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From: Dave on 26 Dec 2006 14:19
I have a P4 2.4 with a 40G hard drive that is full. I have an old
computer in the basement with the same hard drive in it loaded with
Win98.
Can I just set the old HD as Slave, plug it in and use it for storage?

Should I reformat it or just delete the files and OS that is on it?
I was told by the lady at the computer store that this is hard to do
but 2 guys at work have said that they have done it and it is easy.

Thanks
Dave

From: Pen on 26 Dec 2006 14:36
Dave wrote:
> I have a P4 2.4 with a 40G hard drive that is full. I have an old
> computer in the basement with the same hard drive in it loaded with
> Win98.
> Can I just set the old HD as Slave, plug it in and use it for storage?
>
> Should I reformat it or just delete the files and OS that is on it?
> I was told by the lady at the computer store that this is hard to do
> but 2 guys at work have said that they have done it and it is easy.
>
> Thanks
> Dave
>
It is easy. Just set the hard drive in as a slave and format it.
From: Grinder on 26 Dec 2006 15:47
Dave wrote:
> I have a P4 2.4 with a 40G hard drive that is full. I
> have an old computer in the basement with the same hard
> drive in it loaded with Win98. Can I just set the old
> HD as Slave, plug it in and use it for storage?

Probably. Both drives are likely to be *parallel* ATA drives, which
would mean that your P4 machine has a drive controller compatible with
your second drive. Here's a picture of parallel vs. serial ATA
connections for reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallel_ATA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_ATA

> Should I reformat it or just delete the files and OS
> that is on it?

Just reformat it. I would also recommend doing the full reformat over
the quick. It will take longer, but it may reveal defects in the drive
you want to know about before you start loading it with new data.

> I was told by the lady at the computer store that this
> is hard to do

Maybe for her, or maybe she just wants your business

> but 2 guys at work have said that they have done it
> and it is easy.

I'll always take the opinion of someone with no apparent financial
interest in my decisions over that of someone thinking they might make a
buck.
From: Citizen Bob on 26 Dec 2006 17:10
On 26 Dec 2006 11:19:44 -0800, "Dave" <loknload69(a)hotmail.com> wrote:

>I have a P4 2.4 with a 40G hard drive that is full. I have an old
>computer in the basement with the same hard drive in it loaded with
>Win98.
>Can I just set the old HD as Slave, plug it in and use it for storage?

Try it and see.

>Should I reformat it or just delete the files and OS that is on it?

Yes, especially if it is full.

>I was told by the lady at the computer store that this is hard to do
>but 2 guys at work have said that they have done it and it is easy.

Set the BIOS to do a POST. Look for the disk when the computer boots.

Then when Windows comes up, find the icon representing the disk under
My Computer. Right Click, Click on Format. Do a full format using NTFS
filesystem, no compression.


--

"You can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."
--Robert A. Heinlein
From: Dave on 26 Dec 2006 17:44

Thanks. I will try it tonight.
One more question, are the files on the old HD recoverable? I know I
have a bunch of MP3's on it that I backed up on a CD but can't find the
CD now (did it 3 years ago).

Dave
'06 GasGas EC300

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