This is a question that I encountered last week. "Yesterday, I bought a SEAGATE SATA hardisk. But when I opened my computer, running in windows XP, I can't see my new hardisk in windows explorer. Please help..."
After you bought a hardisk in the shop, always ask the computer technician if it is already formatted and it has a partition or not. Because when you buy a hardisk, usually it has no partition and not yet formatted. That's why you cannot see the hardisk in windows explorer.
Here's a complete guide to create a partition and format the hardisk in Windows XP.
1. Open the Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Computer Management
2. In the Computer Management tool, Click "Disk Management".
3. You will see the "Unallocated disk', this is your new hardisk.
Right-Click->click New Logical Drive.
4. In the New Partition Wizard, click Next.
5. Click the type of partition that you want to create (either Primary partition, Extended partition, or Logical drive),
For simpler explanation: use Primary partition, if you want to make it bootable. You can create up to four Primary partition. If you will use it as data storage only, use the Extended Partition.
For example: If your computer has only one partition (c:). You can use a Primary partition for your new hardisk (d:). But if you want to make a two partition (say d: and e:) in your new hardisk, use Primary partition in the first drive and Extended partition for the second drive (e:). In depends on you, as long as you use up to four primary partition.
6. Specify the size of the partition in the Partition size in MB box, If you want to make a single partition, click Next. If you want to make a two partition, input the size of the first hardisk partition that you will create.
7. Next I suggest let the system automatically enumerate the drive (default option, no modifications) and then click Next.
8. In choosing the formatting options, Use the default options. Please check if it is NTFS and then click Next.
9. click Finish.
10. If you want a two partition, repeat the steps above and choose the default options only, especially in number 6 by clicking NEXT button until Finish. No more modifications in the options. This means that you will use the entire unallocated disk space left.
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