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Can I add a 2nd SATA Drive?

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Name: findaway53
Date: September 27, 2009 at 07:12:33 Pacific
OS: Windows XP
Product: Hitachi Hitachi deskstar 7k160 80gb 3.5 sata 3.0gb/s hard drive
Subcategory: Installation
Comment:

I have 1 SATA drive, can I add a 2nd SATA drive without formatting the first one?



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Response Number 1
Name: Razor2.3
Date: September 27, 2009 at 07:13:12 Pacific
Reply:

Assuming your MB, case, and PSU support it? Yes.


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Response Number 2
Name: findaway53
Date: September 27, 2009 at 11:16:33 Pacific
Reply:

My motherboard is an ABIT Fatal1ty AN8-SLI, and my PSU is 495 Watt Enermax, the reason I am asking is I read on another sight that I have to formatt the 1st SATA with the OS and start from scratch. When I tried adding the 2nd SATA Drive it was not recognized.


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Response Number 3
Name: Humar
Date: September 27, 2009 at 11:33:59 Pacific
Reply:

Hi,

No, you don't have to format your first drive (SATA or EIDE) when adding a second one.

If your second drive wasn't recognized, try going into the BIOS during start up and look at what the BIOS is seeing.

Did your PC boot normally when you added your second drive?


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Response Number 4
Name: Razor2.3
Date: September 27, 2009 at 11:38:15 Pacific
Reply:

it was not recognized.
You probably forgot to partition and format the drive. Here's a decent howto.


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