SATA harddrive problem/question
Sunday, April 19, 2009 by Snowman | Discussion: WinCustomize Talk
Hey guys
I've run into a couple of, for me, new issues/problems.
I've never installed Windows on a SATA drive, but have to now.
From what I've been able to learn from reading around the net, I need some drivers to go along with the installation. (Which I have found)
So far so good.
Question 1: Will this erase whatever content/data is already on the harddrive? (It's split into three partitions)
In any way, I'd like to backup the data already on the drive. It holds alot of pictures/parsonal photos/skin-images. So I plugged the drive in my other machine (running XP) but the drive doesn't appear as 'available'.
Again I turned to the net for more info, and from what I've read you must 'add it' to the system before is can be recognized by the OS - but this will erase any data on the drive.
Question 2: How can I backup the data then?!
Sorry if this sound kinda newbie-like, but I have no what so ever experience with handling SATA drives. I've up untill now been used to the good ol' IDE drives, which you can just chuck into any machine 
Reply #3 Sunday, April 19, 2009 3:19 PM
Throw up a snapshot of Disk Management panel and Device Manager/ Disk Drives so we're looking at the same thing.
Reply #4 Sunday, April 19, 2009 3:34 PM
Sorry, but the text is in Danish....
('Fremmed' means 'forreign' - dunno what the proper OS term is.)
Reply #5 Sunday, April 19, 2009 3:43 PM
I need to see that.
If the drive shows in My Computer, right click and hit 'Mount'.
Failing that: Disk Management/right click Disk/ select "Import Foreign Disk"
Reply #6 Sunday, April 19, 2009 3:50 PM
Device Manager:
The drive doesn't show in My Computer:
Reply #7 Sunday, April 19, 2009 3:54 PM
Do that.
Reply #8 Sunday, April 19, 2009 4:04 PM
The only options I get when rightclicking are
Convert to basic disc, properties and help.....
Reply #9 Sunday, April 19, 2009 4:20 PM
Is this a bridge connection or did you hook drive directly to XP machine?
Reply #10 Sunday, April 19, 2009 4:24 PM
It's hooked directly to the machine, in just the same way as the other drives.
Reply #11 Sunday, April 19, 2009 4:34 PM
This might get uglier then you want. Boot into bios and enable SATA. The downside is if your machine sees it on the boot, Vista may detect a dual boot and re-write the MBR.
Exactly, how much "stuff" do you want to save?
Reply #12 Sunday, April 19, 2009 4:43 PM
Exactly, how much "stuff" do you want to save?
1) SATA is enabled in the BIOS. ('Vista' I guess you're referring to the drive label. It's just an old label from another system)
2) I mostly wanna save everything on the first partition on the drive. About 1.5 gig of various personal pictures/images.
Btw, if I do install XP/Vista on this drive, on the other machine (slipstreaming drives into the installation), this won't delete anything?
I'm so confuggled after having spent more or less three days straight "inside" two machines, that I just can't remember... hehe
Reply #13 Sunday, April 19, 2009 4:52 PM
Burn it to a DVD before it burns you.
You're making me confuggled.....
No matter where you install any Windows OS (one per partition), it will destroy any data on the partition you're installing to, You will not lose anything on any other partition or drive......
Reply #14 Sunday, April 19, 2009 5:29 PM
use the recovery disc and place the image on c drive of everything you have on that drive if it is not larger than 150gigs for the image itself. you have 175 gigs free on c now... it should read it if the bio see's it... the program has it's own drivers for defaults. It does not rely on windows to adapt... it will assign it's own drive letters ... be careful to see which drive is what by comparing sizes and folders as such.
good luck
ps: check the mail...
Reply #15 Monday, April 20, 2009 1:08 PM
You want to install windows on new clear SATA drive?
if yes, do next
unplug all yours drives, except new SATA drive( on this drive you will install windows).
don't forget remove jumper that limit speed of hard drive to 1,5gb (without this jumper SATA drive have speed 3gb)
it placed on back side of disk.
when you start install Windows you will have possibility to format and split new disk on several partitions
do not make system partition so big (180 gb) 30-40 gb for C it's the best variant I think, but it's up to you of cause
SATA and ATA disk almost equally if you not run SATA drive in RAID mode.
when you will install windows on new SATA drive, plug old ATA drives. and use all of yours files
may be my advice no for this event. but it's (unplug old drive with information before installing windows on new one) help you save all of yours precious data
Good luck!
Reply #18 Monday, April 27, 2009 3:58 PM
I are back in beesnes! 
After fighting XP vs 'the lost drive', my ex bro-in-law directed my attention to Getbackdata from runtime.org and it did what XP couldn't do - read the drive.
So I made full backup, 'whiped' the drive, slapped it back in the other machine, and XP is now happily being installed as I'm typing this!
Now I have to get Vista installed on this machine
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Reply #1 Sunday, April 19, 2009 2:45 PM
Newbie……..
You don’t need SATA drivers.
Initialize the drive on XP machine.
Copy files to XP folder or make an Image and copy it to XP.
When you install Windows on Vista machine, it will only 'format/erase' the partition you're installing to. Name them so you hit the right one.