New to installing

[Suzie]

I want to buy a larger hard drive. I can get a good deal on 40GB, right now we have 12.6. I want to install it myself or at least give it a shot.

Running Intel Celeron
Win98SE
12.6GB hard drive
191 Ram

So, I just have a few questions I was hoping you could help me out with. And I appologize if some questions are lame.

First off, if I install the new hard drive, can I keep the 12.6 also?

How much ram should I have if I have a bigger hard drive?

Once done, is it better to go with a partition for my sons games and music or keep as a whole? If possible I'd like to designate him so much space and that's it.

I guess that's it for now. Any thoughts or advise are appreciated.

Thanks for your time.

:)
S

[Sonny]

I'm attaching a text file that I zipped. I got this when I was starting out & helps a whole lot. It's an instructional on how to reinstall Windows. If you need anymore help just ask on this thread & will be happy to help. Just to make sure scan it, just like anything you d/l. Good Luck!

[Suzie]

Thanks sonny :)

Great info, thanks for you help.

:)
S

[Sonny]

No problem. Always glad to help.:cool:

[zappazootus]

Hi Susie-

The little download doc does have some good stuff in it. On some things that it does not cover... Please forgive me if I am working at too simple a level, I don't know what your level of experience with this sort of thing is...

If you pick up a new HD the basics are to physically place it in your case in a slot that allows for the best airflow through the system. It may be advisable to get an extra case fan if you do not already have one. The HD requires power from the PSU and also plugs into the same parrallel cable as your 12.5 HD. Both HD's have jumpers on them to designate a master (primary) HD and a slave (secondary) HD. The primary HD is the one you plan to use for boot up and your primary operating system location etc. Further, sometimes the position on the parrallel cable will have some impact on the setup. The primary HD is generally attached to the communication cable via the end or terminal connector while the secondary uses the connector in the middle of the cable. While it is possible to handle all of the partition designation manually, many people find sucess partitioning using partition software which is often cheap or free. Ok, thats a mouthful, so let me know if I am helping, or just spinning my wheels.







:burn:

[Suzie]

Hi zappazootus

Thanks for your reply. The info you have given is very helpful. This is the 1st time for installing any hardware, so I need all the input I can get. :)

We just have the 1 fan, that isn't really something I thought about but guess I better look into.

Your explanation is just fine and to the point, very easy to understand. I'm sure my level is called newbie.

Thanks for your time.

:)
S

[funnyperson1]

Originally posted by Suzie
Hi zappazootus

Thanks for your reply. The info you have given is very helpful. This is the 1st time for installing any hardware, so I need all the input I can get. :)

We just have the 1 fan, that isn't really something I thought about but guess I better look into.

Your explanation is just fine and to the point, very easy to understand. I'm sure my level is called newbie.

Thanks for your time.

:)
S

dont worry, with a celeron you dont really have to worry about heat unless youre overclockinng, but a good case fan can be picked up for 10 bucks just as insurance...

[Suzie]

Originally posted by funnyperson1


dont worry, with a celeron you dont really have to worry about heat unless youre overclockinng, but a good case fan can be picked up for 10 bucks just as insurance...

Thanks funnyperson1 :)

Haven't or don't plan on overclocking as of yet.

Thanks for the info.

:)
S

[Arkaine23]

Partitioning a larger HDD can be advantageous.... in addition to setting a specific amount of memory for your son to use, it will help your drive store data more efficiently and help your Operating system run a little faster.

If your primary (active)partition is less than 8 Gigs, it'll maximize efficiency concerning your OS. It also makes defragmenting faster. Cluster sizes (amount of space used per cluster of data) are 4kb (most efficient) for partitions 8 gigs or less, 8kb for partitions 8+ to 16 Gigs, 16kb for partitions 16+ to 32 Gigs, and 32kb (least efficient) for partitions larger than 32 Gigs.

The reason for increased data access speed is that HDD's store data onto optical disks. Disks, being round, and spinning in a circle, means the outer edge of the disk reads data faster than the inner portions. If you partition your drive into two or three partitions, the first will access data the fastest(being on the outer edge), while the second will be in the middle, and the third will be the slowest, etc. This way you can store large files that you don't need very fast access for in your last partition (mp3s, videos, pictures, etc.) Run your apps and OS from the 1st partition, and your games and other programs from the middle partition.

Also with the OS installed on the outermost part of your HDD, your Windows swap file (virtual memory) will reside there as well. This makes access to virtual memory slightly faster. Virtual memory handles memory needs that exceed your RAM and is way slower than RAM. Speeding it up is a common tweak for windows users.

Run a search for fdisk/partitioning and you should come up with some useful guides. Or just ask the people here if you want to know more.

[Suzie]

Thanks Arkaime23

Very useful info for me. I am really new to this and want to research all I can before I begin.

Thanks very much for your time.

:)
S