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Thread ID: 35834 2003-07-23 02:56:00 Clean install on second hard drive Beaver (1902) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
162187 2003-07-24 08:51:00 Sorry about the gender change. A clean install is best, but try other options first. One is - start - progs - accesories - system tools - maintenace wizard. Will explain others tomorrow.
Bye
Peter H (220)
162188 2003-07-24 10:55:00 Actually I use Defrag and ScanDisk quite regularly along with other tweaking and general "housekeeping" tools I've found on the Internet. I've optimised the space, the memory, the registry and every other thing I can find. That's why I've decided I want to "clean install" Windows to give the system a fresh start and gradually turn my second hard drive into the one with everything on it. And what makes it hard for me is that I'm unfamiliar with DOS and the finer points of hard drive operation. Beaver (1902)
162189 2003-07-24 11:48:00 I realise that this maybe a little advanced but if we can nut it out then we can post the exact lines she needs and then she can cut and paste then straight into the Autoexec.bat or whatever file without having to understand any of it (a bit like me :D ).

The config.sys and the autoexec.bat file are the ones that are checked first so there should be no worries.

However Terry may be right as well. The setup I had was a dos 6.22, windows 95 and windows98. I have a feeling that windows 98SE actually imports the autoexec.bat and config.sys into its own startup, but I think you can stop it from doing that just can't remember.
Odin (227)
162190 2003-07-25 00:14:00 Hello Beaver, well, ok after lots of study and testing, I think there is a real problem in what you are trying to do.

I am happy to stand corrected though.

Going right back to your first post, you want to clean install Win 98 on a slave hard drive, and then at leisure boot from it to clean install programs. updates, etc until you have a good full working system. At the same time you dont want to lose what you already have on your primary hard drive, so that you can continue using it until your slave drive clean install can take over. That right?

To clean install is no real problem, but you have to know how to open up the computer, remove or disconnect your primary hard drive, and set the jumper on your slave drive to make it a master. (though it may be possible to leave it set to slave, but you would have to disconnect the master primary drive)

You need a boot disk complete with CDROM drivers. You then install Win98 from the Full install CD.

That in a nutshell is that job done :)

Now as far as I can see boot managers of various sorts including those bundled with Partition Magic (at least my version 4 of PM), are capable of providing multibooting of different operating systems from different partitions on the same hard drive, but not different hard drives.

I will stand to be corrected but this is the major problem I havent been able to resolve in testing the last couple of days. (good job I have a back up HDD :) )

I have found one program that will do this at absolutely exhorbitant cost, like 99 pounds, ie $300.

Now here are a couple of sites, one talks about multibooting and refers to the expensive software site but with a defunct link, so use the second url to find out about the multibooting program:

http://www.multiboot.net/

https://www.hyperos2002.com/


The other way is what I do, and that is to install 2 hard drive caddies one connected to the primary master IDE and one to the primary slave IDE connector.

Then you can just plug either one in to boot from, or run both drives together so that data can be transfered from one drive to another. A jumper would to be changed on the slave drive to do this, but easy to do.

Cheers, I'll wait with interest to see what anyone else comes up with.
Terry Porritt (14)
162191 2003-07-25 09:15:00 Hi Terry

Thanks for your efforts. I haven't got the means to buy any software for this exercise but I did go to the second link out of curiosity and it certainly sounds like a good program.

Could you explain what caddies are even if I can't afford those either. Someone else might want to know.

It looks as if the best method for me will be as follows: open up the system unit (unplugging everything first to save an early demise), flick the switch to make D the master, get everything going again, install Windows along with whatever else I've got time to install, undo everything again and flick the switch back for normal operation of C drive. Then I would have to repeat all those steps to do the rest of the job. Is that right?
Beaver (1902)
162192 2003-07-25 10:31:00 Beaver
You will need to make your second drive the master C - remove link - the main drive slave D - add link. Install ex CD Windows98 - booting from a boot disc. If you have the manual, that comes with the CD, it is all explained. Basically, same advice as Terry.
Bye
Peter H (220)
162193 2003-07-25 11:01:00 Hi Bev, well as Peter says it's links or jumpers that have to be changed on the hard drives themselves, not a switch. These jumpers are very small usually black plastic things with metal inside used to electrically short two pins together. On hard drives they are either at the back of the drive near to the main connector, or underneath on the circuit board.

Now if you can go the caddy way, (or IDE Removable Drive Bay as they are also called ), then once installed, every thing else can be done from the outside, you dont have to delve inside again. And when you have finished installing all the software on the second drive, then you have a good setup for using one drive to back up to periodically. It is an easy thing to do.

Now if you go to the Dick Smith Electronics web site,
http://www.dse.co.nz and type the part number XH5067 into the box where it says catalogue number on the left of the page and click on Go, it will show you a page with the drive bays there. If you click on where is says Removable Rack and Tray it will give another page with more info about them.
These caddies are $34 each.

The proviso for this method is that you need two spare 5 1/4 inch bays, the same as where your CDROM drive is fitted. If you only have one spare bay then things are not quite so convenient, if you have none spare, then it's no go :(

There are 'lots' of sites that tell you how things are done to install hard drives and to get inside your computer. Typing "build your own pc" into Google will produce many.

This is just one with photos:

www.daileyint.com

It will give an idea of whats involved.
Terry Porritt (14)
162194 2003-07-25 11:33:00 Hi Terry

No spare bay, unfortunately. Pity, as it sounds good. Have been to the dailyint (love the name) website and I see there's useful info there.

Thanks for explanation re jumpers. I think I will just take a deep breath and get on with it as best I can.

Thanks also to Peter
Beaver (1902)
162195 2003-07-25 11:49:00 OK Bev, post if you have questions . Im still going to try and find free software that will enable booting from either of 2 hard drives, because that would get away from having to get inside fiddling around changing jumpers over between master and slave .

Usually that sort of program also requires partitions to be moved to make space for the boot program to sit at the beginning of the main drive, so that is another complication .

If you have a motherboard manual check to see if the BIOS allows different hard drives to be selected as the boot device, I had foolishly forgotten about this . I will do some more tests :)

Cheers
Terry Porritt (14)
162196 2003-07-25 21:51:00 If it is possible to do it without all the messing about with hardware, that would be great. At the moment I'm putting the job off until I have plenty of time so there's no rush. I just want to know what my options are.

The motherboard is a rather slim document. All I can find under specifications that could be relevant is: IDE interfaces - supports up to four IDE drives (hard drives, CD-ROMs or LS-120s) using two on-board PCI IDE connectors. Automatic drive type selection for easy setup.
Beaver (1902)
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