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Thread: need some help with my two hard drives!!!!

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    need some help with my two hard drives!!!!

    i have two maxtor hard drives one at 40GB and the other at 120GB the 40GB only has windows xp home installed while the 120GB has all my games,files etc. i am wanting to do a fresh install on the 120GB so i need to transfer files onto the 40GB but when i connect them both up the computer it doesnt acknowledge that there is two hard drives connected nor does it load windows! i have tried moving the hard drive jumpers but that still doesnt work can anyone shed any light on the subject??

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    Ah, Mrs. Peel! mike_w's Avatar
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    You say that you have the Windows on one hard drive, and everything else on the hard drive. How did you put all of that on the second hard drive if Windows won't start with both hard drives?
    "Well, there was your Uncle Tiberius who died wrapped in cabbage leaves but we assumed that was a freak accident."

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    sorry i meant that both hard drives have windows but the 120GB is the one i have been using and that has all my programs and files etc and the 40GB wasnt connected utill i tried today

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    Ah, Mrs. Peel! mike_w's Avatar
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    I understand now! Might be the IDE cable, try using a different and see if this helps. Make sure that the 40GB HDD is on the Primary and is set as the Master.

    What happens when you try to boot up Windows? Does it come with an error message? Does it even pick up the IDE drives on the boot up screen, where it also tells you about the CPU/RAM?

    Sorry for not being able to help

    Mike
    "Well, there was your Uncle Tiberius who died wrapped in cabbage leaves but we assumed that was a freak accident."

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    ive switched IDE cables but same problem.it doesnt even boot up i get some kind of debug message,plus on the post screen it only says that there is one hard drive connected not two which is weird

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    Ah, Mrs. Peel! mike_w's Avatar
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    Since you've tried different IDE cables, and both HDDs work by themselves, I would say that there is something's wrong with the motherboard (at a guess). Not sure what would cause that though. Any one get any ideas?

    What does the debug message say?
    "Well, there was your Uncle Tiberius who died wrapped in cabbage leaves but we assumed that was a freak accident."

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    i cant remember what the debug said i will have to write it down next time i try to get it to work! as for the motherboard being faulty i dont think its that cause then i wouldnt be able to use any hard drives im guessing! im puzzled

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    Are you using Windows XP on both drives? Or on just one and the other, say W98.

    Lexus

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    im using windows xp on both drives mate

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    Well...from my experience making mistakes...

    Try

    Master (make sure) at the end of the IDE cable, slave (make sure) on the middle and attach connector firmly to the MB's primary IDE channel.

    What happens? Which does POST see?

    Side thought, have you flashed the bios recently?

    Lexus

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