[Partition] new hd on old rig?

[djohn3853]

OK, i've ordered the WD 640gig Black (oem) for my first new build in 5 years.

viewtopic.php?t=52716&highlight=

I understand that I should probably partition it for the os anyway and this should be
done before installing os. (i'm still debating whether to go with xp and wait for Win7
to come out, or go with Vista).

I'm ordering my components piecemeal to spread the cost out. So far I have the psu and vid card.

My hd arrives next week.
So, I'm wondering if I can pop the new hd in my current rig and partition it ahead of time.

I think my current mobo (Asus A7N8X Deluxe) supports sata. Not sure if i have a cable though.

Will my oem hd come with a cable?

Is this a good idea or dumb one.

Also, I know ziltch about partitioning.

[psiu]

OK, i've ordered the WD 640gig Black (oem) for my first new build in 5 years.

viewtopic.php?t=52716&highlight=

I understand that I should probably partition it for the os anyway and this should be
done before installing os. (i'm still debating whether to go with xp and wait for Win7
to come out, or go with Vista).

I'm ordering my components piecemeal to spread the cost out. So far I have the psu and vid card.

My hd arrives next week.
So, I'm wondering if I can pop the new hd in my current rig and partition it ahead of time.

I think my current mobo (Asus A7N8X Deluxe) supports sata. Not sure if i have a cable though.

Will my oem hd come with a cable?

Is this a good idea or dumb one.

Also, I know ziltch about partitioning.

Break out the popcorn!

Yeah, you should be able to prepartition it--no need really, it just takes a few seconds or so. Generally my partitioning I usually use a GParted livecd, it just boots a minimal Linux live system and has a fairly simple graphical interface. Of course, always pay attention to which drive you are fiddling with in it.

I don't even bother with the OS partitioning anymore. Just try to back everything up to a separate disk and that works for me.
My 640 Blue in this machine I have 2 partitions--one for XP and one for Vista.

That might be a plan for you--just do a dual boot on it. I use the XP partition for older games basically. Anything newer (aka "Games for Windows") I will throw on Vista. I only did a 100GB partition for XP and the rest for Vista.

GParted is pretty useful, you can even resize partitions (though it gets slower the bigger they are) and then add in more later on. I haven't had a problem *yet* but the recommendation is always to abck up anything super critical obviously.

Good luck and don't screw up and reformat your current drive

[Edro]

Will my oem hd come with a cable?

No. The HD will come wrapped in an antistatic bag. That's it. OEM means no cables, manuals, boxes, etc. Bare component only.

[sjoukew]

If you have spare time, you can always partition and format the drive in advance, that saves time while installing windows, especially if you don't use a quick format but a full format.
A new drive, not used as primary drive is a good 'test subject' to learn about partitioning and see how it works.
But make sure you are partitioning the Correct device.

[djohn3853]

OK, I received the new hd. Responses here and on other boards said what I planned was perfectly ok
(but probably unnecessary). Many said it was just as easy to partition on build up.
But hey, I never do things the easy way, its just my nature.

Anyway, I downloaded a freeware called Easeus to do the partitioning. I found cables with
the extra material that came with mobo's on previous builds. This is my first foray with
sata. I was under the impression that the only cable you had to plug in was the sata.
Silly me, that seemed to easy. I've mounted the new hd in old rig and plugged in sata
cable. Nothing happened. Computer doesn't see it. I'm guessing that there are special sata power connectors
on my psu. Before I go to the trouble of pulling my rig apart again
(royal pain in the butt) can someone confirm that I need to plug a power cable also into
the new hd.

[angelkiller]

can someone confirm that I need to plug a power cable also into
the new hd.

Yes, you do. SATA drives need 2 cables. The thin data cable, and a power cable, which looks like this. The black end goes into the drive, the white end plugs into a Molex connector. That image is an adapter btw.

[FartingBob]

Your new PSU will have a SATA power cable. Every PSU in the last 2 or 3 years has one, even the really basic models.
If not, a simple molex adaptor will work.
You can connect it to your current system and partition off part of it for the future OS then use the rest now as storage. Once you come to install the OS just use the empty partition. It'll also make transferring your data from old to new much easier.