How hard is it to install a second hard drive???

[andrewas]

Originally posted by Hexa: quote: Originally posted by andrewas: In any case, you shoudnt be having an HDD as slave, you want both HDDs to be masters on different channels, with the CD-ROMS as slaves.

And why not .. I have it installed like that with no problems ...
80 GB HD as masters with another 80GB harddisk as slave
ReWriters as master and DVD player as slave

That way u cn burn on the fly more easily as well ...[/QUOTE]With IDE you can only access one device on each channel at once. So if you have your CD and CD-R on the same channel, you get poorer on-the-fly performance.

It will work, but its not the way I would do it.

[Hexa]

hmm well u might be right on the IDE stuff.. but in my case there was no other way ... my flat cables weren't long enough to configure it the other way around ...

But the point was that it works fine!@ [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Memnoch]

This is the annoying thing...my @#$% cables aren't long enough either, and Dell's bloody power unit's in the way (even if you pull it out, it's still got cords, wires, etc hanging all over the place.

Still can't get it to work...problem is I don't even know if the jumper settings I'm using are right. [img]graemlins/awcrap.gif[/img]

I just can't be bothered frigging around with it every night after work - it's eating into my precious NWN time. I might give it a go on the weekend.

[Memnoch]

Originally posted by andrewas: Try putting the 80Gb in where your 20Gb is - same settings, same cable. If that fails you know youve got a dead drive.

I've tried that, but then it won't boot up unless I boot it up using the WinXPPro that the guy put on the 80GB drive - the OS I'm trying to get RID of.

What if I do this...I put the 80GB in as the primary, boot it up using WinXPPRo (since that's the only way I can do it) and then format the bugger. Then when it's fully formatted I do the master/slave thing again. I may need to buy a longer IDE cable though if I want to have the second HDD as a primary on the second IDE cable, otherwise the cable won't reach from my 20GB HDD1 to the CD-ROM.

One more question, andrewas...could the fact that I upgraded my OS from WinME to WinXP (it wasn't a clean install) be influencing the fact that there seems to be some missing WinXP file when I try to do my Master/Slave thing?

And finally...if I could fly you over here, I would, mate - I'm at the stage where my computer's pissing me off so much I just want to kick the @#$% out of it.

[Hexa]

Well if u really can't get it to work .. go back to the store where u got the new harddisk and have them install it .. might cost ya a buck but it wil solve your misery!@

I think that formating the disk and a clean install of the OS will work as well...and if your flat cables aren't long enough just do what I did then...

make your 80GB harddisk the master
the 20 GB the slave

The writer master and the cd/dvd slave .. thats it . now yoiur cables should be long enough ...

or just toss the comp away .. apoint me the new moderator and start a RL [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[andrewas]

OK. Lets see.

You can boot from the 20Gb if the 80Gb isnt present, but if the 80 is there it falls over? Thats weird to say the least.

If you can rig it to boot from CDROM you might be able to just repair your original XP installation. Its usualy a case of changing the boot sequence in the BIOS. Once you can boot XPhome with the 80 installed, you should be OK.

If that fails its probably time to format the lot (you did take backups, right?) and start again. You might have problems with that if you only have an XP upgrade CD, but youll know about that.

[Memnoch]

I'd just like to say...

SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!! [img]graemlins/thewave.gif[/img]

After two hours of frigging around with IDE cables and shifting my CD-ROM and CD-RW around in the bays, I managed to find a configuration that allowed me to have my 20GB one with WinXPHome as the Primary Master on IDE0, my CD-ROM as Secondary (Cable Select) on IDE1, the 80GB drive as the Primary Master on IDE1 and the CD-RW as the Secondary (Cable Select) on IDE1.

I didn't realise that this guy had ALSO f***ed up my CD-RW until I tried using it last night and found out it wasn't being recognized. It's been a nightmare to fix but after all the expert advice I received here from everyone (special thanks to andrewas, I followed your config and it worked) I knew it was just a matter of time before I fixed it.

The moral of the story? If you want something done properly, keep amateurs the f*** away from it. [img]graemlins/laugh2.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/laugh3.gif[/img]

Again, thanks to everyone who helped out! If any of yous come to OZ I'll shout yous all a beer or ten. [img]graemlins/jumpclap.gif[/img]

[ 09-25-2002, 06:58 AM: Message edited by: Memnoch ]

[Hexa]

Well congratz then .. nothing worse then a comp that doesn't do what u want it to do!@ [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Melusine]

Does that mean you're not going to dance for me on Pandemonium? *pouts*

Glad you got it to work at last Genieboy, what a frustrating job it must have been!