Bah more SATA hard drive questions

[Gabb]

okay so I have 2 HDs, 1 raptor ( has OS and games ) and 1 seagate ( has media/music etc )

So I got windows xp to recognize the seagate and everything by creating a partition and formatting it. However I accidently marked it as the active partition. I didn't know what this was so after reading up on it, I found out the active partition is the one the computer checks for the operating system. My seagate isn't the one with the operating system but I can't seem to change the raptor to the active drive. Can anyone help me?

Obviously this isnt THAT big of a deal since obviously my computer ( that Im on now ) is still booting up the OS from the raptor. However I still would like the problem fixed

 

[Ronnie]

just go to your bios and set it up under "hard disk boot priority" and set the 1st to the raptor

why did you partition and format a new drive? you can just simply plug it in and it will work no need to partition or format

 

[Gabb]

just go to your bios and set it up under "hard disk boot priority" and set the 1st to the raptor

why did you partition and format a new drive? you can just simply plug it in and it will work no need to partition or format

no I had too since windows xp showed me that it detected the seagate HD but I couldn't use it. B1gapl said to go to disk manager and partition/format and once I did I could assign it a letter and put stuff on it.

 

[Ronnie]

well then i could see formatting but why partition it?

 

[Gabb]

well then i could see formatting but why partition it?

I'm getting very mixed up with all these terms...I only had the option to partition it, which it then formated the drive, not the option to format it by itself I think.

 

[Ronnie]

partitioning a drive and formatting a drive are two different things

Hard drives can be partitioned to run separate operating systems on the same disk, or to break down a disk into manageable chunks for storage. Partitioning is performed on a new or reformatted drive

Formatting places magnetic markers on the drive surface to define the sectors in which data is stored. When you format a hard drive, you erase all its files and prepare it as if it were a new or blank hard dive. Formatting your hard drive will wipe clean your drive just like a new hard drive.

 

[NosBoost300]

no, your hard drive has to have at least one partition to run anything on it.. if you do not partition you can't do anything..

i'm in the same boat with a 74gb raptor and a 250gb wd cavier... you have to partion to place anything on to the hard drive

 

[Gabb]

so yeah...no one knows how to mark the raptor as active?

 

[Ronnie]

no, your hard drive has to have at least one partition to run anything on it.. if you do not partition you can't do anything..

i'm in the same boat with a 74gb raptor and a 250gb wd cavier... you have to partion to place anything on to the hard drive

but shouldn't it already be setup when you get it?
i used to have 3 80gb Seagate sata drives and all of them worked right out of the box without a partition or format

 

[NosBoost300]

but shouldn't it already be setup when you get it?
i used to have 3 80gb Seagate sata drives and all of them worked right out of the box without a partition or format

if its an OEM chances are its not partitoned or formated or anything