SATA drive management

[simbeb]

Hi there,

Just bought a laptop with a SATA drive and no floppy drive on it. Not used to laptops, not used to SATA, not used to managing a PC without a floppy drive!!..
I would like to replace the default 160gb HD with a 320gb one, then partition it, then install XP and Vista for dual booting. So:
-Are SATA drives managed the same way as PATA? (FDISK, formatting, partitioning and everything else)
-If yes, can anyone tell me how to create a FDISK bootable CD without a floppy drive? I'd rather have your instructions from your own experience rather than being directed to a link to an obscure website with lengthy and confusing instructions_ if possible.
_Oh, and where would I find good prices for a laptop drive? I can't seem to find anything lower than 90 quid for a 320Gb HD, even on Ebay.

Cheers for that.

 

[porterjw]

-Are SATA drives managed the same way as PATA? (FDISK, formatting, partitioning and everything else)

Yes.

-If yes, can anyone tell me how to create a FDISK bootable CD without a floppy drive? I'd rather have your instructions from your own experience rather than being directed to a link to an obscure website with lengthy and confusing instructions_ if possible.

Your XP CD will have everything you need to partition/format/install. Boot to the CD from BIOS and let it do it's magic.

_Oh, and where would I find good prices for a laptop drive? I can't seem to find anything lower than 90 quid for a 320Gb HD, even on Ebay.

Well, I was going to suggest ebay, too Maybe look for England's version of Newegg or TigerDirect - I know they're out there, but their names escape me at the moment. Just be sure you buy a SATA one.