hello all,

i'd installed a WD100gb as a 2nd hard drive under Win98 with the intention of using it for storing multimedia files.

my question is:
- is there anything i should do to the HD before i take it out, so the next time i plug it in, it recognises the files?

If it's currently working ok, you can access the files on it, and you had no problems and did not have to do anything special when installing it the 1st time, then you should be ok.

thanks for replying ski.
i installed it through fdisk. the next time i put it in, all i have to do is assign the HD to a new letter right?

Assuming you just want to install it in the same config as before, you don't have to do anything except screw it in, plug in the power, and connect the IDE cable. If you want to change it from Slave to Master or anything like that, there might be other things that you have to do. You do not assign a drive letter, Windoze will do that. You can specify one if you choose, as long as you don't want it to be a:, b:, or c:.

Assuming you just want to install it in the same config as before.....
yeah, that is what i want.

i want to replace my old HD with a new one. which is better, IBM 80GB ATA-100 80GB 120GXP 7200 RPM or Seagate 80GB Baracuda ATA 100 7200RPM?
can someone give me step-by-step instructions as to how to install a new hard disk with the help of Norton Ghost 2002? thanks.

How do you want to install it? If you want to install it as a blank hard drive with or without partitions and as Slave, that is really easy. If you want to install it with an OS and as Master, that is more complex. Tell us what you want and we can tell you how to do it.

i currently have a 10gb (master drive); what i want is to install a new drive, copy the files from MD to new drive. thus the new drive becoming the MD. what's the difference between primary partition & logical partiton?

Probably the best way to do that is to install the new drive as Slave, use a program like Ghost or another utility that will copy the image of the material on the old drive to the new one. Take the old one out and reconfigure the new one as Master at the end of the IDE cable. Boot and make sure it is ok. If you then want to use the 10gig for storage or backup, I would use a DOS utility to reformat and partition the drive after reinstalling it as Slave. Look here for details of Primary and Logical partitions:

http://www.pcguide.com/ref/hdd/file/partLetter-c.html