Invisible Drive?

[Odyssey]

I am adding 120GB IBM Deskstar to a Dell 2Gz, XP, 384MB with the original 20GB drive installed. I have plugged it in, but the cable is not long enough to put the new HDD on IDE 2, so have just plugged it in as a slave on IDE 1 (will buy a longer one as soon as I can find).

In the meantime the (unformatted) drive does not show up in My Computer. Is this because it is not formatted or what?

 

[SESaskDFC]

Howdy:

That is EXACTLY why.. It MUST be partitioned and formatted for Windows to recognize it !!

Murray

 

[Odyssey]

Murray, Thanks for yours. How can I format the new drive if Windows cant see it? From DOS?

If so, do I first partition using fdisk, then format?

 

[Odyssey]

Found it! Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Backup. The Icon for what we have been calling Startup Disk is what Windoze calls a Disaster Recovery Disk.

 

[smah]

No, not really. That disk can be used to start the computer, for the purpose of restoring a backup file. I would have sworn that I replied to this, but it's not here.

You can format & partion from within XP. Start, Run, diskmgmt.msc Your new drive should be Disk 1. In the grapical display at the bottom of the window, you can right click to partition and format.

 

[Odyssey]

Smah, I had found that in my computer and was about to use it but was warned off by a post that I saw in another forum on a similar subject. There was a concern about accidentally repartitioning and formatting the original drive. It did not seem likely to me, but I did not want to chance a complete reinstallation. Anyway I did it by disconnecting the original drive and using the re-installation disk that came with the computer.

Divided the new drive into one partition of 5GB and the other of approx 115GB (plus the requisite 8MB one which I think is for the FAT). However, this process resulted in XP being installed on both partitions and it does not need to be on the large one.

Does anyone have an opinion about the best way to remove it from the large partition? Can I just delete all folders and contents?

 

[smah]

Before we go too far.. What have you got in your computer now? Just the 120Gb with 2 partitions? Or do you have the original 20Gb and the 120Gb? Where is your working Windows partition - the 5Gb on the 120Gb drive? When you boot, do you get a boot menu asking which Windows installation you want to run?

 

[Odyssey]

As described in the first post and further described in my last previous to this, i.e.,
original drive 20GB
120GB divided into 5 and 115 GB partitions.

all have XP installed

Puter boots normally from 20GB

Do you have any ideas about the best way to remove XP from the 115GB partition? thanks.

 

[smah]

If the computer boots & runs Windows off the 20GB drive and has no boot menu asking which copy of Windows to boot to, you can either:

1) Manually delete everything from the 115 GB partiion.
2) Using diskmgmt.msc, format the 115GB partition

 

[darrenrd]

ODYSSEY,
I HAVE THE SAME DISK DRIVE,USED THE PROGARM THAT IBM PROVIDES AT THEIR WEB SITE DISK MANAGER 2000 YOU CAN ACTUALLY RUN THE PROGRAM INSIDE OF WINDOWS IT WILL DETECT YOUR DRIVE AND FORMAT IT WITH 1 PARTITION..HERES THE LINK

http://www.storage.ibm.com/hdd/support/download.htm

 

[Odyssey]

Smah and darrenrd, thanks for the help. It would seem that the easier route by far is just to delete the XP related folders. Any cautions on this?

 

[smah]

None, as long as they're not being used. That's why I asked a couple of times where your working operating system is and if you ended up with a dual boot menu.