Solved Adding a second HD,

[staybolt]

My current C drive has a corrupt system on it (Vista) It needs to be formated and the system reinstalled. I am considering installing a larger capacity drive as the primary (C) drive , install the system on that and use the current drive as extra storage space while keeping some of the data that is currently on it thus not reformatting it. My question is, when the computer boots will it automatically boot to the new C drive or, as the system will now be on both drives, will it confuse itself?

Also. as my system disk is from from the mfr of the computer, I believe it does not have any of the Vista service packs on it. Once formated with this disk should I then get SP1 and SP2 and install them? In that order I presume or will SP2 alone suffice? Where can I get SP1 and 2?

Staybolt

 

[Brink]

Hello Dave,

You can install the SP1 and SP2 through Windows Update in the Control Panel after you finish installing Vista.

The easiest way is to use your Vista installation disc to install it at boot on your new hard drive and to format your old one during the installation. Once installed the drive that Vista is installed on will become the C: system drive.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[staybolt]

Shawn,
What I would like to do is not format the old drive as there is 500gigs of data stored on it along with the corrupt system. Thus my question is if I format the new drive, install the system on that as the C drive will the old drive (still with a system on it) interfere with the system on the the new drive? In other words will the computer know which drive the good system is on and boot to that?I am just trying to save some time transferring so much data if I do not have to. If it could be a problem then I will copy the really important stuff to an external drive and format the current one.

 

[patio]

Dis-connect the current drive....
Connect the new drive and install Vista...all drivers and updates.
Then depending on whether these drives are IDE or SATA hook up the old drive as a slave drive...
All your data on the old drive should be there to access/move and or backup to CD/DVD.

 

[staybolt]

Hmmmm Not familiar with a slave drive hook up for SATA. How is that accomplished in Vista?

Dave

 

[Brink]

Dave,

You can also just remove the old drive, install Vista on the new drive, add the old drive back, then set BIOS "Boot priority" settings to boot from the new drive and not the old one.

 

[staybolt]

Sounds good to me... Thanks