2 HDs in RAID

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CmoAMD

New Member
hey quick question, I will be getting 1 big HD and one small HD.

36GB - 10K - Install Windows, Programs, Games
150GB - 10K - Files, Pictures, Music, Etc.

I want Windows to boot up on the small one obviously. My question is, when I download something, I have to choose to put it in either the C or D drive? So that I choose which HD the program/file gets downloaded to?
 
The_Other_One

The_Other_One

VIP Member
I'm not quite sure what your asking... First off, you mentioned RAID, but you can't have RAID unless you have two identical drives. As for saving stuff, you do have to select what drive you want to save to. However, My Documents tends to be the place where downloaded stuff goes to, and you can set the My Documents folder to be on another drive...
 
P

PC eye

banned
When downloading and not installing direct the option should be in the prompt to save to select the drive and folder to download the file or files to. Downloaded programs once opened will generally look for and install to the drive where Windows is installed. On full install cds the majority will have the option to custom install to the folder and drive you select. The files you want to backup or simply store you can copy or move to the 150gb for storage.
 
apj101

apj101

VIP Member
The_Other_One said:
I'm not quite sure what your asking... First off, you mentioned RAID, but you can't have RAID unless you have two identical drives.
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you can create raid arrays on non identical drives, they can even be difference sizes, however the array will be limited to the smallest drive in it (multiplied by the number of drives). And the remaining space will sit in a partition outside of the array
 
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CmoAMD

New Member
Well they are both 10K RPM, one is 36GB other is 150GB. I want my Windows and programs on 36, and all my pictures, music, and other files on 150. The thing is, I want it shown as only a C: drive, which is what raid is for right? But I dont want anything going into the 36 drive unless I direct it to there.
 
apj101

apj101

VIP Member
you cant do what you want, a raid 0 array kinda fuses the 2 drive into one, once two drives are in a raid 0 setup up then they are no longer seperate. If you have a file in a raid 0 array then it is not possible to say which of the hard drives it is on, it will exists on both and neither at the same time, i will be spread accross the two drives.

You will have to have 2 seperate drives (and seperate letter say c: and d:) to gain the functionality you want.
 
Geoff

Geoff

VIP Member
apj101 said:
you cant do what you want, a raid 0 array kinda fuses the 2 drive into one, once two drives are in a raid 0 setup up then they are no longer seperate. If you have a file in a raid 0 array then it is not possible to say which of the hard drives it is on, it will exists on both and neither at the same time, i will be spread accross the two drives.

You will have to have 2 seperate drives (and seperate letter say c: and d:) to gain the functionality you want.
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Well, you could RAID both the drives and then use norton parition magic to create another drive :rolleyes:


-Geoff
 
apj101

apj101

VIP Member
[-0MEGA-] said:
Well, you could RAID both the drives and then use norton parition magic to create another drive :rolleyes:


-Geoff
Click to expand...
yeah but that would give him what he wants


to think about it are these even sata dirves
 
asdfguy

asdfguy

New Member
CmoAMD said:
For example, if I create a new folder on my desktop, is that under the small or large HD?
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That will be under whichever drive you have Windows installed on. You can put a shortcut on HDD - X that links you to HDD - Y and save your DL's there. That would sort of simulate what you're asking. However, I believe once you start DL'ing to a specific folder, doesn't Windows start treating that location as a default DL location?
 
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CmoAMD

New Member
Man this is getting confusing... i've never had more than 1 drive. I just wanted the smaller one for Windows so it boots faster. I guess it will just have to go on the large one. Didn't someone say I could RAID these 2 different HD's? In that case, couldnt I portion the large one so that it has windows on a small portion, files on another, and on the other HD my programs?
 
P

PC eye

banned
Generally anything seen on the desktop is found in "DocumentsandSettiings\user name\desktop" on the drive where Windows was installed to unless a shortcut was created to a file on another drive. To find out which drive the file is on you simply right click on the shortcut, drop down to properties, and read the "target" line. The other method if you know the file's name is the file search option on the Start menu to run a search from there.
 
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CmoAMD

New Member
Yea but not just documents and settings, anything put on the PC will be put on the Windows hard drive right? Unless its a program that I installed and I selected the other drive.

I have a question, if I have 2 HD's RAIDed do I get to chose which one the program gets installed into, because in RAID its only 1 Drive you see
 
P

PC eye

banned
If you are running an ide drive that will always override the SATA array automatically for the primary. The array then becomes a dual drive with a single image split between the two to store files you copy or move to. Softwares for the most part will see the primary as the drive to install to. Many softwares, utilities, etc. allow you to custom select where files will be saved to. Often you will see a prompt allowing you to save to a specific location where a different drive can be chosen.
 
P

PC eye

banned
For what you initially posted for the use of two drives(36gb, 150gb) with one strictly being used for storage you could just a well use one large single drive split into two or more partitions. A small primary would host a large secondary where you would store files once downloaded or saved to disk by a program. Once the files are there on the C primary you simply copy or move them to the secondary for storage.

The idea with SATA/Raid is to have higher speeds and larger capacity seen when two drives run combined to form one larger drive. The time to access both drives to locate one file is reduced by the faster 10, 000rpm speeds seen with the Serial ATA150 bus. The size or sizes of one or more drives will also play a role as well. Remember software installations also chew up drive space too. If you are planning to install large apps like some of the newer games out the space will go fast on a small drive. You may even find a 36gb primary drive or partition is too small with only Windows and your softwares on it.
 
asdfguy

asdfguy

New Member
CmoAMD said:
Man this is getting confusing... i've never had more than 1 drive. I just wanted the smaller one for Windows so it boots faster. I guess it will just have to go on the large one. Didn't someone say I could RAID these 2 different HD's? In that case, couldnt I portion the large one so that it has windows on a small portion, files on another, and on the other HD my programs?
Click to expand...


I realize that you have moved on past this in this thread, but I wanted to touch on it and make sure you weren't confused here.

Putting windows on a smaller HDD won't make it boot faster. The size of the drive makes no difference, the programs installed on the drive make no difference. The only thing (with regards to programs installed on a HDD) that will make a computer boot faster, are the number of programs that start up automatically when you turn your computer on.

I haven't seen where you mentioned (or if you mentioned) what kind of HDD's they are. Are the both of them IDE drives or SATA? Or one of each?

Is the only reason you are looking to split the locations of Windows files and other misc. programs and DL's because you're hoping to decrease boot time?

Someone correct me if I'm wrong here ----If so, and they are both IDE drives, then I suggest you RAID them to make them appear as one drive. Slaving a HDD will make the overall performance slower. However, if they are both SATA drives, then I think slaving one won't decrease performance due to the way in which they are installed. These options won't do anything to decrease your boot time.

I can't help but wonder if the problem of a long boot time lies somewhere else.
 
P

PC eye

banned
If they were both ide the use of a single larger capacity would solve the storage as well as performance issues. On Serial ATA the idea is very much like what is seen with two cb radio antennas that are more or less cophased to work as one. The larger capacity stretched across two instead of one drive there is compensated with the higher spindle speeds offered on that type of drive. One is mastered while the other is slaved on SATA there as well as seen on ide drives due to the controller having the need to identify and configure which drive will be accessed when searching for data on the array itself.

The sizes posted suggest that the total available drive space not rounded figure is what you provided. A partitioned 40gb drive usually sees about 36-38gb available while a 160gb would see some 150gb available. A 120gb model usually shows about 114gb ready for use. Which figures are you using here?
 
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