Member Avatar for cabdziner

I want to add a second (used) HD to my WIN98 system.
I'm OK with adding the second HD, swapping the cables, loading the OS, etc.
My ?? are...
Can I boot/run the XP HD (master) and access the W98 Hd (slave) to transfer/copy files?
Ultimately, what I would like to do is transfer all my critical files to the XP HD, then reformat the WIN98 HD and use for storage.
Assuming this can be done, how would I strip/reformat the WIN98 HD? FDISK?

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A focused checklist and a few gotchas to bridge ’s plan and ’s suggestion without surprises.

First, back up before you start. Image the Win98 disk or copy critical folders to external media so there is a recoverable copy if something goes wrong. When you boot into XP, check the old disk in Disk Management (and in My Computer) to confirm partition types and available space; that will tell you whether files are FAT16/FAT32 (readable by XP) or something else.

Copy only user data and application data you actually need — for example C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\My Documents, Desktop, Favorites (IE), mail stores (Outlook/Outlook Express files or PST/DBX), and any application-specific folders. Do not expect program installs to be portable; reinstall programs on XP instead of copying Program Files. Verify several copied files open correctly before proceeding.

When ready to wipe the Win98 disk, use Windows XP’s Disk Management to delete existing partitions and create/format the new one. Choose NTFS if the disk will only be used with XP or newer (supports large files, journaling); choose FAT32 only if you must keep compatibility with Windows 98 (note FAT32 has a ~4 GB max single-file size). If you prefer to preserve files while changing to NTFS, XP has a convert utility but always back up first.

Additional tips: if the drive doesn’t appear, try an external USB adapter to avoid jumper/cable issues; run chkdsk if the source drive is old; verify BIOS still boots the intended drive; and avoid marking the data disk active so the system boot stays on the XP drive.

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Member Avatar for Salem

> Can I boot/run the XP HD (master) and access the W98 Hd (slave) to transfer/copy files?
Sure.
Just make sure the W98 disk is configured as a slave drive when you swap them over, and it just becomes a data disk.

> Assuming this can be done, how would I strip/reformat the WIN98 HD? FDISK?
Yeah, FDISK would do the trick.

Member Avatar for cabdziner

Thanks for the quick answer.

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