Hi, I recently built my own PC but couldnt install the operating system so i had to use a separate harddrive (C:) that had windows 2000 pre installed on it. Ive now got XP up and running but my PC still needs C: to bot up from and i would rather use C: just for backing up files (plug it in when i want to back something up) as it is very noisy. I was wondering if anybody could tell me if this would be possible (will it mess up the registry files because when i unplug C: my F: drive will become C:?)to copy the boot files from C: to F: (has windows xp installed on it)so that i do not need both drives on all the time. Also, would it be ok for me to (every now and again)plug in my old harddrive (currently C:) and use it to back up important files (schoolwork etc.) or would this confuse the registry files? Thank you very much in advance. Tom

Much easier to have both disks piggy-backed as Master & Slave. Figure out what disk you'd prefer to have permanently setup as the system disk before you decide to copy any boot files and run fixboot & fixmbr.

Frankly it's not recommended to install several operating systems on one partition and mess up system files but you may do it using any boot disk manager.

If the drives are seperate (C & F) then simply go to your BIOS settings and tell the BIOS to boot from the F drive (just make sure your drives are both set as cable select or you may confuse the computer with two masters) How did you do the xp install was it with the 2000 install and a dual boot program or did you put in a new drive and install XP the "normal" way if the later the boot files should be already written to see the present F drive as the boot drive ... you just have to set it as the C drive and that is picked by the BIOS not the install . and no it would not effect anything to put the old drive in the system and use it as storage (even with an operating system on it)if you want it invisible then use disk management to disable the drive you don't want to see ... then "turn it back on again" when you want to view it and enter the BIOS and choose the drive to boot from when you want to boot from the old drive .

Use the bios to select what Windows thinks is "C" drive. Most new bios's support that ability. You can also use any number of boot managers and boot loaders to select the boot partition. This assumes that you have installed both OS's such that only one drive was in at a time. They both think they are on C drive.

i installed xp by logging onto windows 2000 and inserting the disk etc. now i would like to un plug the old drive because it is too noisy. I would only like to use the new one for everything and every now and again be able to plug in the old drive to back up files. Thanks for your help so far and what is the 'normal' way of installing windows?

I would like to boot from F which would happen automatically if i unplug C which i have tried but id does not work. Thank you Tom