Question about Windows XP reinstallation and second hard drive...?

Question

I want to reinstall windows, and I have a second hard drive for which I had to install software for it to work. The second hard drive I use only to backup files that are important (specific documents, photos, etc.). When I wipe the main hard drive and reinstall Windows, will this also erase the second hard drive?

Answer 1

No. You must physically go in and wipe the information from the second hard drive for you to lose your files. What I would do to insure your files are safe, is go in and unplug the power cord from the second hard drive during your reload of XP into your master hard drive. Now there is no way you will lose these important files. After you install XP then just plug in your back up hard drive and XP should find you back up and important files with no problems.

Edit Update: Like Microsoft's disclaimer always says: Back up your important files before loading any important operating system and they say this because mistakes can happen during a system reload. By unplugging your back up hard drive there is no way any mistakes can happen.

Answer 2

No, Windows will detect both drives and ask you where you want to format and install. You should be able to easily distinguish between the drives by size (it will be listed, in set-up).
If you are really unsure/ paranoid, just unhook the IDE cabeling , or power supply wiring from the slave drive, and Windows installer wont see it at all, You will probably get a nasty BIOS warning, to the effect of "Primary Slave Drive Failure" at each reboot until you reattach the drive, because the record of it is stored in CMOS, not Windows.
However there should be two choices after that message, in most modern BIOS setups, Press DEL to enter SETUP, or STRIKE F1 to continue, you can safely ignore this message for now, and just press F1 (your BIOS may have a different key, but there will be an option)
Once you have reinstalled Windows, just reattach the IDE cabeling/ power wiring, and you should be good to go.

Answer 3

NTFS does not have the 127GB length decrease. that's a bios issue sometimes. The 1TBchronic would desire to have been partitioned into 4 aspects while it exchange into new to make it final longer, yet there is no would desire to try this now. abode windows XP would desire to not have any problems with a 1TB exterior, different than perhaps in case you do not use a similar consumer call and password once you do the sparkling installation on the computer. On my Mac I tell it to ignore approximately possession on exterior hd's just to verify. in case you have a bios issue with 127GBchronic decrease, you will desire to nonetheless be waiting to work out something of thechronic and unfastened area after setting up abode windows. inner serial ATA hd's are a various issue for XP. It wasn't until SP3 that there have been community drivers for serial ATA. yet while thechronic is an exterior, then abode windows sees it as a usb gadget, not a serial ATAchronic.

Answer 4

Reinstalling the windows only takes place in the first drive that already has the window XP inside. Even if you install the window XP in second drive, your backup data files will remain there.

Answer 5

No. Installing Windows only affects the hard drive it is being installed onto.

Answer 6

Nothing as u think wil happen, only the drive to which windows is installed will be formatted only if you choose to do so. you can even opt to leave the filesystem intact.

Answer 7

No, unless you choose to format it during installation. Otherwise its safe.

Answer 8

No

Answer 9

nop.