Format primary harddrive and not touch secondary drive

[iKwak]

I format once each year and I have a little problem regarding format.
When I format the primary drive, install the OS and all software, the secondary harddrive is not seen. So I reformat the secondary harddrive with the software that came along (Maxtor).

I like to know if it is possible to format the primary harddrive and have the secondary harddrive to retain all the contents. Meaning, I do not want to reformat the secondary drive and continue using it as it is, even after formatting the primary drive.



Is this possible?

[Gabriel]

Hello,
I don't know why you had to format your second drive.
Maybe you are using Encrypted File System..
Remove the "Second" HDD from the computer, Format, install + whatever on "first".
Connect second Drive - the most "Hidous" thing you will be requested to do is to write a "Signaturee" on the Drive (Using Disk Administrator).

I never Had to format my second drive when Formatting the first. If the computer requires you to do this than something is wrong...


Cheers,
Gabriel

[confus-ed]

..I never Had to format my second drive when Formatting the first. If the computer requires you to do this than something is wrong...

Well I dunno if I'd have said 'wrong' .. but yes definately not something 'as expected' going on here .. this sounds like someone is using 'overlay software' on these drives (thats a way of getting the bios to use the drive as if it had larger capacity & taking advantage of compression techniques to give more capacity, but slower speed - generally techies will shout 'BAD' at this technique as its very problematical)..

As iKwak just asked on another thread, how to physically fit another drive, I'd suggest he tells us the motherboard this is connecting to & also mentions the size of all these disks & perhaps we can straighten out just how best to solve this 'greater problem' than he seems to be aware of ..

[Gabriel]

...
As iKwak just asked on another thread, how to physically fit another drive, I'd suggest he tells us the motherboard this is connecting to & also mentions the size of all these disks & perhaps we can straighten out just how best to solve this 'greater problem' than he seems to be aware of ..

Amen!

[iKwak]

Thanks for the support. The motherboard is an Epox 8rda+.
The format of the secondary drive may not have been necessary but that was my initial approach to solve the problem. I could not see the secondary drive letter on My Computers after the reformatting of the primary drive. I did not disconnect the secondary drive before the reformat, so that could have been the problem. Maybe, maybe not.

[Gabriel]

iKwak,
What I meant in Disconnecting the Drive before formatting the first - is to not format by accident.
What you should do after installing a drive is to write a signature.
Take a look - http://www.microsoft.com/resources/d...atus_disk.mspx


Cheers,
Gabriel