Second HDD making computer slower?

[Exterous]

I've timed my windows start up times on my new computer just for fun over the old one - however I noticed something strange. When I first did the timings I had just my new 80GB SATA drive in. Later, I noticed it was taking windows longer to boot. The only two things that had changed was that I had installed BF2 and hooked up my old HDD. Since I have a GA-965P-DS3 with the only IDE cables running to my optical drives I got a SATA to IDE adapter (IDE SATA bridge) to hook up my 160GB 7200rpm 8mb chache drive. (The 80GB is in the SATA 0 slot and the IDE adapter running from the SATA 1 slot)

The IDE drive a a bit older and noisier than the new one and I can hear it working quite a bit during startup yet there are no programs on it, only files. It is possible that this is what is making my computer start slower? If so is there something I can do about it?

 

[juiceman]

Is it possible? Sure. Why don't you disconnect it and run the tests without it to test it yourself?

 

[slicessoul]

It is possible that this is what is making my computer start slower?

Yes. While Windows is loading, it loads lot of essential services such as disk management (to addressing how many HDD, partitions and size), indexing services (for faster searching files), and other services which are checking the HDD to run well. Some background services such as antivirus would slow down the boot up too.

Installing a new software would install a registry keys, more bigger the registry, more longer the load time. More fonts you have more longer windows load.

The performance of HDD also affecting Windows on loading.

Disconnecting the HDD could help a little on reducing Windows load, but as you already installed your old HDD, Windows won't forget it, there's some registry keys which remember what kind of HDD is there and what kind of HDD was there.

 

[juiceman]

Never mind what the guy above said about windows not forgetting, etc., what you want to do is test if removing the last disc you added is causing the sytem to slow down. Like I said, just test the system with it disconnected, and you see for yourself.

You can use the info he gave to try to increase speed whether the second disc is slowing you down or not, but if it is slowing you down, you want to fix that first.