[Byteman]

Don't take a hard drive running winXP from a good computer and use to boot in another computer ..... doing that can and will void the XP Activation and you may end up calling Microsoft to explain and try to get a new XP Product Key....

You install the BAD (wiped) drive as a SECOND or SLAVE drive (basically they mean the same thing....)

Don't boot from it!

If you are unsure do not do it. You don't want to mess up a good computer.

[sckrem]

you mean just take the secondary cable hook that to the bad HD but when I turn on the computer how do I have it pick up the bad HD on the secondary

[Byteman]

You should read the info at the links I posted in my previous reply


http://www.ehow.com/video_6030_install-second-hard.html

http://askbobrankin.com/add_a_second_hard_drive.html <<There are SATA drive directions here


You either will see it in Windows Explorer or My Computer, or you won't

If you do not have the Secondary drive (the one that got zapped) read this: or have it handy.....

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/309000

CAUTION: Be very careful and be sure you are working on the secondary drive!

You may have to Initialize the drive...that will no doubt be the secondary one that is not marked HEALTHY

It should appear as UNALLOCATED> that would be the one that you need to create a partition on, and then need to format all partitions on that you create on that drive

[arochester]

I disagree, somewhat, with the direction this thread is going in.

It is a Linux Forum. The original post says

Because I wanted to put Linux on it and start from scratch.

We come from a position where Microsoft Windows was the OS. A Microsoft Windows program has caused "problems." The answer given is to install the Hard Drive in Microsoft Windows machine and format it with NTFS. Microsoft Windows will save the day! Linux is incapable and garbage! (Doh! I think not)

It is as though no-one has read or paid heed to my original post.

You cannot install Linux until you have a Linux disk which will install. Get the Ubuntu Desktop disk. It is a LiveCD and has an installation.Burn the ISO properly. Start it in the CD-Rom. Try the install. It should reformat to ext2 or ext3. If it doesn't work then I am proved wrong.

[sckrem]

I made a disk when I put it in the computer make a noise then the screen says operating system not found I will try making another one

[sckrem]

when I am downloading the linux file there an AOL logo next to it anyone knows why

[Byteman]

arochester

That's true....I was headed my way after reading that an XP CD was being tried....


I agree a Linux disk should be easiest thing in the world to boot from...

I'm not an expert with all that, I do use Ubuntu but no expert. Perhaps you can continue and get to the root of the problem.

[sckrem]

after I down load linux it come up as a text file not an iso

[sckrem]

Ok downloaded another linux disk i put it in looks like it was working. Didn't get any thing about no operating system found. It brought up some things like it was working no negative dtuff. But for the last 45 min the screen is black seem like it was off. I tryed to eject the CD tray but it would come out. There a yellow light on the cd tray. I don't know if this is the way Linux loads.

[itsjusme]

You already have all the instructions you need to get this done, just a comment or two to maybe keep you from pulling more hair out. Can you try the discs that you`ve burned in another computer to see if they boot? Make sure you have the bios set to boot from cd first, or use the boot options menu if available and choose the cd drive as boot device. Put the disc in another computer and open it, look at the files on the disc, do you see one file xxxxxxxxxx.iso ( X=name) or do you see multiple files?? If you only see one file with an .iso extension, it wasnt properly burned, if you see multiple files then see if it will boot in that machine.