Dual HD WinXP Problem

[dknguyen]

Hello. There was something weird with my new PC. Well first, when I got it and after I isntalled WinXP on it, the first HD would not appear in My Computer. The WinXP installation saw it (but kept saying something about this HD does not contain a compatible partition so I could not install on it, nor did it offer to format it for me). After the installation (on the second HD), although it would not appear in My Computer I was able to "see it" in Device Mananger and "Manage" (both of which are accessed when right clicking my Computer".

I could only see to format the HD under "Manage" (not Device Mananger) and then it seemed to be working fine. But if I tried to reinstall WinXP on the first HD, , deleting the partitions with the install software, then again it would give me the same incompatible partition on the first HD and would not let me install or format it. The only time it would let me (probably the first time around too but I never tried it then) was to just select the second HD and allow windows to "label" it and tell me some info about it, and then select the first HD. Then it would proceed to format the second HD FIRST, and then after that was done it would format the 1st HD. Basically, it would not let me install/format the 1st HD independently of the second.

????

 

[Gaston]

i would install just the first drive and install windows with just that one first. how are the jumpers set up on your drives? cable select or master slave?

 

[dknguyen]

The PCB was built for me so I don't know. THat's the thing...it's the SECOND harddrive that allows the install and format no problems, but it won't with the first. They are both SATA- I thought those didn't have jumpers.

In both the WinXP installation and in WinXP itself, it labels the HD that is having the install/partition/format problems as the first HD (either by number or by being at the top of the list).

 

[Marks256]

Use linux... There would be no problem, then...

 

[dknguyen]

Perhaps, but why trade one hassle at the start for a multitude of hassles later on?

 

[HiTech]

Don't use CABLE SELECT. From my experience it should be MASTER / SLAVE jumper settings and simply plug in the appropriate connector on the IDE ribbon cable accordingly.... it too should be labeled MAster / SLAVE. If this doesn't resolve things check the BIOS settings.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Don't use CABLE SELECT. From my experience it should be MASTER / SLAVE jumper settings and simply plug in the appropriate connector on the IDE ribbon cable accordingly.... it too should be labeled MAster / SLAVE. If this doesn't resolve things check the BIOS settings.

So why didn't you read where he said SATA drives?.

 

[Gaston]

i wish i could be of some help but i don't have much experiance with the sata drives

 

[dknguyen]

Also both harddrives are plugged into the "master" ports (as in drives on this port are bootable) as opposed to data ports (which you cannot use to boot).

 

[Gayan Soyza]

You tell the type of HD is it SATA or IDE or else?

Can you see both HD in the bios & in the HD Drives detecting screen?

What’s the partition size in both H Disks are there any logical drives in side the Hard Disk?

 

[dknguyen]

It's definately SATA. Both HDs are plugged into "bootable SATA ports on the motherboard." Both HDs appear in BIOS screen, are detected at startup, and are present in Windows. Partition size on both HDs is 462GB out of 500GB, with 8GB always left over as unpartitioned space.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Here is a clearer wording of my original post:

The Windows XP Installation refuses to format and install on HD 1 (plugged into SATA port 1). It just says that the partition is incompatible with Windows XP (even if the harddrive was not formatted in the first place) It will install on HD 2 (plugged into SATA port 2) just fine, regardless of what state HD1 is in. The installation will only offer to format HD1 and install on it if HD2 has already been formatted.

However, the installation ALWAYS refers to HD 2 as a system partition, regardless of whether or not Windows XP is or was ever installed on that drive. When trying to delete the partition on HD2, the installation will warn that it is a system partition- not so with HD1.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
This may be something as silly as the harddrive connected to port 1 is always defined as the system drive and therefore must always be formatted for any other drive to work as the OS drive. But by all indications, the harddrive that is this drive in my computer is on SATA port 2. I am not entirely familliar with how computers boot up, but it might have something to do with how a computer always goes to sector 0 of the harddrive on the first port of the mobo and from there it launches to the HD that has the OS (wherever it may be). That might explain why that one harddrive always has to be working for the other to have the OS installed on it. The problem is all the labelling seems backwards.

After an isntallation of Windows XP, HD1 is numbered as HD1 and HD2 is numbered as HD2, however in the XP installation, it always labels HD2 as C: and HD1 as D:. Also, HD1 appears at the top of the list and HD2 is second in the list. So by naming, HD1 is always first, and HD2 is always second, except functionality seems to be reversed.

 

[Gayan Soyza]

After an isntallation of Windows XP, HD1 is numbered as HD1 and HD2 is numbered as HD2, however in the XP installation, it always labels HD2 as C: and HD1 as D:. Also, HD1 appears at the top of the list and HD2 is second in the list. So by naming, HD1 is always first, and HD2 is always second, except functionality seems to be reversed.

Labeling means a Renaming story its not converting the whole partition in to other partition.

Your HD2 is the active partition the computer takes.Its in your SATA2 port.
Windows is intalling in this active partition otherwise it get messy.Somehow You have to make your HD1 as active.Try installing windows by removing the HD2.& format the HD1 to make active.

 

[dknguyen]

It seems a bit weird that HD2 was set as the active harddrive or system partition and HD1 is not. (I think HD2 is in SATA port 2, correct me if I'm wrong). WIndows Management labels HD2 (the system partition/active HD) as Drive 1 (after drive 0).

How can I change it?

 

[HiTech]

I admit that I replied after reading the original post... and later on noticed the SATA comment. If that's the worst of my errors, I'm destined for heaven someday.

 

[dknguyen]

What does setting a harddrive as "active" under Windows XP do? It doesn't seem to affect the boot or system drive status at all.

here are the SATA ports and how they are paired up and what their functioanlity is supposed to be:

SATA PORT 0 - bootable (master) - HD
SATA PORT 1 - bootable (master) - HD
--------
SATA PORT 2 - data only (slave) - none
SATA PORT 3 - data onyl (slave) - none
--------
SATA PORT 4 - bootable (master) - DVD
SATA PORT 5 - bootable (master)- DVD

An update: It seems that I *need* a harddrive connected to SATA PORT1 for anything to happen.It seems to be the one it defines as the system harddrive (and not SATA port 0). If no HD is plugged port 1, then it doesn't matter if a HD is plugged into port 0. It won't detect an HD at all, ever.

As far as the DVD drives go, the drive on PORT 5 will not respond to a boot-up CD. Only SATA port 4 will. Not too much of a problem. It's strange though that both are referred to as bootable ports. BUt in this case, the first one in the pair is the bootable. In the case with ports 0 and 1, it's the second HD that appears to be bootable. What gives?!

Actually, as I swapped cables around inside between SATA ports 0 and 1, no HD is detected if only port 0 is connected (as mentioned earlier). Another time after a swapping and whatnot where both port 0 and 1 were connected, an HD would not be detected until after the Windows installation when I installed some drivers (and after a couple failed restarts where I didn't do an anything and something called the free-something kernel was trying to run.

 

[Hero999]

That's the problem, the slave isn't set as bootable?

I remember when I repartitioned my hadr drive to install Linux I had to set both the ext3 and ntfs partitions as bootable.

I don't know if there's a way of doing that without repartitioning it.

You could try GParted, a Linux based partitioning tool, don't worry you don't have to install anything it comes in a live CD version!

 

[dknguyen]

It's just that I want the system drive to be on Port 0 (the harddrive farthest inside the computer. I can't seem to change the system drive. It's SATA and both are plugged into so called bootable or master ports, but yeah, I guess I am just trying to make Port 0 the system port. No tools seem to exist in the BIOS, installation, or WinXp. So you say use some other software?

Remember, Im talking about the system partition here, not the boot partition.