xp copying to slave drive

I added a slave drive for storing media files. XP is adding a copy of everything to my slave drive. I went in and deleted a file from the slave drive and it was deleted from the c drive also. So, I can't just delete all of this! I'd like to clear all this out for simplicity. The files aren't actually on the slave drive, it just appears to be the directory tree with some sort of linkage to the real files on the c drive.
Thanx

 

What you describe certainly isn't normal behavior and must be more than annoying to you.

How is the 2nd drive set up? As in - extended partition, expanded partition, seperate partition, what?

 

Duhhhh? I know it's NTSF. Does that help? How do I find the info you are asking for? I'll try to surf around the system to find out...more later.

 

I found out in properties that it's a 'local' disk, same as the c drive. Hmmmmm, sounds like maybe something here. Should I call this something else, how?

 

Newt

Newt
I reread my first reply. I hope I didn't sound sarcastic. The Duhhh was meant for me, not you! I'm the illiterate one, computerwise anyway. I often find that what I'm thinking and what I type come out quite differently. Thanks for helping.

 

xort - I took it just the way you intended it. I been known to have more than a few "duhhh" moments myself. But thanx for the clarification since it never hurts with one of these boards where all the other folks "know" is what you type.

I'm not real sure what is happening here and unfortunately this isn't an area I can work on from memory. I'll have to wait until I get off work around midnight and can look at my PC at home which is rigged similarly to yours. Hopefully something will come to mind. It sorta sounds like you are seeing 2 copies of the same drive and not seeing the other drive at all. Not sure how that could happen but maybe. Otherwise it is really strange.

Meanwhile, if anyone else has an inspiration, please feel free to jump in. Please.

Daizy, Brett - where are you when I need you?

 

my slave/master hd knowledge is so slim, but do you think it might have anything to do with the "jump" on the new hd? the hard drive's I've seen make you change the jumper to a certain set of pins, for a slave, master, ect.

Though, this does not sound like it would have anything to do with the problem

 

Xort,

Check your original drive and see if its jumper is set to "Cable Select ". (You may also find that info in the spec sheet/book that came with the computer.) If it is, the new drive you added must also have its jumper on Cable Select.

If the original is set on "Master" then your added one will need to be set on "Slave ".

Most of the newer systems are going with the Cable Select for ease of production of variously configured systems.

More Info about Cable Select

 

master/slave

I'm pretty sure I chose cable select when I set up the second hard drive. The original system is only 6 months old. I bought it, and the extra HD from dell and got their help in installing the slave. When I look in My Computer I see both drives listed as local disk. The sizes are different and correct. The slave shows very little of the drive being used. So the files aren't actually there, just the tree that somehow links to the files on the c drive.

 

Here's a couple of memory joggers for you xort. Since you had expert assistance in the initial setup of that secondary drive, do you recall changing a jumper position. The reason I ask is that 99% of the new drives come with the jumper in the Master position. You would have HAD to change the jumper and you'll likely remember that.

Secondly, if your MOBO is Cable Select friendly and was set up to use that feature, the ribbon cable will be different that the typical 40 conductor on. It will have 80 conductors and the sockets will be marked "Master" and "Slave ". The Master will be the end connector in the newer systems and the middle connector is for the slave. Funny thing is, you can connect a single drive onto either connector and it'll work. You just can't reverse when running two drive without it trying to boot the drive found at the master location.

If neither of those clues can help you confirm that you are indeed running Cable Select properly, I'm all fresh out of ideas. I'd just pull the drive and return it as defective or maybe first check the manufacturers site for support. Hard drives come with a 3 year warranty so you aren't without relief.

 

cable select

I'm quite sure we did the cable select. I did move the master to the end of the ribbon.
OK So here's what may be "the rest of the story ". I don't think this should have any bearing on the problem but I'm reconsidering that notion.
I had a corrupt CD driver. Dell tried to re-install the driver and tried go-back and neither worked so it was re-install all of XP! They advised that using the slave as a back up would be fine. So I coppied most of the master except for XP onto the slave. But now any new items added to the master are automatically added to the slave and deletions from slave delete from master automatically also. That's what I want to stop.

 

Now that you have added GoBack to the equation we have another possibility. If you reinstalled the operating system without first disabling and possibly uninstalling GoBack it could possibly cause this type of problem. It seems that the FAT of two drives are common and it's causing the slave drive to mirror the master.

You could try unplugging the slave and seeing if you can boot the master as a stand alone drive.

If it boots, then you could shut down, unplug it and plug the slave drive in as a master and do a complete reinstall of it using whatever install method that came with it when new. That should put it back in shape with its own independent FAT.

If the problem persists when you reconnect the two drives back as master/slave, then you will also need to reinstall the other drive using the same method.

As always, be sure you have all your data backed up on another media.

 

FAT

You make reference to FAT. This is an NTFS system. Does that matter?

 

I would think so. Even though NTFS journals files differently than FAT the same problem would still apply when reinstalling the OS without first disabling/uninstalling GoBack. GoBack creates an offset of the MBR and will not allow normal access to any files it controls without first loading the new MBR that it installs.

I run GoBack and have read the warning many times about loss of data when improperly reloading an OS or if using any repartitioning software. Both are prohibited when using GoBack. I can't say exactly what ignoring that warning will do but it is certainly a possibility in your case.

 

solution

Zephyr, Newt, ningaming. This was so easy it's sick!
I went around and around with Dell teck support trying different ideas. We didn't want to accidently erase my C drive so we unplugged it and used the XP disk and other variations. He finally got 3 other tecks together and we right clicked on the D drive in the My Computer window. Then selected format and did a reformat of the d drive. It is now clean! Made a mountain out of a mole hill. Better safe than sorry. Thanks for the help anyway.
xort

 

xort - thanks for getting back with the solution.

Sounds like Zephyr was right on target with the go-back issue.