstalled the Windows OS from the 250GB and am getting ready to setup a partition for it under My Computer/Manage/Sorage/New Partition. Should it be a Primary Partition or an Extended one? It says something about 4 volumes.

 

[Azimuth40]

Make it a primary in case you ever want to put an OS on it. Let it take the whole disk. Not sure what the 4 volume comment is about unless it is talking about the 4 partitions that all hard disks have in the master boot record. That is three primaries and one logical. Normally you only use one primary for the whole disk or one primary and the one logical if you wish to break the disk up into sections (volumes)

 

[Skiutah]

Eh, for me it goes Primary, Extended, and then Logical is blacked out.

But nonetheless, I'll try out what you said and make it a primary.

 

[Azimuth40]

Sorry it is late, the logicals go in the extended. You create the extended and then the logical will no longer be grayed out. Basically the extended partition is a container for the logical drive letters up to Z on Windows, up to 29 (32 - A B and C) on Novell Netware and Linux just gives them names so that would be 29 also I am assuming. I don't remember if C is usable if you do not make a primary and only make an extended, no one does much of this anymore since DOS and OS/2 died and Netware is limping.