kooky hard drive

I agree with that. I also see we agree to dis-agree.

But why not help her to bring it to a more sucessfull conclusion ?.

Why not help her not only NOW but for THE FUTURE saftey of Programs and program data protection ?

Now is the time to think of that, Not after she gets the thing loaded onto all one partition and then something happens to the OS and she loses all AGAIN.

Every walk starts with the first step.

And right now the first step here is PLANNING.

You may be quite correct in your thinking about dealing with and OEM machine. Or at least a HD that came from one.

BillyBob

 

BillyBob: I think most agree that a separate partition for the OS is the way to go.

Considering how strongly you feel on this issue, I hereby relinquish my position on this post and request you to instruct Clo on how to accomplish this.

You expertise and kindness is always appreciated.

Martin

 

BillyBob
This is not a case of her having "lost" anything "again "
Go back and read her original post on page #1
She was given this 60 GB HD by someone who had XP already installed from another machine.

It's not a case of her starting over due to a problem with the HD, she just wants to use it in her machine to replace the 10GB HD she now has.

Whether you and I agree or disagree on the issue of multi partitions is of little help to her now.

My thrust has been all along, to keep her focused on her original desire of getting this larger HD loaded with XP and installed in her machine as a replacement to the 10 GB unit .

I think Johanna, Martin and myself would heave a sigh of relief to see her complete this project successfully.

At a later date, she can start a new thread asking you (BillyBob) and all the others about the issue of multi partitions.
Lets just allow her (for now) to get this under her belt successfully so she can say with pride.

"I DID IT "

Daddad

 

BillyBob: I agree with DadDad on this one.

I was doubtful of ever getting Clo this far, I think complicating it further would be counter productive.

Martin

 

There is a problem here.

1st things first. You guys gotta get the HD itself straightend out first.

I have NO ideas on that. In the BIOS I believe there are two things for the HD that work best when set on Auto.

The type and mode.

It may just a case of running FDISK and deleting NON-DOS partitions.

Partitoning after the HD is fixed up is just a matter of running Fdisk.

But if correct those 8mb partitons DO NOT MAKE sense. And I do believe they will need to be illiminated before the HD can be fully trusted.

And when Windows does gray out something it means there may be a problem that needs to corrected BEFORE the installation.

BB

 

Plus after 12 days and three pages with no success I figured that I would just toss in other ideas.

May not do any good but may not do any harm either.

BB

 

BillyBob: The Windows install program will format the 60gig drive with the exception of the 8Mb portion.

You think that will create a problem?

I'd bet that 8mb is left over from creating the original partition on the disk. I don't see how it could be a problem, but you know best.

Martin

 

Wow, a lot has happened since I went to bed!

Clo, don't worry about that 8 Mg of space. It was set aside by the manufacturer of the original machine, and in terms of your hard drive, microscopic. You are SO CLOSE, don't give up now!

BillyBob,
We know how you feel about partitions, and I agree with all your reasons. However, I think you should help Clo with that in a different thread AFTER she gets that hard drive in and working. She can make partitions from within XP.

Martin and Daddad, can we go out for a beer when Clo gets this hard drive installed?

Johanna

 

I'll buy!!

Martin

 

Johanna

I know that it can be done after the install of XP.

But I myself do not agree with that. I like to START OUT with the HD set up with partitions etc. right from the get-go.

It is a lot safer and time saving. Especially when you have a clean drive to begin with.

By doing it first there is no chance at all of losing anything. There is nothing there to loose.

And doing it from within XP there may be restrictions on what can be done. Especially if you have installed any programs other than XP itself.

And if it is done after the install of XP it should be done BEFORE installing anything more.

But to each his/her own.

OH BTW. Has anybody given any though as to how much space IS WASTED using a HD with the OS installed to a 56gig drive ?

On a 60gig HD I believe the cluster size is 16 or 32K ( I know it is high ). And the Many, many shortcuts of only 300K to 500K.

Oh well. I guess no one likes PLANNING so I guess that leaves me no choce but to back outta here.

BB

 

OH MY I forgot something.

Partitiong after the install of the OS will ALSO MESS UP THE CDROM.

And if anything requires it or has been installed from it it will be NOTHING BUT trouble and confusion.

BillyBob

 

BB,
No one disagrees with your suggestions for partitioning. I like to do mine from the install, also. But Clo has had a terribly difficult time just getting the hard drive in and recognized. If you reread this thread, Clo notes that she is new at this, and has tried hard to successfully complete an ambitious project. Daddad, Martin and I did not want to complicate things further with partioning advice. After she gets up and running, we can help her through it within XP itself, if she wants to. I'm curious about your comment that partitioning afterwards will mess up the cdrom. How? I've not run into that problem.

Johanna

 

Maybe XP has fixed that problem. I do not know as I do partiton my HDs before using them.

But before I found that if I had C: & D: the CROM would be E:

I used Partition Magic to resize C: & D: and created E: the CDROM went to F:

Then I found out that the CDROM could set up to be S: ( right on the DOS boot disk ) so that it was always up out of the way. And once I got Windows installed the first thing I did was to go to device manager and make sure the CDROM was set at S:

MY CDROM(s) have been S: & T: ever since the days of 95. That is where they were when I installed XP and it got carried right over.

But I guess that relates back to planning ahead again.

BB

 

Lets hear it for Johanna on the beer suggestion
Also, for Martin offering to pay for it

Lets make it a Scotch on the rocks or two and ...........
I'll pay for all, including Clo and BillyBob

Now, all we need is news from Clo about her progress.

Daddad

 

to ALL you great and wonderous people who stuck by (irritating as it had to be) winxp pro is IN!!! I read somewhere in links daddad gave me about a partition o 972mb for os.....so I did it!!! I had to shut down and take the new drive out so that I could put this old one back in to write to you all. Thank you all so very very much. You were great and so patient. Now I have to figure out to run this old drive with the new one and transfer some files.......I couldn't save a bunch to cd cause the cd writer on this machine keeps wasting cds, telling me there was an error writing. So have your beer, scotch and I wish I was there to buy a round and tip one too!!!!!!!

 

OH MY!!

Are you sure it wasn't 9720mb?

Martin

 

That's good news indeed Clo
I am happy for you for hanging in there with us.

I might suggest a new thread for setting up the two hard drives for your file transfer, this one has grown to huge proportions.

Again, congrats to you

Daddad

 

I am also gald to see the machine with XP installed.

Johanna you put this note to me.

BillyBob,
We know how you feel about partitions, and I agree with all your reasons. However, I think you should help Clo with that in a different thread AFTER she gets that hard drive in and working. She can make partitions from within XP.

I will answer you right now and answer honestly.

I can't ( and won't ) even try because;

#1-I do not agree with doing it after the fact.

#2- I have never done it.

#3- I much prefer to have my Hard Drives set the way I want them before installing the OS. And that way it is ready to go for installing things to other partitions right from the start.

I have used Partition Magic after but I created problems there too. MY FAULT not PM

Especially nice it the fact that anything that I may have to download ( drivers etc. ) can be immediately put somewhere where they are a lot safer than being on the same drive as the OS. And won't need to be downloaded again. And on that drive in XP, System Restore is DISABLED.

I guess that relates back to PLANNING again.

BillyBob

 

The End. At least for me.

Martin