Re: Dual boot & master/slave


"Lady Dungeness" <Lady.Dungeness@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:uspt83lccfighqs6ek7es9s198164onjsf@xxxxxxxxxx
I'm trying to install a new Western Digital 160 gig hard drive. The
old harddrive is SAMSUNG SV1533D. It was originally part of a
dual-boot ocnfiguration. Then the other disk crashed, and the
computer refused to boot from the Samsung. I took the computer to a
shop. They recovered my data, removed the bad HD, and they said "the
Samsung can be the master."

Did they change the jumper settings on the Samsung? I don't know.
This was 6 months ago and I'm sure the tech doesn't remember.

My installation guide says to set the new HD jumpers to be the Primary
controller / Slave Drive. I did this.

My installation guide says to make sure the Samsung's jumpers are set
to Primary Controller / Master with Slave.

How do I find out what the Samsung's jumper settings are? I don't
have a manual. I went online, but the only Samsung info was not
specific to this Samsung SV1553D, did not relate to the SV-series, and
was written in Janglish. I could not understand it.

1. If I'm going to have a dual-boot configuration, does it really
matter?
2. If it matters, I'll want the new WESTERN DIGITAL to be the master,
and make the Samsung the slave.
3. How do I do this?
4. What do I do next?


Lady Dungeness
Crabby, but Great Legs!


"Anna" <myname@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:eC1vR0DwHHA.1204@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Lady D.
Your Samsung HDD is really "old-in-the-tooth" to say the least. It's a 15
GB HDD, and honestly, it's an ancient relic by today's standards. I can't
imagine that it will serve any useful purpose in your system. With hard
drives selling as low as 25 cents per GB in today's market, can you
possibly afford another new HDD that you could profitably use in your
system in either a dual-boot configuration or simply as a secondary HDD?
That really would be the practical & wisest way to go in my view.

I'm assuming, of course, that your 160 GB WD is a PATA, and not a SATA
HDD. As such, it should ordinarily be set up as Primary Master in your
system. Apparently you're familiar with jumper settings and general HDD
connections. So that the WD HDD would be connected as Master on the
Primary IDE controller of your motherboard.

There is, however, one minor complicating matter involving modern WD HDDs
that you should be aware of. If, for one reason or another, there is no
device connected as a Slave on the same data cable that is connected to
the WD drive, the jumper setting should be set as Single and not Master.
Actually with modern WD PATA HDDs - presumably such as the one you have -
a Single setting is "jumperless". So just be aware of this.

Assuming you do establish a dual-boot configuration with another HDD, it
probably would be best if you connected/configured it as Secondary Master,
although it may function (boot) without problems even if connected as
Primary Slave. But generally Secondary Master is the preferred
configuration.

If, on the other hand, you use another HDD merely as a secondary drive for
storage/backup purposes, then it really doesn't matter whether it's
connected as a Slave on the Primary IDE channel or anywhere on the
Secondary IDE channel.
Anna


"Lady Dungeness" <Lady.Dungeness@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:as0u83hv2vna5c150qununut2sbnlphgrk@xxxxxxxxxx
Hi Anna, I was hoping you'd respond. I don't know if you recall, but I
posted
a month ago that I was going to have a good breakfast and schedule 4
hours to do the HD installation.
I'm now on day 3. I am NOT familiar with jumper settings -- I just
learned about that from reading the installation instructions. I
understand that the 15 gig drive is old. I don't have a job; I don't
have money. So even $20 is a lot of money for me. Right now, I'm not
ready to buy another drive. The Samsung will be useful to me. In
case the WD fails, I can boot with Samsung and continue my work
without delay. I will also use it for my non-business online
activities, downloading, etc.
I don't know Pata or Sata. My drive says EIDE.
If I have to look at the current *old* Samsung drive to learn the
jumper settings, that means I have to take it out of the computer. I
don't want to do that, if possible.
I WILL have two drives, and WILL have a dual boot.
Let me confirm: I should set the new WESTERN DIGITAL as SECONDAY
MASTER.
The installation instructions tell me to first install it as PRIMARY
SLAVE. Then I run their software. I don't know what their software
does.
What about the Samsung? Do you think it's jumpered now as
SINGLE/jumperless? Or Primary Master, or what?
What should I do next? I am afraid of computers. :-(

Lady Dungeness


Lady D:
Let me make the following (final) points and forgive me for my bluntness...

1. Your WD 160 GB HDD - it's a PATA HDD - don't worry about this - should be
connected as Primary Master in your system. *Not* Secondary Master, *not*
Cable Select*, but Primary Master. PERIOD. The *only* alternative to this
configuration is if the Single jumper setting ("jumperless") is necessary as
I previously described.

2. I do not understand why you need a "dual-boot" configuration. Is it to
accommodate another operating system, e.g., Win98 or such? Is this
absolutely necessary in your situation?

3. If you *do* need a dual-boot system, and you can only work with your
Samsung 15 GB HDD, that drive should most likely be connected as I
previously described, i.e., as Secondary Master. I trust you understand the
info you received from Paul re jumper settings for the this configuration.

4. Since it's apparent you cannot afford professional assistance in this
situation, is there any possibility that you have a friend or acquaintance
who has a reasonable knowledge of PCs and can help you out in this
situation? That really would be the best of worlds.

I wish you luck.
Anna


.

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