Pending: installing 2 hard drives

th53 · 06-26-2009

hope everyone is having a great day! i have installed 2 hd in pc but here is the problem. the original is sata,the other i had to use a ribbon cable. and that is where the problem is, the ide one is suppose to be the slave but when i boot, it always trys to boot into it, but then says not enough memory. but if i hit esc right away, i can then click onto the other hd and boot in it. i can reach all files on both hard drives but have to go in the round about way to get booted. does ide drives take precedence over sata drives? i do have them set master and slave. is there some other setting i have missed? appreciate the help, oh the ide is running 98 and the sata is xp, but i dont think that should matter. like i said, i can eventually get everything up and running, it is just a matter of booting to the correct hd. appreciate any help

Amtech · 06-26-2009

Try disconnecting the IDE drive. And boot up the computer with only the SATA drive connected.

Check in BIOS that you have the SATA drive set as Boot Priority 1 or Primary Boot Device.

This is usually listed under 'Boot Device Priority' or something similar.

Once the SATA drive is working, turn off the PC and connect the IDE drive up, making sure that it is set to Slave.

Then once again check in the BIOS and set the boot device priority as:

1: SATA drive
2: IDE drive

Note that they won't be listed as that. Usually they are listed as the model number which is STM303216 or other random stuff. But it should be easy to work out which is which if you make a note of what the SATA drive is listed as before connecting the IDE drive back up.

Lastly if that doesn't work you will need to change the boot.ini file.

Here is a guide to changing the boot.ini file. This works best and may only be applicable to Windows XP.

How to Use and Edit Boot.ini in Windows XP

Note that in order for it to work properly you need to do it when both drives are connected. Then you choose the order in which they boot.

Although you should be seeing an 'OS Choices' menu when you boot up that asks you which Operating System to load?

th53 · 06-27-2009

thanks so much for info, will try that now. i was afraid i might have to get an adaptor changing the ide to sata. again, thankyou

Amtech · 06-27-2009

You can get an adapter but I don't think its necessary. Having said that, they are only cheap (maybe $7).

Let us know how it goes.

th53 · 06-29-2009

great! it works!

thanks so much. what i did notice tho is boot up is quite a bit slower now, any thoughts on that?

Amtech · 06-29-2009

I'm not really sure offhand but I can look into it for you.

The main thing now is to not disconnect any of the drives, especially the SATA or you may have to go through the whole process again.

Glad it worked for you

Marked as Pending even though it is technically Resolved. I'll get back to you regarding the slow boot ups.

06-26-2009	#1
th53 Bronze Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 42	installing 2 hard drives hope everyone is having a great day! i have installed 2 hd in pc but here is the problem. the original is sata,the other i had to use a ribbon cable. and that is where the problem is, the ide one is suppose to be the slave but when i boot, it always trys to boot into it, but then says not enough memory. but if i hit esc right away, i can then click onto the other hd and boot in it. i can reach all files on both hard drives but have to go in the round about way to get booted. does ide drives take precedence over sata drives? i do have them set master and slave. is there some other setting i have missed? appreciate the help, oh the ide is running 98 and the sata is xp, but i dont think that should matter. like i said, i can eventually get everything up and running, it is just a matter of booting to the correct hd. appreciate any help Last edited by Amtech; 06-29-2009 at 02:09 PM.

06-26-2009	#2
Amtech Tech Support Team Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Bolton Posts: 1,653 PC Experience: Some Experience	Re: installing 2 hard drives Try disconnecting the IDE drive. And boot up the computer with only the SATA drive connected. Check in BIOS that you have the SATA drive set as Boot Priority 1 or Primary Boot Device. This is usually listed under 'Boot Device Priority' or something similar. Once the SATA drive is working, turn off the PC and connect the IDE drive up, making sure that it is set to Slave. Then once again check in the BIOS and set the boot device priority as: 1: SATA drive 2: IDE drive Note that they won't be listed as that. Usually they are listed as the model number which is STM303216 or other random stuff. But it should be easy to work out which is which if you make a note of what the SATA drive is listed as before connecting the IDE drive back up. Lastly if that doesn't work you will need to change the boot.ini file. Here is a guide to changing the boot.ini file. This works best and may only be applicable to Windows XP. How to Use and Edit Boot.ini in Windows XP Note that in order for it to work properly you need to do it when both drives are connected. Then you choose the order in which they boot. Although you should be seeing an 'OS Choices' menu when you boot up that asks you which Operating System to load? __________________ File Recovery Removing CMOS Battery ASTRA32 (Device Drivers)

06-27-2009	#3
th53 Bronze Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 42	Re: installing 2 hard drives thanks so much for info, will try that now. i was afraid i might have to get an adaptor changing the ide to sata. again, thankyou

06-27-2009	#4
Amtech Tech Support Team Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Bolton Posts: 1,653 PC Experience: Some Experience	Re: installing 2 hard drives You can get an adapter but I don't think its necessary. Having said that, they are only cheap (maybe $7). Let us know how it goes. __________________ File Recovery Removing CMOS Battery ASTRA32 (Device Drivers)

06-29-2009	#5
th53 Bronze Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 42	Re: installing 2 hard drives great! it works! thanks so much. what i did notice tho is boot up is quite a bit slower now, any thoughts on that?

06-29-2009	#6
Amtech Tech Support Team Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Bolton Posts: 1,653 PC Experience: Some Experience	Re: installing 2 hard drives I'm not really sure offhand but I can look into it for you. The main thing now is to not disconnect any of the drives, especially the SATA or you may have to go through the whole process again. Glad it worked for you Marked as Pending even though it is technically Resolved. I'll get back to you regarding the slow boot ups. __________________ File Recovery Removing CMOS Battery ASTRA32 (Device Drivers)

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