can i reformat another hard drive by putting into my computer as a slave drive then installing windows on it?

Answer 1

Yes. You can reformat it as a slave from your existing Windows installation on your main drive, but you probably don't want to install Windows on it as a slave unless you want to set up a dual boot system. If you plan to have two Windows installations on the same computer then you can do it this way and when you start up your PC, it will give you the option which Windows session you want to login to.

If you plan to take this drive out and then put it in another PC (or use this drive to replace your existing master on your current PC), then that's a different story. The 2nd Windows installation it won't work since your boot.ini file (which is now setup to look for 2 versions of Windows on the computer you installed it on) will not let you boot into the 2nd installation you made. If that's the case, then it would be better to just put the blank drive in the other PC and format and install Windows off the CD... Or just format the hard drive only (without installing the OS) as a slave on your PC, then move the drive over to your new PC and set it as master and it will work just as a new formatted master drive on the new PC. Just make sure you change the jumper to either Master or Cable Select.

Additional note: You can still partition/format the 2nd drive this way regardless of whether your primary is IDE or SATA.

Answer 2

Yes you can format it as a slave drive. Windows98 cannot be installed on the 2nd drive. You can install Windows 2000 or Linux on the 2nd drive but you will need a boot manager. The 2nd drive must have a primary partition for the 2nd operating system. The load files for the 2nd operating system will have to be on the master drive within the first 4 gig of the first master drive to boot the operating system on the 2nd drive. A good boot manager and partitioning tool is 'Partition Magic'. I suggest you you will need this type of tool to easily carry out these operations.

Answer 3

yes u can only if ur main hard disk is connect via SATA ..if u se conventional IDE u can't install windows on a slave hard disk u have to unplug ur main one install the second hard disk u wanna format as a slave and then boot ur computer from the windows cd and install it

Answer 4

Yes but no. Just replace your current hard drive with the temporary one as the Master. Then install the OS. When you're done, replace your hard drive as the Master.

Answer 5

you are able to truly bodily circulate the not undemanding disk, however the working equipment won't artwork. you will could reformat the not undemanding disk and reinstall a criminal reproduction of the working equipment on it. The drivers for the hardware in the eMachines pc at the instant are not the same drivers as are in the Compaq device...this might throw Vista out of whack despite if it have been to artwork. the different challenge is that the two eMachines and Compaq use "mass licensing" OEM copies (one reproduction of Vista with one general license gets placed on thousands and thousands of machines). for the reason that Microsoft is conscious that what gets placed on an eMachine isn't what gets placed on a Compaq, Microsoft won't honor the reproduction off an eMachines approved to eMachines on an HP Compaq which isn't approved to HP. in case you swap it out, and it incredibly is able to boot up, Vista will call for which you sign in the working equipment with Microsoft. it fairly is what's observed as ACTIVATION. while Microsoft gets the foremost it incredibly is despatched and compares, they're going to locate your Compaq hardware different and could turn down a request to swap on. you will could purchase a replica of the working equipment, wipe the not undemanding disk sparkling, reinstall a criminal reproduction and you had better have each and all of the hardware drivers on a CD waiting to load into that Compaq.

Answer 6

not as a slave no but disconnect main hard drive and do it that way or keep connected and make main drive slave