Is this possible?

winterfreshpwnz

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I'm almost positive it isn't, but right now I'm sorta desperate and willing to try even the impossible.

OK, most of you should know my windows xp, reformatting, hdd, etc. dilemma and now I have an idea. Is it possible to put another hdd in my comp (that already has an OS) and then make that the master and then somehow refomat the other hdd while in the new master hdd or maybe somehow remove that os or SOMETHING? I'm really desperate right now and although I highly doubt something like this would work, could it?

edit: BTW I can even boot up from my hdd right now (yeah its' that messed up) so I'm using my dad's comp.
 
Hmm... you should be able to run the other one as a master to run the other one as a slave yes.

I'm sure you can also reformat in Windows if its on a seperate drive too using the disk manager.

Right click in My computer once the other drive is up, go to Manage. Then click the Storage button in the window, and then to Disc Managment (Local). This is how I get to it, though I'm sure there are easier ways.

You can then just select the other drive, right click and go to format
 
And you're positive this will work? I really hope, only problem is that the only spare hdd I have laying around is some old Quantum Katana 13GB hdd with windows 98 on it (it's from my old p3 system lol). But whatever. Thanks for the responses.
 
As long as the drive you want to reformat isn't in NTFS format and is in FAT32 when you formatted it, the Win 98 one should be able to see it. You see, it didn't exist when Windows 98 was out
 
Actually the drive is in NTFS. But I also just realized that my sister has an old computer in her room that she doesn't use anymore and I know for a fact that has windows xp on it (I forget what version though) so that should be able to get the job done.
 
OK I just tried installing my sisters HDD (which apparently is a Quantum Fireball 20GB hdd lol). Everything seemed to go ok, I put it right on top of my messed up SATA hdd and put the hdd cable into it and put it in the primary ide connector and then connected the 4-pin plug into the hdd. When I booted up and went into my BIOS, it got read as the primary IDE master, so far so good. I went into my boot options and then into hard disks and then put the fireball first, ahead of the sata drive. So now with all this done, I should be able to boot up from it correct? Wrong. I tried booting up and as soon as it skipped everything and it looked like it was about to show the windows xp loading screen, I got a BSOD stating that I should check for viruses on my computer or remove any newly installed hard disks or check that they were configured properly. Uh what the heck?
 
There may just be a god afterall!

OK so after the installment of my sister's old hdd didn't work, I decided to try using my dad's (which is a Maxtor 80GB IDE hdd, a bit better than the quantum lol). Now at first I was kinda getting the same problem. I would boot up and then this time it would actually get to the windows loading screen, but then it would just restart without the blue screen, so I'm pretty pissed. I try it again though, and this time it asks how I wanna start windows since there was just an error obivously and I choose safe mode, well what do you know, this works! So I'm in safe mode and I go to the computer management thing and what not and choose to format the messed up seagate and voila, it's currently reformatting! Now all I gotta do is sit and wait for it to finish and hope that all goes well and then I'll be set. But then again knowing my luck with this computer of mine I'm sure something is bound to show up, but for now, I'm a happy man! Thanks everyone!

EDIT: I'm using my sister's comp to post this BTW. You can never have too many comps. ;)

EDIT 2: Well just as I said above, something showed up. I set the boot priority to read my cd rom first with the windows xp disc in and it still wouldn't read it, instead it skipped along to my hdd and even when it did, it said NTLDR missing, press ctrl+alt+dlt to restart. Now I'm hoping that's just cuz I don't have an OS on it yet, but if it's a general hdd problem then wtffff? And the thing that's pissing me off most now is why my cd rom won't boot. I even switched my cd rom to the primary IDE master (it was the second previously) and it still won't do it. Then I even FORCED it to boot from the cd rom (set everything in the boot priority to cd rom) and then it gave me a message saying disk boot failure, enter the system disc and then press enter, even though it was already in, and then when I took it out and put it back in and pressed enter, it still wouldn't work. WTF? This makes no sense. Can anyone help me out???
 
Ahem, there lupis...

Posted by lupis - Today at 02:19 PM
get a BFH (big fartin Hammer)

If you do not have something usefull to say, then say nothing...
 
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