Can i format my 2nd HD?

[Guest]

I have 2 hard drives. Drive C (Master) has XP Pro and is the drive that is
always being used. It's 120G. The other drive is 40G and and is not being
used. I've already brought all the programs that I want over to the new
drive. I want to use the 2nd drive as storage for photos and music. Can I
format this drive so it is empty and the use it as a storage device? Or does
it need to have an OS installed on it? I don't really want to install the OS
if I don't need to. As you can see I'm not very computer smart so any help
would be appreciated.

 

[Yves Leclerc]

YES! Use Disk Mangement to re-format the second hard drive.

 

[Guest]

Hi

Yes! you can use it for strictly data storage.
I do the same thing, I have a 80 gig primary with the o/s and the programs
and I have a 250 gig as a secondary where I back up data files, addresses,
application data, music files and photos.
You may format it or just erase it and then create your folders and start
loading your data onto it.
To back up your important data from the primary, click on folder options,
click on view all files and now using Windows Explorer, go to Documents and
settings and then click on Mozilla, and then click on Application data. I
copy the entire Application Folder and all of its sub folders to drive D.
That way you email, addresses, calender files etc are saved.
Some programs will create folders within the program folder to hold data,
Quicken etc, so be sure to copy that over as well.
I also have a folder on D called. DOWNLOADED FILES and in that folder I
have sub folders for each downloaded file I have downloaded, saves me from
having to do it again if I ever have to reformat etc. All my updates to my
software, drivers, patches, etc are all there.
I save my photos in tif format on D so I have the purest file as the
original and I save all music files as wav.
Good luck and have fun.
Craig

 

[Guest]

Thanks so much! I will take your advice and use it for back-ups as well. I'm
not sure how I can create a folder in the 2nd drive but I'm sure I will
figure it out.

 

[Guest]

Creating folders is easy. I have Right Click on Windows Explorer and then
click on Send and then select to The Desktop.
Now you can use Windows Explorer anytime. Once you open W.E. you will note
a family tree on the left box of your Hard drive, clicl on My Computer and
you will see it open to all of the drives. There you will see Drive C and
Drive D, click on D to open it. If there are folders there you don't want,
click once on them to select them and then hit the DELETE Key on your
keyboard.
NOW once it is totally empty, you can select Drive D, go to the top left
of your screen and click on File, then click on New and then select FOLDER.
You will note a folder will appear on D and it currently is in Blue and says
New Folder, just type over New Folder and give it any name you want.
I have a Main Folder that says My Music Files and in that folder I Have
Blue Grass, Rock etc and under each of those I have the artist as a folder
and then the songs.
Look at your Hard drive as a File Cabinet and if you were going to file
all kinds of different thing in the cabinet how would you do it to be the
Best organized, well create folders and have folders within folders etc.
D:/------MUSIC I HAVE
I
I
Rock
I
I
----Led Zepplin
I
Stairway to Heaven
Dazed and Confused
---- Deep Purple
I
Hush
Kentucky Woman
----- AcDc
I
Back is Black
I
I
Country


Etc
Once you learn to use folders and put them into each other and organize them
you will save yourself tons of work. Learn Windows Explorer and there isn't
much you can't do.

Craig

 

[Guest]

hello,

yes, boot up your computer and press F8 a lotta times till a selection
screen pops up select command prompt. the type in this. (C being the hard
drive you can to format!)
cd c:\
format c:\
when a question pops us press "y" and "enter"
this proseadure will format the selected hard drive

computergeek

 

[Anna]

hello,

yes, boot up your computer and press F8 a lotta times till a selection
screen pops up select command prompt. the type in this. (C being the hard
drive you can to format!)
cd c:\
format c:\
when a question pops us press "y" and "enter"
this proseadure will format the selected hard drive

computergeek

Keaton:
While it's not entirely clear from your query, I assume that second 40 GB
drive is already connected in your computer and correctly configured. Is
that right?

If so, after booting up with your working drive, can't you simply delete
whatever files/folders you don't need that are on that second drive? Is
there some need to format that drive? Since all you want is to utilize that
drive as storage for your photos and music (presumably copied or moved from
your C: drive) I don't see any necessity to format that drive. It's simple
enough to do (using XP's Disk Management utility) if that's what you want,
but what's the need? Is there an issue involving NTFS/FAT32 file systems?
Anna

NOTE TO COMPUTERGEEK...
What in heaven's name are you talking about? Formatting his C: drive? Thank
God he wouldn't be able to do so anyway following your "instructions".
Please be careful in providing advice and guidance to those who raise
questions in this newsgroup. Many of them are quite inexperienced, and as
such, may be prone to accepting recommendations from those they deem to be
more knowledgeable than themselves, yet these "recommendations", such as the
ones emanating from you, can be most harmful in their results. You owe it to
them (as well as yourself) to make sure that you really know what you're
talking about when you provide advice.
Anna