Yes - I'm formating both drives as NTFS.

         Data Life also wants to know that it is XP sp1 or greater when it does it's format.

 

Yes - I using the latest bios that the dell site offers for the 8100.  XP2 which supercedes A09

 

As additional Info, I have to two optical readers (DVD & CD) on the secondary connector that work fine. 

         

What is the model number of the 120gb drive?

Have you tried deleting the partition and recreating in disk management?

Western Digital - WD1200JB  -  00EVA0

DCM = HSBHCTJCH    (what ever that is)

LBA Parms = 234441648

Are you referring to Disk Management within XP, or a third party package?

Yes to the third party, No to XP Disk Management.

 

Can I delete the partition that XP is installed on and still use disk managment?

Or do I have to install XP on my slave drive and run it from there?

In a Dell PC all drives Must be set to Cable Select, it is the position on the ribbon cable that sets it to master or slave. End of the ribbon is Master, Middle position is Slave.

 

So put the drive you want to install XP to, on the end of the ribbon, It is also advised to leave the other drive disconnected while installing XP, connecting it later to the Middle position of the ribbon cable.

Ok - I'll try installing XP on the slave and re-format the primary using XP Disk Managment.

 

Have a couple questions:

 

-  Do you advise setting the jumpers to cable select or specifcally master & slave?

 

-  I'm assuming I'll have to do the following to get the system to boot from them slave drive:

      1.  Change the search sequence in the bios setup to include the slave

                   Can I put the slave ahead of the primary drive in the setup?

      2.  Re-format/partition the slave to be a system drive

  

-  If I can not put the slave ahead of the primary, is there anything that I need to do to get the bios to continue looking for the OS on the slave after the c drive attempt fails?

Taking the whole thread into account it sounds like I can do the following:

 (the goal is to get the 120GB drive set as master and partition into 40/80GB partitions)

 

1.  Install 20GB (jumpered CS) as master(end of cable)- install XP - reboot - verify OS is working

2.  Install 120GB (jumpered CS) as slave (middle position)

3.  Using XP disk mgt format and partition slave drive to liking  (40GB / 80GB partitions)

              Setting the 40GB as a partition that will have an OS installed

 

The order of the next two steps I'm not sure about.  Install OS then move, or move and install OS?

4.  Install XP onto the 40GB partition

5.  remove both drives and connect the 120GB to the master (end of cable) position

 

6.  re-boot and the system should recgonize the 2 partitions (40GB & 80GB)

         Is this CORRECT?   I did not think you could just physically move the drive like this.

 

7. install the 20GB as slave (middle position)

8. Using XP disk mgt reformat/partition drive to a data drive.

          (No desire to have a dual boot machine) 

 

Is this a valid game plan?

 

---

techwanabe wrote:

Taking the whole thread into account it sounds like I can do the following:

 (the goal is to get the 120GB drive set as master and partition into 40/80GB partitions)

 

1.  Install 20GB (jumpered CS) as master(end of cable)- install XP - reboot - verify OS is working

2.  Install 120GB (jumpered CS) as slave (middle position)

3.  Using XP disk mgt format and partition slave drive to liking  (40GB / 80GB partitions)

              Setting the 40GB as a partition that will have an OS installed

 

The order of the next two steps I'm not sure about.  Install OS then move, or move and install OS?

4.  Install XP onto the 40GB partition

5.  remove both drives and connect the 120GB to the master (end of cable) position

 

6.  re-boot and the system should recgonize the 2 partitions (40GB & 80GB)

         Is this CORRECT?   I did not think you could just physically move the drive like this.

 

7. install the 20GB as slave (middle position)

8. Using XP disk mgt reformat/partition drive to a data drive.

          (No desire to have a dual boot machine) 

 

Is this a valid game plan?

 

 

Your game plan is not sensible.  If you want the 120 as the primary drive with two partitions, and you have no data on the 120 you want to keep, then do one of the following:

 

1) Put it on the end of the cable, boot to the XP CD, and install XP on the first partition, keeping the second partition intact.

 

2) Put it on the end of the cable, boot to the XP CD, delete all partitions, make two new ones, and install XP on the first one.

 

There is NO bios limit that would impact that drive, nor an XP limit.

Well - Rick's #2 suggestion is where I started.  That's what I did, but instead of a os install, I restored from an image.  I expected it to work just fine, but it will not recognize more than 32GB of the drive. 

 

I think I'm going to take the sugestion to install one drive at a time and see what happens.

Just to close the thread for any one else researching... I finally got it to work with the following steps.

 

1.  physically removed both drives

2.  installed the 20 GB Maxtor as Master with Cable Select jumpers.

3.  boot - enter bios setup and set master HD in bios as Auto

4. reboot - to acronis True Image CD....  restored OS image to Master

5. reboot - confirmed OS is OK

6. physcally installed 120 GB drive as slave with Cable Select jumpers

7. reboot - to Western Digital DataLife from CD

8. format 120GB using Western Digital DataLife and DDO option

         (If I did not do this step once in XP Disk Mgr did not see the whole 120 gb)

8a. reboot - enter bios setup and set slave to AUTO

9.  rebot  to XP from c drive

10 enter XP disk manager formating 45GB (of the 120 gb slave) into a system drive

      (Disk mgr automatically copies boot drive contents to the new boot drive)

11 still using XP disk Mgr partition the remaning 75 GB into a second partition

12.  shut down and physically move the 120 gb drive to the master position on the cable

      (had to remove the 20 gb drive all together.  could not swap both at the same time)

13.  reboot to new master.  Had to enter Setup and then continue with booting

14.  Verififed C drive = 45 GB and D drive =75 GB and os works fine

15.  shut down and add physically install the 20 GB to the slave position on the cable

16.  reboot to XP on c drive, using XP disk Manager deleted and formated the 20GB drive as E.

17.  using XP disk Mgr relabled the D: drive (75 GB) to T  (temp)

18.  reboot and verified all drives.

19.  using XP disk Mgr relabed the E: drive (20 gb) to D: and the T: drive to E:.

20  reboot verified all drives size and drive letters.

21  Applied XP patches, restored D: & E: drives from acronis True Image backups

22.  Defragged & created new C: drive True Image backup.

 

SUCCESS!!!!

 

It was a long way... but I ended up with the config I wanted.  Don't know why it took so much gerry-rigging, but it is done.