Western Digital 200Gig installation help!!

leojmcca · January 26th, 2003, 03:33 AM

I have a new Dell 4550 2.4 with 512 MB, a 60Gig ATA 100 hard drive with Windows XP.

To install the new Western Digital HD:

Do I need to install the ATA controller card?

If I don't use the ATA controller card and try and connect the WD HD is anything bad going to happen if my computer has the 137 limitation?

I want the new HD for creating movies, is there any downside to installing it as my slave drive and keeping the 60 as the master?

Can I use the existing drive cable or should I use the one that came with the WD HD?

If I can just install the WD HD, do I have to do anything at boot up?

Should I install the WD data lifeguard tools?

If I convert the WD HD to master how do I clone my programs onto the WD HD?

iNeb · January 26th, 2003, 04:00 AM

All i can think of is that you will only get 137GB not the full 200

bhess · January 27th, 2003, 12:22 PM

You should be able to partition it and use all of it. As long as each one is below 137gb.

Nighthawk · January 27th, 2003, 12:28 PM

The problem is that your motherboard probably isn't seeing all of the drive size. It has nothing to do with the partitions.

A controller card would let you use all of the drive as-is, otherwise you will need to install the "cylinder limitation" jumper and use the Data Lifeguard Tools so that you can use all of the space on the drive.

Does your current drive cable have an 80-conductor wire? If so, you can use it.

There should be no problem having the 200GB drive as a slave to the 60GB drive.

If you install the drive, you will have to enter the BIOS and make sure it's detecting the new drive. If you have the 137GB limit, the drive detection will most likely freeze (my BX board did with a 40GB drive until I installed the limitation jumper).

You don't have to install the data lifeguard tools, but you can use them to copy your 60GB onto your 200GB drive.

rourkchris · January 27th, 2003, 04:31 PM

Where did you buy this HDD? I bought a 180GB Western Digital and it came with an ATA 100 controller card and instructions and explanations of the 137GB limit. You will need a controller card.

leojmcca · January 30th, 2003, 02:06 AM

Thanks all,

I installed the HD in my new Dell and it read the full 200Gigs without the need for the controller card. I have the 60Gig as the master and the 200 as the slave. I transferred all the files over to the 200 because I was just going to use this one as the master, but I decided to just keep the 60 for everyday and I'll try a wipe the 200 clean...