With win xp, you can now format and partition a hard drive from within windows. Just install the drive as slave (if pata drive), then go to disk management and you can format and partition this new drive right from disk management from inside windows xp pro or home or media center xp.
You can set it as one drive with one letter and as one partition or you can partition it into 2,3,4 sections, each with their own drive letter. If you use more than one drive letter, then assign later letters, such as N,O,P,Q,R,S,T, these are good numbers for secondary storage drives because if you add a new cd or dvd rom then it wont change the number of your hard drive on you all by itself.