Initializing new HDD

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p.mc

Hi

I've just connected a new replacement Internal 500gb HDD for backing up on a
winXp Pro SP3 machine. I got the new hardware found message after booting
up, but the HDD wasn't showing in my computer page. I then went to disk
management and a wizard came up to initialize the new HDD, the first box
marked "initialize" was already ticked, so I went to the next step where
there was another box unchecked "select one or more disks to convert to
dynamic" and I don't know wether I should tick this or not! can someone
please advise me how to proceed?
 
p.mc said:
I've just connected a new replacement Internal 500gb HDD for
backing up on a winXp Pro SP3 machine. I got the new hardware found
message after booting up, but the HDD wasn't showing in my computer
page. I then went to disk management and a wizard came up to
initialize the new HDD, the first box marked "initialize" was
already ticked, so I went to the next step where there was another
box unchecked "select one or more disks to convert to dynamic" and
I don't know wether I should tick this or not! can someone please
advise me how to proceed?
Click to expand...

"I've just connected a new replacement Internal 500gb HDD for backing up on
a winXp Pro SP3 machine."

Eh? This is not backup - unless you plan on removing the hard disk drive
from the machine after you have performed the backup. It might be cloning,
it might be replication, it might be a place to copy things for an extra
copy - but being it is in the same physical machine - I would not call it
backup. ;-)

"I got the new hardware found message after booting up, but the HDD wasn't
showing in my computer page."

You put in the hard disk drive and you booted right into Windows XP? Did
you go into the system BIOS and tell the hardware "Here is the new hard disk
drive - allow all my software to see it" at any point?

"I then went to disk management and a wizard came up to initialize the new
HDD, the first box marked "initialize" was already ticked, so I went to the
next step where there was another box unchecked "select one or more disks to
convert to dynamic" and I don't know wether I should tick this or not! can
someone please advise me how to proceed?"

See what I just said. Have you told the hardware what you installed?

Once you do that, initialize, format and don't make anything dynamic - it's
pretty much beyond your needs/current capabilities.


As for other suggestions - actually get a backup drive (I suggest for you a
Seagate Replica 500GB - external, USB connected, will backup everything -
EVERYTHING - easily and in a manner where (dependent on how ofter you
disconnect/reconnect it to take it to an external location for safe keeping
(actually making it a backup, IMO) ) you can restore individual files,
versions of individual files and/or the entire machine from a catastrophic
event (power surge that blows out all internal components - for example.)

Good Luck!
 
In
p.mc said:
Hi

I've just connected a new replacement Internal 500gb HDD
for backing up on a winXp Pro SP3 machine. I got the new
hardware found message after booting up, but the HDD wasn't
showing in my computer page. I then went to disk management
and a wizard came up to initialize the new HDD, the first
box marked "initialize" was already ticked, so I went to
the next step where there was another box unchecked "select
one or more disks to convert to dynamic" and I don't know
wether I should tick this or not! can someone please advise
me how to proceed?
Click to expand...

"already ticked" probably was just something it filled in for you: you
should have run that section before going to the next stage. Try it again
and run the "initialize" choice.

Didn't the drive come with instructions on how to install it? If not, try
going to the manufacturer's web site and see if it's online there.
If not, give the drive model and manufacturer and I'll bet someone can
locate the install instructions for you if you can't get anything from the
above.

It sounds like you skipped the initiation.

About backups:
An internal drive such as you have is not the best way to use a drive for
backup purposes. Anything that affects your boot drive could just as easily
take out the backup drive too, and then your backups are lost.
The best idea is to
1. Get an external drive (500 Gig or larger) that plugs into a USB port.
Usually they're a very simple install and it's all done for you when the
drve comes up the first time. Send all backup data to the external drive.
Now you can unplug and protect the external drive from any damage caused
inside the computer by viruses, worms, trojans and other malware.

2. Periodically, or whenever there has been substantial changes to your
machine, make a full backup to the external drive and then burn that backup
to DVDs also so it will always be available in case you can't use the backup
from the external drive or it gets overwritten on the external drive. I try
to make DVDs once a month here, but often skip a month because nothing
changed much.

Also I'd like to commend you for getting a backup strategy going even if you
don't have an external drive yet. You'll find it can save you an immense
amount of frustration and lost data. Way too many people don't take the time
or "bother" but once you're set up and working it can be a real lifesaver.

HTH,

Twayne`
 
Thanks all. I jumped the gun and let it initialize and formatted it as an
NTFS basic disc. I then targeted "My Documents" folder to this new HDD and
moved its contents over to it. This drive is used mainly for non programs
but storage and scratch disk etc.And your info was quite right about back
ups. I don't know why I typed that I should have typed "Storage" because I
do infact have an external USB2 500gb HDD for that reason.

My set up
80gb internal HDD...C:\ Drive... For programs only.
500gb internal...D:\ Drive...Storage...Huge "My Documents" folder for
storage & scratch discs etc.
500gb external...M:\ Drive...Back ups
 
I wouldn't give up on making
that new hard drive as a
place to keep backups.

in addition to my doc's you
can also keep backups of
your registry, like with a
program called "eusing"

you can also keep disk
images on it, like with
a program called "drive
image xml"

it you decide to use drive
image xml, then here are
a couple of tips:

firstly, be sure you select
cd size imaging and place
each set of images in a
folder named with the date
you made the images.

also the program may make
the images in a folder on
the main hard drive.

however, you can move
that folder to the new
drive.

secondly, you can make
a bootable disk with barts
pe.

if you create the disk above,
be sure to include the plug-ins
for drive image xml.

---------------------

I think you made a wise
decision for using your
new hard drive for my
documents.

but you may also want to
make a copy of my doc's
in another folder.

you can use microsofts
sync toy for the above or
make a straight copy via
the explorer.

although it may seem
redundant to make a copy
of my doc's

I have learned that the
copy ensures you have
an additional resource
in case a mistake is made
with the original file(s).

--
--
db·´¯`·...¸><)))º>

DatabaseBen, Retired Professional

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This NNTP newsgroup is evolving to:

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx
 
Thanks all. I jumped the gun and let it initialize and formatted it as an
NTFS basic disc. I then targeted "My Documents" folder to this new HDD and
moved its contents over to it. This drive is used mainly for non programs
but storage and scratch disk etc.And your info was quite right about back
ups. I don't know why I typed that I should have typed "Storage" because I
do infact have an external USB2 500gb HDD for that reason.

My set up
80gb internal HDD...C:\ Drive... For programs only.
500gb internal...D:\ Drive...Storage...Huge "My Documents" folder for
storage & scratch discs etc.
500gb external...M:\ Drive...Back ups
Click to expand...

Just so that you understand, your data is no more safe on the new 500GB
drive than the older 80GB drive - drives can and do fail at any point.

If you want to do backups then you should be using multiple removable
external USB type drives that you don't leave connected to the computer
all the time. This means that at any given moment that your backup will
be safe, in storage (such as a fire safe), and not connected to the PC,
rotating devices every X period of time.

A backup is only good if you test it frequently - meaning that just
because the backup program reports that the backup completed does not
mean that you'll be able to restore the data.

What I would have done if I was in your place is Clone the 80GB drive to
the 500GB drive and increase the partition size from 80GB to 500GB, then
purchase a pair of external USB drives to use for a backup.
 
This is really good thing man, if I will take my all the backups in the
external HDD then there will be no need of any other back ups and the
fear of loss. Actually that can help us to secure our data. For any
reason if our data will be lost then we don't have to worry because we
have the backup.
 
mjecson said:
This is really good thing man, if I will take my all the backups in
the external HDD then there will be no need of any other back ups
and the fear of loss. Actually that can help us to secure our data.
For any reason if our data will be lost then we don't have to worry
because we have the backup.
Click to expand...

mjecson,

I thought if I discovered whom you were replying to, your response make more
sense. To that end, I looked up the conversation in Google Groups which...

http://groups.google.com/group/micr...d_support/browse_frm/thread/97fc352a98b99766/

Didn't help me figure out what you may have even thought you were trying to
say in the least.
 
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