2nd HD not visible in Win2k!

Bane the ECF · Oct 4, 2006, 10:27 PM

Hi,

My data hard drive just failed, and I purchased a replacement unit. I've installed it, but for some reason I do not get a drive letter for the new hard drive. The BIOS and Windows Device Manager recognizes the device. Anybody have any ideas?

Motherboard: ASUS K8N-E
Hard Drive 1 (the one that works): PATA, 100GB (C: 40GB, D: 60GB partitions)
Hard Drive 2 (the one that doesn't): SATA, 320GB Seagate 7200RPM, 8MB

If you guys want any more information, let me know.

H3X4D3C1M4L · Oct 6, 2006, 09:48 PM

DId you make sure to go Start --> Run --> compmgmt.msc

Then go under Disk Management

And initialize and partition the disk and assign it a letter?

If you say yes and it still doesn't work then come back but if you don't come back I'll assume you never did the above

PangingJr · Oct 6, 2006, 11:12 PM

most of the time the system BIOS knows that you have added a hard drive to your computer system, as well as Windows or other operating systems. as long as the BIOS have detected that the new hard drive has been added... then the operating systems knows what's going on... but it's still keeping the info from you (a secret hard drive there), untill you have provided or added more info of the new hard drive to the operating system. you can do this within the operating systems, by using the instruction above, or you can also prepare the newly added hard drive before you first boot into the operating system, this to be sure that it'll detect this new hard drive (more easiler in some cases or for some users) and the easiest way of doing this will be to use a third-party hard drive partitioning software program in DOS mode to prepare a partition(s) info on to the hard drive and to pre-format the partition(s), then you can boot into the operating system.