BleepingComputer.com: Scavenging Hard Drive To Make Duel Boot System

Hi All,

I'm not too up to date on this kind of stuff but I want to know if I can take a Hard Drive out of an old computer and put it in another PC to have two Hard Drives in one PC?

I know that there is an open spot where a second Hard Drive is supposed to fit and I know that the cables to hook one up are there too.

So can I do something like that?

Right now both PC Hard Drives have the Windows XP Home Edition operating system installed on them but I'm actually wanting to make a duel boot machine and maybe set one of them up with Linux.

Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks,

Wendy

Absolutely.

Hi groovicus, Thanks for the quick reply.

OK, so is there anything that I have to do other than just stick the other Hard Drive in that slot and hook up the wiring harness and power connection to it?

Or will the PC just automatically find it or tell me what to do or what?

On a side note here, I just noticed that where it says attachments, right below where I'm typing this, it is indicating that I have used 501.37k of 512k and have 10.63k of attachment space left.

As I don't have an attachment hooked on to this post I am left wondering what that is all about. You got any ideas as to why it's telling me that?

Thanks,

Wendy

Are the drives SATA or IDE? If they are IDE you can just hook them up and windows should boot up normaly and find your new drive. Check the jumpers to be sure your current C drive is the master and the new drive is slave or just put them in CS for cable select. If they are SATA it will make a difference which port they are plugged into on the mobo. I found that out just recently, if your computer tries to boot up to the wrong drive just switch the cables at the drive and it should boot up to the drive you want. Then you can take your second drive and format it to put on the other OS, or what ever it is you want to do with it. I hope this makes it clear as mud for you. I don't always get across what I mean to say...

I will just add a comment that you haven't mentioned how old these drives and cables are.

Older systems used 40-pin, 40-wire cables, while 40-pin, 80-wire cables have been the norm for IDE connections for some time.

The Cable Select setting will not be available on the older wires, Master/Slave will do the job.

If you are connecting the additional drive to an existing cable with one drive already on it, just check the jumper settings of the already-connected drive and you will know which way to go.

Louis

Hi Wildabeast, Thanks for the reply.

Right at this moment I'm not sure if those suckers are SATA or IDE, however, I'm guessing that when I pry my PC case open that there should be some sort of tag, on the Hard Drive itself, telling me which one they are.

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Here I have got to admit that I have no earthly idea where to find the jumpers, but I have a feeling I'm gonna be learning real quick .

Hi hamluis, Thanks for the reply.

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OK, that's what I'll be doing.

I've already gotten brave enough to peek inside of one of the PC cases and it has a flat ribbon looking cable that hooks up to the Hard Drive and it has an extra thingy that looks like it ought to hook up to a second Hard Drive.

Here again I have to say I haven't a clue as to where to look for that 'jumper' thingy or what I'm looking for. But I'm thinking that I had seen a little red slide type switch in there somewhere.

Would one of you mind telling me where to look for that jumper so that I don't get myself electrocuted poking around inside one of these things.

LOL...well, we don't expect you to be doing any of this with the system powered .

Each PATA (your hard drive is PATA) hard drive has a jumper setting at the end which is connected to the cable. A drive should also have a little diagram on it which explains the different settings possible.

A jumper/shunt is just a little piece of plastic...some settings employ two, most employ one (IME). Examples at http://www.emulation.com/catalog/off-the-s...unts/shunts.cfm. The drive normally comes with at least one jumper in place and the drive will probably come with the Cable Select setting for the drive.

http://www.seagate.com/images/support/en/us/u5_family_1.gif. The settings reflect the jumpers as they are properly placed.

The 3d and 4th graphics illustrate jumpers in place on a drive, http://www.mysuperpc.com/hdu/jumper_pins.shtml.

Louis

Sorry Wendy, my bad, I must have you confused with another member. I thought you were more comfortable around the inside of a computer, I should have been a bit more detailed in my answer. Ooops...

Hi Wildabeast, Thanks for your reply.

Not to worry Boo, I'm fairly comfortable when it comes to mucking about inside my PC case as long as I have either a detailed book to read as I go or a friendly stranger slapping my fingers away whenever I start to poke them in the wrong crack.

Hi hamluis, Thanks for your reply.

Say what...? You mean I'm supposed to turn this sucker off before I go digging around in it?

And on a more serious note, thanks for those links Boo. I don't have time to get to them right away but I'll be doing some serious reading in the next couple of days.

Thanks again guys, I'll post back with more on this as soon as I get some extra time.


Wendy