Solved Need help setting up with SSD & HDD duo setup

[dpcrowley]

I just upgraded to a brand new SSD and HDD. I did a complete new installation of Windows on my SSD. Now that I'm set up I don't know where to locate my HDD. I would like an explanation about how this system works. I installed my OS on my SSD and all of my other programs/games everything on my HDD ideally? The purpose of this is to have a fast operating system? I go into BIOS>CMOS settings and IDE channel 2 master is my HDD and ide channel 3 master is my ssd with no slaves on either. I have no idea what this means. That is about as much information as I can give you now, if you can help by showing me something to read or explaining to me how to setup this system and how it works that would be greatly appreciated.

I am new to worrying about my HDD's. In the past I would just get one big HDD and not have to worry about a thing. Thanks for all your help

 

[dpcrowley]

I only see my SSD when I go to My Computer

 

[edwar]

Are you using a computer that has IDE drive interfaces? Or are you just calling them IDE when they are really SATA interfaces?

Whenever you change out a drive that Windows is going to be on, that you are going to install windows to, connect ONLY that ONE drive to the system to do the install and make sure it is on SATA port 0 (zero, which in the computer world is really port 1). Do the install of Windows and then connect other drives as needed to the other main SATA ports, ports 1, 2, 3, 4 and so on.

Depending on how large a SSD is that you install I would install all normal programs to the SSD for faster loading. Games may be better installed to larger spinning HDDs. That is really up to you and the size of the SSD.

If you are still working on a computer that has ALL IDE drive interfaces then I suggest you buy a new computer. No IDE interface can benefit from having an SSD. The interface is to slow.

Good Luck.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

1: Fill out your system specifications so we can see what type of PC you have. At this point, we know nothing at all about it.

2: Post a screenshot of Windows Disk Management.

 

[Solarstarshines]

Go to device manager Locate the other hard drive right click on it for options

After that choose populate then select disc letter If i remember correctly it won't show as a drive in my computer but will show up in Device manager and from there you have to activate it and populate the size and name it

That should be it good luck

Also look into this as these settings are better for a SSD set up http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/61869-ahci-enable-windows-7-vista.html?ltr=A

 

[dpcrowley]

So I bought a Corsair 60 GB SSD sata 3 and a 350 GB Western Digital HDD. I have a gigabyte 880gm-d2h mobo, amd phenom 2 x4 processor. My mobo doesn't have any IDE ports so no I'm not using IDE but I am using sata 2 ports which I hope isn't a problem. I clicked to populate the drive, but I can't see where to name it. It also doesn't appear under My computer still. I also had both drives in when installing Windows, is that going to be a problem? Because I can easily reinstall if so. I attached a picture of disk management. I have a feeling it is wrong. Thanks for all your help everyone.

 

[Solarstarshines]

It looks like the same hard drive is divided 3 times how did you get that to happen ?

I think you are good doing a clean install with out the other HD hooked up then after then install make sure you hook up the other hard drive

then reboot it should work and also don't forget the Achi feature it will improve performance

 

[dpcrowley]

Okay so I'm going to do a reinstall with only my SSD connected. I'll post back in the next day with the same device management just for confirmation that it looks correct if y'all don't mind. Thanks again

 

[ignatzatsonic]

It's best to have the SSD as disc 0, so swap the drive cables where they connect to the motherboard. The SSD should then be disc 0 and the HD should be disc 1.

Leave the HD unconnected.

You want to end up with a System Reserved on the SSD.

After you finish, check what you see in Disk Management.

 

[dpcrowley]

so i just reinstalled windows on my ssd. i have not yet plugged in my second hard drive but my ssd is in port 0 on my mobo. i wanted to post this picture to make sure everything is correct before i put in my second hard drive thanks

 

[Solarstarshines]

Looks good now you can finish with hooking up the other drives

 

[dpcrowley]

So I just plugged in my other HDD to sata port 1, and this is what disk management looks like now. under my computer there is a c: drive and a d: drive but the d drive only has 100 mb. how do i set it up so the d drive is my full HDD?

 

[edwar]

So I bought a Corsair 60 GB SSD sata 3 and a 350 GB Western Digital HDD. I have a gigabyte 880gm-d2h mobo, amd phenom 2 x4 processor. My mobo doesn't have any IDE ports so no I'm not using IDE but I am using sata 2 ports which I hope isn't a problem. I clicked to populate the drive, but I can't see where to name it. It also doesn't appear under My computer still. I also had both drives in when installing Windows, is that going to be a problem? Because I can easily reinstall if so. I attached a picture of disk management. I have a feeling it is wrong. Thanks for all your help everyone.

You have made the Same error most new users to Win 7 have when installing or Re-installing the OS on a New drive.

That is you did not disconnect ALL OTHER drives before you installed Win 7.

For some unknown reason Win 7 and the BIOS's of most newer computer see the hard drive arrangement differently. So what happens when you install 7 with other drive connected 7 see one of the other drive as the FIRST DRIVE in the system and places the 100MB SYSTEM partition on that other drive.

You MUST disconnect ALL Other Drives BEFORE you start the 7 install. That will place both the System 100MB partition and the boot/OS partition on the drive you want 7 installed to.

If I were you I would Start Over. Disconnecting all other drives except for the SSD and then install 7 on that drive.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

So I just plugged in my other HDD to sata port 1, and this is what disk management looks like now. under my computer there is a c: drive and a d: drive but the d drive only has 100 mb. how do i set it up so the d drive is my full HDD?

You want System Reserved and C on the SSD, as Disc 0.

And you should have the HDD as Disc 1, with no System Reserved on Disc 1.

I'd start over. Disconnect the HDD.

As it is now, you apparently have the SSD connected to the wrong port, that's why it is Disc 1, not Disc 0. It isn't absolutely critical, but if you are early in the installation, you may as well get it right.

After you get Windows installed on the SSD as Disc 0, the SSD should have 2 partitions: System Reserved and C.

When that's all correct and done, reconnect the HDD. It should show as Disc 1. You can then delete all partitions on it and make one big D partition. You don't want a System Reserved partition on that HDD data drive.

 

[dpcrowley]

Can you look back to the last post on the first page that I made. That was when I first installed windows with the SSD in port 0 and no other HDD plugged in. It still had some sort of partition on disk 1 and the SSD on disk 0. When I plugged in the other HDD the SSD switched to disk 1 and a system reserve was created on disk 0 along with 300 gb unallocated space. is there a way I can just switch them around?

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Can you look back to the last post on the first page that I made. That was when I first installed windows with the SSD in port 0 and no other HDD plugged in. It still had some sort of partition on disk 1 and the SSD on disk 0. When I plugged in the other HDD the SSD switched to disk 1 and a system reserve was created on disk 0 along with 300 gb unallocated space. is there a way I can just switch them around?

I'm not sure which post you are referring to.

The only post I see in this thread with a picture of the SSD as disc 0 is your post number 10. That picture also shows a removable disk of about 7 GB as disk 1, but no larger HDD.

I assume you have no data on your 320 GB HDD? If that is true, you may as well delete all partitions on it in Disk Management, shut down, and then disconnect it.

If that HDD is a data drive, you don't need or want a System Reserved on it.

The picture in post 12 shows that the SSD is active, boot, and system. It should boot without the HDD connected. Confirm that it will.

The only thing wrong with the picture in post 12 is that the SSD is not disc 0 and you have a System Reserved on the HDD.

 

[dpcrowley]

yes that was my disk management previous to plugging in my larger HDD. That is what showed after I installed windows on my SSD

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Delete that System Reserved partition from the HDD.

Then disconnect the HDD.

Then connect the SSD to port 0.

Then confirm you can boot with only the SSD connected.

If you can boot with only the SSD connected, reconnect the HDD to port 1 and reboot.

You should then be able to make a single large partition on the HDD with NO System Reserved.

 

[edwar]

yes that was my disk management previous to plugging in my larger HDD. That is what showed after I installed windows on my SSD

In your post #6 is when you first installed 7 on the SSD. That image shows Disk 0 as a HDD with the Sys Reserve on the HDD and unallocated space.

Then in your post #10 it looks like you just disconnected the HDD.

Not sure what you did but you need to START OVER.

With both disks connected, SSD & HDD, boot to the Win installer. Then Erase/Delete ALL Partitions on ALL drive. Then Exit out of the installer and shut the system down. Disconnect the HDD and leave ONLY the SSD connected. Then start the computer and installer again. Partition the SSD as one drive and when the installer comes up with "Windows Needs to create a second partition for Windows to run correctly" (or something like that) just click OK and let the installer install Windows. Once that is complete and the system reboots and finally loads the desktop open Disk management and look at the SSD. It should have the 100MB Sys Reserve partition with NO drive letter assigned and then the C drive (Boot, Page File, Crash Dump, Primary) partition.

Then shut the system down and connect the HDD.

 

[dpcrowley]

I just unplugged my HDD and rebooted. made sure my SSD was in sata port 0. this is what i get when i reboot