joining 2 hard drives with spanned volume

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

"Bucky" <uw_badgers@email.com> wrote in message
news:1112062218.163613.26820@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
>I read that you can use Windows XP Pro to join 2 hard drives together
> as one logical drive. I have two 15 GB hard drives that I would like to
> combine in a 30 GB. I am planning on doing a new installation, and I
> would appreciate any advice for the correct procedure.
>
> Ideally, I would like just one logical drive, but from what I've read,
> it seems that the system volume cannot be part of spanned volume. So
> I'll need to partition Drive 1, and span the second partition of Drive
> 1 with Drive 2. Is this correct?
>
> Here is what I am about to do, please make any corrections:
>
> 1. Partition Drive 1 into 1GB/14GB. Partition Drive 2 as one partition.
> This gives me a total of 3 partitions.
>
> 2. Install Windows XP onto Drive 1 Partition 1. This is the system
> volume.
>
> 3. Convert the other two partitions into dynamic disks.
>
> 4. Span the other two partitions.
>
> 5. Now I should have a C: drive, which is a 1GB drive with system
> volume. D: drive should be 29GB.
>

During the install make one partition for the system, 1 GB is too small. The
absolute minimum is 1.5 GB
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314865 I would
allocate 10 GB, 5 GB minimum. Remember this volume can't be extended easily.
A lot of programs insist on installing files in the Windows folder and at
least some files in C:\Program Files. You will also need room for future
updates and service pack installs. Leave all the other drive space as
unallocated at this point. If there are any other partitions on either drive
delete them during the install. After Windows is installed use the disk
management console to create a dynamic volume on the rest of the unallocated
space on disk 0. You can then right click that volume and extend it onto the
unallocated space on disk 1. The key point is you can only extend a dynamic
volume onto unallocated space. If you create the partitions beforehand you
can't join them later.

Kerry

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

What in the world leads you to believe XP can be installed on a 1GB
drive/partition? Yikes!

"Bucky" <uw_badgers@email.com> wrote in message
news:1112062218.163613.26820@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
>I read that you can use Windows XP Pro to join 2 hard drives together
> as one logical drive. I have two 15 GB hard drives that I would like to
> combine in a 30 GB. I am planning on doing a new installation, and I
> would appreciate any advice for the correct procedure.
>
> Ideally, I would like just one logical drive, but from what I've read,
> it seems that the system volume cannot be part of spanned volume. So
> I'll need to partition Drive 1, and span the second partition of Drive
> 1 with Drive 2. Is this correct?
>
> Here is what I am about to do, please make any corrections:
>
> 1. Partition Drive 1 into 1GB/14GB. Partition Drive 2 as one partition.
> This gives me a total of 3 partitions.
>
> 2. Install Windows XP onto Drive 1 Partition 1. This is the system
> volume.
>
> 3. Convert the other two partitions into dynamic disks.
>
> 4. Span the other two partitions.
>
> 5. Now I should have a C: drive, which is a 1GB drive with system
> volume. D: drive should be 29GB.
>

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

Kerry Brown wrote:
> During the install make one partition for the system, 1 GB is too
small. The
> absolute minimum is 1.5 GB
> Leave all the other drive space as
> unallocated at this point. The key point is you can only extend a
dynamic
> volume onto unallocated space. If you create the partitions
beforehand you
> can't join them later.

Thanks for the help, everyone. This was an especially important point
that I did not realize.

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

"Bucky" <uw_badgers@email.com> wrote in message
news:1112078965.148186.199110@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Kerry Brown wrote:
>> During the install make one partition for the system, 1 GB is too
> small. The
>> absolute minimum is 1.5 GB
>> Leave all the other drive space as
>> unallocated at this point. The key point is you can only extend a
> dynamic
>> volume onto unallocated space. If you create the partitions
> beforehand you
>> can't join them later.
>
> Thanks for the help, everyone. This was an especially important point
> that I did not realize.
>

You do realise that by spanning drives you are doubling your chances of
loosing data? If one of the drives fails you will loose all the data on the
spanned volume. It is a band-aid solution usually used on servers as a
temporary fix until a new bigger drive can be installed. Make sure you have
a good backup system.

Kerry

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

You really do *not* want to get into dynamic volumes and disks.

For well under $100US (like around $50) you can pick up a 100G drive and
simply swap.

--
Walter Clayton
Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
http://www.dts-l.org


"Bucky" <uw_badgers@email.com> wrote in message
news:1112062218.163613.26820@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
>I read that you can use Windows XP Pro to join 2 hard drives together
> as one logical drive. I have two 15 GB hard drives that I would like to
> combine in a 30 GB. I am planning on doing a new installation, and I
> would appreciate any advice for the correct procedure.
>
> Ideally, I would like just one logical drive, but from what I've read,
> it seems that the system volume cannot be part of spanned volume. So
> I'll need to partition Drive 1, and span the second partition of Drive
> 1 with Drive 2. Is this correct?
>
> Here is what I am about to do, please make any corrections:
>
> 1. Partition Drive 1 into 1GB/14GB. Partition Drive 2 as one partition.
> This gives me a total of 3 partitions.
>
> 2. Install Windows XP onto Drive 1 Partition 1. This is the system
> volume.
>
> 3. Convert the other two partitions into dynamic disks.
>
> 4. Span the other two partitions.
>
> 5. Now I should have a C: drive, which is a 1GB drive with system
> volume. D: drive should be 29GB.
>

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

Hi there,
I need to know how do to that. I want to purchase a faster hard disk and
transfer my existing partition onto it. What should I do? Can this be done
without 3rd party utilities?

Clovis

"Walter Clayton" wrote:

> You really do *not* want to get into dynamic volumes and disks.
>
> For well under $100US (like around $50) you can pick up a 100G drive and
> simply swap.
>
> --
> Walter Clayton
> Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
> http://www.dts-l.org

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

Most new drives comes the software to transfe existing the data from old
drive to new one. If not with the disk, it is available at the mfg's
website.,...


--
Tumppi
Reply to group
=================================================
Most learned on nntp://news.mircosoft.com
Helsinki, Finland (remove _NOSPAM)
(translations from FI/SE not always accurate)
=================================================



"Clovis" <Clovis@discussions.microsoft.com> kirjoitti viestissä
news:BDCDA8CB-4724-4D80-AB90-4224258340DC@microsoft.com...
> Hi there,
> I need to know how do to that. I want to purchase a faster hard disk and
> transfer my existing partition onto it. What should I do? Can this be done
> without 3rd party utilities?
>
> Clovis
>
> "Walter Clayton" wrote:
>
> > You really do *not* want to get into dynamic volumes and disks.
> >
> > For well under $100US (like around $50) you can pick up a 100G drive and
> > simply swap.
> >
> > --
> > Walter Clayton
> > Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
> > http://www.dts-l.org
>