Buying a SATA Drive and Using it as my Master OS Drive

[dw84uk]

Here is my current set up:

IDE1

Master = 250 GB Seagate
Slave = 250 GB Seagate

IDE2

Master = 80GB Western Digital
Slave = LG DVD Drive

My motherboard is a Jetway V600DAP which hopefully supports SATA.


It is my intention to install a 250GB SATA drive as my primary drive installing XP on a 60GB partition.

Here are my questions (sorry they're very basic)

1. Once I have connected my SATA drive, how do I install it with my OS on it?

2. My current Master drive has a 20GB partition with my OS on it. If I delete this partition afterwards, what will happen to the other 200GB on the other partition? Will it simply become a single partition drive? I don't want to lose any of the data,

3. Will my computer automatically detect my SATA drive as my Master drive? Do I need to change any of the pin settings on my current IDE drives?

Thanks for your help

 

[Snake-Eyes]

(This post assumes your OS is Windows)

1) When you boot with your Windows disk in, it will say on the bottom of the blue screen, it will say "Press F6 to install third-party drivers", press F6. A couple times, to make sure. Once that goes away, it will start loading files. It will come to a screen where you have to select one of your SATA drivers. Select it, hit enter, and setup will continue normally, only you should be able to see your SATA drives.

2) If you're saying that the one 20GB partition is your current OS that you use every time you boot up, you won't be able to boot up if you delete it. The other 200GB partition should remain intact, but being a system partition, i don't know for sure. Usually, when you have a drive with two partitions, both formatted (lets say in NTFS), and you delete (unformat) one, the other will still be formatted and will remain intact. You would have to delete (unformat) both partitions for the data to be lost on both partitions and for the space to become one single partition again.

3) AFAIK, no, your computer will not be able to detect your SATA drive as your master until you follow the steps of #1 in this post, and install Windows.

 

[Ste]

1. You will have to boot off a Windows Disc, or anu other OS Disc, Format and Install on it.

2. No, it will still be 2 separate Partitions. the 20 Will simply be unformated. You can use partition magic to combine them. (Or anothe r program.)

3. Auto Detect.

My suggestion is when formating the SATA Drive, before starting Disconnect the EIDE Harddrive so you don't accidently format it. You can then transfer your information over to the SATA Drive after its formated and windows is installed.

 

[dw84uk]

2) If you're saying that the one 20GB partition is your current OS that you use every time you boot up, you won't be able to boot up if you delete it.
[/B]

I am planning to delete that partition once my OS is set up on my new SATA drive?

 

[dw84uk]

and one more question

Once I have installed XP on my new SATA drive and while it is also installed on my Master IDE drive, when I start up, will it definitely run through my SATA drive or do I need to edit something in BIOS

 

[Ste]

Pretty sure it will boot off The SATA Drive.
However it shouldn't matter because your going to delete the 20GB Partition anyways.

 

[krazefinn]

1) Usually have to install sata drivers (many use the sil3112 or 3114 controller), hit f6 during install when prompted, select the controller you have, and insert floppy with drivers. Have to go into bios and set up the boot preference to have serial(sometimes it will be under scsi~) boot first, and also choose "use other devices for boot". That way it WILL seek the sata drive. If the board doesnt have native OB sata, will have to add pci raid or controller card.

2) Some people suggest removing data cables on drives YOU DONT WANT MESSED UP when formatting a pc, particularily one with multiple hd's-the chance of selecting wrong drive letter will cause data loss!

If your pc has no floppy, may need to slipstream the sata controller drivers onto the XP disc.
Don't delete the partition: just delete the files in that partition, or you may lose data. I'd back it up to be safe. Whenever you do formats and installs of OS better safe than sorry. Do not delete anything until its up and running.

3) No jumpers changes needed.

If you leave the OS intact on the existing 20gb partition, you can choose which OS to boot from. And you can also use the sata drive install disc to migrate the OS and data to new drive. Then you can reformat/repartition that drive to clean it up. Although I would suggest a clean install on the new sata is the best way to go, albeit a little more work to update/install all apps and programs. If doing a clean install, and your old OS is still uncorrupted, you can actually update the new OS installation from those files too, OR download all new updates/patches etc.

I'm psychic and am going to answer that it doesnt matter which sata port you use: there is no master/slave in sata. You can use either, and when you add a second identical drive to raid it, use both. It automatically configures the drives without any input or action on your part.

Does that help?

And dont ask how I knew

 

[dw84uk]

and one more question

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/6746/v600dawk3.jpg

thats a picture of my motherboard with the 2 SATA bits circled and numbered.

which one will be the primary SATA connection that i should use?

 

[Ste]

It doesn't Matter.

 

[dw84uk]

1) Usually have to install sata drivers (many use the sil3112 or 3114 controller), hit f6 during install when prompted, select the controller you have, and insert floppy with drivers. Have to go into bios and set up the boot preference to have serial(sometimes it will be under scsi~) boot first, and also choose "use other devices for boot". That way it WILL seek the sata drive. If the board doesnt have native OB sata, will have to add pci raid or controller card.

2) Some people suggest removing data cables on drives YOU DONT WANT MESSED UP when formatting a pc, particularily one with multiple hd's-the chance of selecting wrong drive letter will cause data loss!

If your pc has no floppy, may need to slipstream the sata controller drivers onto the XP disc.
Don't delete the partition: just delete the files in that partition, or you may lose data. I'd back it up to be safe. Whenever you do formats and installs of OS better safe than sorry. Do not delete anything until its up and running.

3) No jumpers changes needed.

If you leave the OS intact on the existing 20gb partition, you can choose which OS to boot from. And you can also use the sata drive install disc to migrate the OS and data to new drive. Then you can reformat/repartition that drive to clean it up. Although I would suggest a clean install on the new sata is the best way to go, albeit a little more work to update/install all apps and programs. If doing a clean install, and your old OS is still uncorrupted, you can actually update the new OS installation from those files too, OR download all new updates/patches etc.

thanks, some of that looks a bit complicated

all my data is on the main partition, i havent really got anything valuable on the OS 20GB partition other than a few saved game files that I will move across. Therefore, I will just start a fresh on my new SATA drive and then copy the save game files back to the relevant folders once everything is reinstalled. thats if everything goes to plan.