I'm a first time Hard Drive Installer, help :(

StationPayne · 08-27-2006, 07:20 PM

What I have:
Primary hard drive C, WinXP home edition (Seagate ultra ATA 160gb)
Second drive F is storage \ slave (unknown 80gb)

What I want to do:
1. Replace my second drive F with a new Seagate ultra ATA 300gb, then throw away the old one. This will act as a storage drive \ slave drive.
2. Replace my primary drive C (i think it's what you call a Master Drive, maybe a Boot drive...i don't know the various names) with another new Seagate ultra ATA 300gb, and TRANSFER files from my old primary to the new Seagate drive. Then after copying files I will throw my old primary drive away.

Quick Questions & Comments I have:
1. Will I need to reinstall WinXP to the new primary drive when Copying\Transfering files over to it? Will there be a popup or some sort of installation wizard telling me to install WinXP for file transfer to be carried out?
2. Below is a list of installation procedures I'm planning to follow for replacing my current 2 drives with my new Seagate 300gb drives. Please let me know if I'm going about this the wrong way. I'll try to explain the best I can.

How should I start? (I use WinXP home edition) :
1. Should I simply turn off the computer, then take out the second drive (slave drive) first? If so, do I take it out or will I have to go through "uninstallation" procedures for the slave drive, then take it out of my case?
2. After taking out my second drive, I'm planning to install the new Primary drive to be the new Master or Boot drive. I want all my programs to run off this new drive. The instruction book from Seagate says I need to keep the old primary drive in, then install the new primary drive, copy my files using Seagate's install wizard, and finally to reconfigure the drive connections so that the new Seagate is set to be the master and the old primary to be the new Slave drive.
3. Now that I have my old slave drive removed and my new primary is installed, I'm planning to put in the other Seagate 300gb drive to act as a slave drive. I will do this by taking out the current slave drive (which is the old primary drive) and replacing it with the other new Seagate drive.

THANX FOR UR TIME !

**Rashiki** · 08-28-2006, 12:01 AM

Yep, you're pretty much on the right track.

As for the uninstallation of the slave drive to start, just shut off the computer, use an anti-static wrist band (or touch the bare metal of the case every few minutes to discharge static electricity) and take it out.

Once you put the new primary 300 gigger in, use the seagate utility to make an exact copy of the drive. Once you power down, it should be ready to boot and take over duties as primary drive.

Then just put in the secondary drive, use the seagate utility to format/partition it and you should be good to roll.

any more questions, just ask!!

StationPayne · 08-28-2006, 12:07 AM

Gee thanx! I feel much better now, knowing that I actually might install my hard drives correctly.

Thanx for the feedback! I'll let u all know if I finish installing my new hard-drives soon.

StationPayne · 08-28-2006, 02:09 PM

HELP! After successfully removing my old slave drive and installing my new slave drive (which will soon be my new master drive after copying files), I successfully restart my computer and WinXP is running fine. However, I can't see the new slave drive in My Computer, I even restarted my PC more than 10times.

Seagate Installation Manual says I need to run "System Setup" program. It says to hit the following keys as soon as a reboot or turn on my computer.(depending on motherboard, and I don't know which kind I have)

- hit DEL if want to run Setup
- press F1 to enter Setup
- press F2 to enter Setup
- press and hold CTRL-ALT-ESC to begin System Setup
- press CTRL-ALT-S to enter Setup
- to enter setup: Boot to a DOS prompt, and press CTRL-ALT-Enter

I tried all of these combinations upon starting up WinXP (I have Home Edition) while it's loading with the blue\green running lines at the bottom of the screen. I even tried pressing F4, but nothing works.

When should I press the keys to enter "System Setup" mode?
Which keys do I need to press to enter "System Setup"?

PLEASE HELP !

StationPayne · 08-28-2006, 06:31 PM

I successfully installed my new Seagate 300gb drive. I guess I'm ok for right now.

08-27-2006, 07:20 PM	#1 (permalink)
StationPayne Registered User Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 29 OS: WinXP	I'm a first time Hard Drive Installer, help :( What I have: Primary hard drive C, WinXP home edition (Seagate ultra ATA 160gb) Second drive F is storage \ slave (unknown 80gb) What I want to do: 1. Replace my second drive F with a new Seagate ultra ATA 300gb, then throw away the old one. This will act as a storage drive \ slave drive. 2. Replace my primary drive C (i think it's what you call a Master Drive, maybe a Boot drive...i don't know the various names) with another new Seagate ultra ATA 300gb, and TRANSFER files from my old primary to the new Seagate drive. Then after copying files I will throw my old primary drive away. Quick Questions & Comments I have: 1. Will I need to reinstall WinXP to the new primary drive when Copying\Transfering files over to it? Will there be a popup or some sort of installation wizard telling me to install WinXP for file transfer to be carried out? 2. Below is a list of installation procedures I'm planning to follow for replacing my current 2 drives with my new Seagate 300gb drives. Please let me know if I'm going about this the wrong way. I'll try to explain the best I can. How should I start? (I use WinXP home edition) : 1. Should I simply turn off the computer, then take out the second drive (slave drive) first? If so, do I take it out or will I have to go through "uninstallation" procedures for the slave drive, then take it out of my case? 2. After taking out my second drive, I'm planning to install the new Primary drive to be the new Master or Boot drive. I want all my programs to run off this new drive. The instruction book from Seagate says I need to keep the old primary drive in, then install the new primary drive, copy my files using Seagate's install wizard, and finally to reconfigure the drive connections so that the new Seagate is set to be the master and the old primary to be the new Slave drive. 3. Now that I have my old slave drive removed and my new primary is installed, I'm planning to put in the other Seagate 300gb drive to act as a slave drive. I will do this by taking out the current slave drive (which is the old primary drive) and replacing it with the other new Seagate drive. THANX FOR UR TIME !

08-28-2006, 12:01 AM	#2 (permalink)
Rashiki Mentor Hardware Team Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 878 OS: Win XP Pro SP2	Yep, you're pretty much on the right track. As for the uninstallation of the slave drive to start, just shut off the computer, use an anti-static wrist band (or touch the bare metal of the case every few minutes to discharge static electricity) and take it out. Once you put the new primary 300 gigger in, use the seagate utility to make an exact copy of the drive. Once you power down, it should be ready to boot and take over duties as primary drive. Then just put in the secondary drive, use the seagate utility to format/partition it and you should be good to roll. any more questions, just ask!! __________________ ASUS P5WD2 Premium v0709 \| Intel Prescott 3.2ghz \| 2gb Corsair XMS DDR2-800 PC2-6400 \| Sparkle Power 550w PSU \| ATI All-In-Wonder X600 Pro \| Sound Blaster Audigy 4 \| CoolerMaster Aluminum Case \| WD Raptor 76gb 10K RPM SATA HDD \|ASUS CD/DVD RW Combo Drive \| Mitsumi 7-in-1 Floppy Combo Drive \| Coolermaster Copper Heatsink

08-28-2006, 12:07 AM	#3 (permalink)
StationPayne Registered User Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 29 OS: WinXP	Gee thanx! I feel much better now, knowing that I actually might install my hard drives correctly. Thanx for the feedback! I'll let u all know if I finish installing my new hard-drives soon.

08-28-2006, 02:09 PM	#4 (permalink)
StationPayne Registered User Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 29 OS: WinXP	HELP! After successfully removing my old slave drive and installing my new slave drive (which will soon be my new master drive after copying files), I successfully restart my computer and WinXP is running fine. However, I can't see the new slave drive in My Computer, I even restarted my PC more than 10times. Seagate Installation Manual says I need to run "System Setup" program. It says to hit the following keys as soon as a reboot or turn on my computer.(depending on motherboard, and I don't know which kind I have) - hit DEL if want to run Setup - press F1 to enter Setup - press F2 to enter Setup - press and hold CTRL-ALT-ESC to begin System Setup - press CTRL-ALT-S to enter Setup - to enter setup: Boot to a DOS prompt, and press CTRL-ALT-Enter I tried all of these combinations upon starting up WinXP (I have Home Edition) while it's loading with the blue\green running lines at the bottom of the screen. I even tried pressing F4, but nothing works. When should I press the keys to enter "System Setup" mode? Which keys do I need to press to enter "System Setup"? PLEASE HELP !

08-28-2006, 06:31 PM	#5 (permalink)
StationPayne Registered User Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 29 OS: WinXP	I successfully installed my new Seagate 300gb drive. I guess I'm ok for right now.