How to Configure the OS on a Computer With Two Hard Drives
Doubling the number of hard drives in your computer will greatly increase your storage space, allowing you to store larger files without fearing that you might run out of space for vital programs. Setting up a computer containing two hard drives is not substantially different than setting up a PC that only contains one, but there are a few extra steps to make your second drive (the one that does not contain the operating system) functional.
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Instructions
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Perform your operating system installation as normal, following the on-screen instructions to format and prepare the drive which will contain your operating system, otherwise known as the primary drive. This process can take anywhere from 30 minutes to well over an hour depending on the operating system you are going to install, the size of your hard drive and the speed of your PC, so be prepared to devote a substantial portion of your day to the setup process.
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Go to the start menu, followed by the control panel. Then click on "Administrative tools," then "Computer management" then "Disk management." Create a partition on your second drive to enable the computer to detect it from within the operating system.
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Select the "My computer" icon or the "Windows explorer" icon, then find the drive letter for the secondary drive. This letter will normally be one beyond the letter of your primary drive--if your primary drive is "c:," as most are, your secondary drive will almost always be "d:." Right click on the drive and select the "Format" option.
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Use the drop-down menus that appear to select "NTFS" as the file system of your secondary drive. Check the "Quick format" box to speed up the process, and provide your secondary drive with a label (such as "Backup Drive") if you so desire. Press "OK" to begin the formatting process. During the format, the drive will be written over to be detectable and compatible with the operating system installed on your primary drive, completing the configuration process.
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