quote:
Originally posted by LoochTheMan
My second drive hasnt been used so it is empty. If someone knows how to do this definitively that would be helpful because I dont want to loose data that I already have or screw up my computer.
The problem with Traxor's suggestion is that you can't extend the boot volume, even if you convert it to dynamic. So, you can only do that if you have partitioned your drive -- you would then be able to exted the second, non-boot partition.
What you could potentially do if you have a single partition is the following:
1) Create a dynamic volume on the second, presently empty drive;
2) Move all your data files to the new volume; leave only Windows and the installed programs on the first drive;
3) Shrink the partition on the first drive using some partition resizing software;
4) Convert the first drive to a dynamic disk and extend the new volume on the second drive with the now unused space on the first drive.
The result would be one smaller volume for Windows and applications (let's say C:, 100GB) and one big volume for all your data, spanning both drives (let's say D:, 400GB). Many (including myself) prefer to partition their disks that way instead of single volume, anyway.
If you do this correctly and nothing goes wrong, you should lose no data -- however, backup, at least of your critical files, is still highly recommended. Resizing "accidents" are rare, but not unheard of.
Edit: all of the above assumes you have Windows XP Professional or equivalent Vista edition. XP Home doesn't support dynamic disks and I'd assume the lesser Vista editions don't, either.
