Windows 7: 2 Hard drives in JBOB?

I have an old computer here with 2 hard drives.
1. 35Gig with windows 7
2. 150Gig that's empty

Don't ask me why it's like that

My question now is:
Is it possible to combine these hard drives into one (JBOD)?
Probably via the BIOS
But...will i lose the data on the first drive with my OS (35Gig)?
And after i've changed it in my BIOS, then what?


Thx, Bert

Hello Bert, Yes it is possible and yes I believe that you would have to reinstall.Your MB must also have the capability, but I really do not see any point. Have a look at this; What is JBOD (just a bunch of disks or just a bunch of drives)? - Definition from Whatis.com
Your set up seems to me to be OK, 35gig is maybe a bit on the small side but should be alright and you could partition the larger drive and use it for storage. Partition or Volume - Create New
To save space on your Windows disk it may also be wise to make a partition of perhaps 30gb on the larger drive to install your programs to

To answer your last question about the JBOD set up I would need your MB details

But it's not really my computer
A friends father asked me if i could help him, becaus he's running low on disk space and that the 150gig isn't used, so he asked me if i could "merge" that or change it. Everything he stores or installs is in Program Files and My Docs...
He isn't quite handy with computers.

And i said, i'll take a look. But i had the wrong idea, switched partitions with harddrives in my head xD
But i think i create a partition SPAN over the two harddrives (:

The only thing he wants is that he can install apps like he does now, without changing directory and stuff, everyhting default on C:

I can't give you any info about the MB, becaus i don't have the pc (yet).

So my idea was to extend the C: partition with the 150Gig of the other HDD (:


Thx for fast reply

Bert.

Windows 7 32-Bit requires a minimum 16GB of drive space and Windows 7 64-Bit needs 20GB, but it's probably better to have a drive or partition of at least 40GB for the operating system.

As the 35GB drive is so small, you could disconnect it, and then install Windows to the 150GB drive. After you've got Windows up and running, you can if you wish reconnect the smaller drive. just make sure the Windows drive is connected to port 0 on the motherboard. The other drive can then be connected to port 1.

Why not clone the 35GB to the 150GB. The OS and programs and user files will be intact. Format the 35GB and use for storage. Or, move the user folders to the other drive to make space.

I didn't know it was possible to clone a partition/drive
If i take a backup of the 35 gig (Full backup), can i restore the backup to the 150gig?

Yes you can restore an image or you can do a direct clone. If on of the drives is a Western digital or Seagate They offer a free scaled down version of Acronis which will do an image or a clone. You can download the WD here or the seagate here.

Are you certain that it is two physical drives, and not just one partitioned?

We would need a screenshot of the OP's disk management window to confirm the disc layout.