Joined
·
29 Posts
I’ve just purchased a 200GB Seagate hard disk drive that I want to install in my PC as a second hard disk. This’ll be the first time I’ve attempted to install a hard disk myself and I need a bit of advice please.
I’d like to partition the new hard disk into something like 8 parts (i.e. 25GB each). I was advised by a work colleague to store a backup copy of Windows on one of the partitions and allow the hard disk to be bootable in case my main ‘C’ drive ever went wrong. Have I been given good advice here?
I’ve been to Seagate’s web site and printed off some useful info about installing a hard drive using Windows XP Disk Management (http://www.seagate.com/support/kb/disc/howto/install_xp_disk_mgmt.html), but I’m not sure what to do when I reach the ‘New Partition Wizard’. I am unsure what options to choose on each of the screens to enable me to get the end result I’m looking for. Do I first need to create a Primary Partition for the Windows files to go in and then create extended partitions for the remaining 7 partitions? How do I know what size to create the primary partition?
When I get to the screen about assigning drive letters is it ok for me to reassign existing drive letters to my new partitions? Currently my CD-RW drive is ‘D’ and my DVD-RW drive is ‘E’. If I reassign these to my new hard drive partitions will Windows XP designate new drive letters for the CD-RW and DVD-RW automatically or do I need to do something?
Once I’ve successfully got the second hard disk up and running, which Windows files do I need to put in the primary partition and where are these located? I don’t have a Windows XP CD but instead have a Mesh (Manufacturers) Recovery Disk.
Really appreciate your help.
My PC spec is:
Windows XP with SP1
Pentium 4, 2.4Ghz processor
Asus P4S8X ATX Motherboard
1.5GB PC2700 RAM
80GB HDD (7200RPM) with 2Mb Buffer
1.44MB 3.5” Floppy Disk
Teac CD-W548E 40X12X48 IDE CD Re-Writer
Samsung TS-H552B IDE DVD Re-Writer
128MB Nvidia Geforce4 Ti4200 Graphics Card
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy Sound Card
I’d like to partition the new hard disk into something like 8 parts (i.e. 25GB each). I was advised by a work colleague to store a backup copy of Windows on one of the partitions and allow the hard disk to be bootable in case my main ‘C’ drive ever went wrong. Have I been given good advice here?
I’ve been to Seagate’s web site and printed off some useful info about installing a hard drive using Windows XP Disk Management (http://www.seagate.com/support/kb/disc/howto/install_xp_disk_mgmt.html), but I’m not sure what to do when I reach the ‘New Partition Wizard’. I am unsure what options to choose on each of the screens to enable me to get the end result I’m looking for. Do I first need to create a Primary Partition for the Windows files to go in and then create extended partitions for the remaining 7 partitions? How do I know what size to create the primary partition?
When I get to the screen about assigning drive letters is it ok for me to reassign existing drive letters to my new partitions? Currently my CD-RW drive is ‘D’ and my DVD-RW drive is ‘E’. If I reassign these to my new hard drive partitions will Windows XP designate new drive letters for the CD-RW and DVD-RW automatically or do I need to do something?
Once I’ve successfully got the second hard disk up and running, which Windows files do I need to put in the primary partition and where are these located? I don’t have a Windows XP CD but instead have a Mesh (Manufacturers) Recovery Disk.
Really appreciate your help.
My PC spec is:
Windows XP with SP1
Pentium 4, 2.4Ghz processor
Asus P4S8X ATX Motherboard
1.5GB PC2700 RAM
80GB HDD (7200RPM) with 2Mb Buffer
1.44MB 3.5” Floppy Disk
Teac CD-W548E 40X12X48 IDE CD Re-Writer
Samsung TS-H552B IDE DVD Re-Writer
128MB Nvidia Geforce4 Ti4200 Graphics Card
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy Sound Card