Question about running two harddrives

[Corporate Thug]

i have a 100 gb WD SE and i want to add a maxtor 120 gb for more storage

if i'm using it for storage only, do i have to:

a. install an OS on it?
b. format it ?

i assume i have to format it. just use win XP install disk to format? NTFS or FAT32?

TIA

 

[Sheriff]

b. format it.

 

[MichaelZ]

answer to a): no
answer to b): depends on the drive. sometimes you don't but often the drives that come straight outta the plastic bag do require a format.

no you do not need to use the XP CD. hopefully you can see them in windows as soon as you plug it in. if it doesn't show up however and you can't just right click it in My Computer, goto administrative tools > computer management > disk management. you can format it from there. alternatively you can use the good old Fdisk provided by in a Win98 startup disk.

 

[Corporate Thug]

thanx guys

 

[ScrapSilicon]

Originally posted by: shady06
thanx guys

ygpm and a link

 

[RobCur]

temporary storage maybe but risky! i've lost 70gb just instantly because i didnt have anything convenient to back it up to or cdr is just a pain.

 

[ForceCalibur]

NTFS of course. FAT32 isn't even being used anymore I dont think, except for like CF cards.

 

[jeffgson]

You should get a CD with the Maxtor HD that will enable you to clone your master drive to your new drive after you format (unless you bought your new HD bare, without any hardware or manuals). I've never tried this CD (I was looking at either buying a second Maxtor or a Western Digital, and I wnet with the WD).

This CD might also walk you through the installation and formatting of the new drive. If you get the CD with the drive, I'd look at its contents before doing anything inside your case. As long as your system is running, the CD might tell you everything you need to know step by step, and automatically be able to perform all the tasks needed to install your new drive. You can learn more about this at www.maxtor.com by navigating under Worldwide Support. I tried to give you a link, but when I previewed this message and checked the link the page didn't load properly. So you'll have to navigate to their support page yourself. It appears the software CD I was referring to is called Maxblast.

BTW, I installed my new WD HD yesterday - my OS is Win XP Pro, and even though my master drive is formatted in FAT32, Windows would only give me the option of formatting the new drive in NTFS. You should still be able to transfer files in either direction with FAT32 on one drive and NTFS on the other.

 

[sailor420]

Originally posted by: ForceCalibur
NTFS of course. FAT32 isn't even being used anymore I dont think, except for like CF cards.

Linux. Last I reinstalled Windows I formatted FAT32 so that my linux partition could write to it if needed. Unfortunately, Windows only supports FAT16, 32, and NTFS, so FAT32 was really my only choice.

 

[ForceCalibur]

Hmm, interesting. Linux only takes FAT32? I'm not an expert on drive formats, but isn't NTFS alot more stable?

 

[Algere]

Not sure, but it is more secure.

 

[13black]

Windows XP disk management
You can do it all from disk management. NTFS is the way to go, IMHO. It offers security and stability. It is also a more effient file system, esecialy on large drives.