Tedster said:
do not mix IDE and SATA in the same system. While it may work, eventually it will crash as Windows defaults to IDE during system errors. This is not well documented, but it does happen. Use one type of drive or the other. It is just a matter of time. When windows does crash it write OS information to the IDE drive thereby making the system unbootable as windows can't figure out which drive to boot off of - IDE or SATA.
Huh?
Can you describe this in better detail?
eventually it will crash as Windows defaults to IDE during system errors.
The boot order is determined by the BIOS, not Windows. When you first turn your computer on, the processor loads the BIOS. The BIOS runs some code that searches programmed devices for a MBR (aka. 'boot sector' and 'boot record'). Once it identifies bootable media, it then boots to the best possible device. This device is generally whatever you select in the CMOS configuration. So it doesn't matter what Windows writes where, it will always boot to whatever device the BIOS specifies... So you can't be talking about this.
When windows does crash it write OS information to the IDE drive thereby making the system unbootable as windows can't figure out which drive to boot off of - IDE or SATA.[/
What OS information? After the BIOS/MBR bootstrapping process, the only code really involved in booting are C:\NTLDR, C:\boot.ini and NTDETECT. Does it alter these files?
In a nuthshell, once control is passed from the BIOS to the drive's MBR, the MBR instructs the the processor to run the Windows 'boot loader'. It is at
this point when Windows can finally have control of the boot process. This is where things would
have to go awry, but I don't see how?
Here's a more detailed breakdown of the boot process:
- System POST
- BIOS searches for the best possible bootable device and loads the MBR (AKA: master boot record, master boot sector)
- The MBR finds the active partition and passes control to the boot loader (NTLDR).
- NTLDR prepares for the boot process (Loads file system drivers to read FAT32 and NTFS).
- NTLDR loads boot.ini and displays the boot menu (if available)
- NTLDR begins to load Windows XP/2000 by running NTDETECT and loading HAL and NTOSKRNL.
I don't see how Windows has much room for error here unless it edits the boot.ini? Maybe it damages the NTLDR, HAL, NTOSKRNL or NTDETECT? These things would happen regardless of your drive configuration though, if that's the case? I am unsure how to explain what you've experienced?
Excuse my skepticism, but I've been running IDE / SATA together for years and I've worked on many, many, many systems with a 'hybrid' setup. I've yet to encounter an issue like the one you're talking about.
Fortunately, if anything
does happen to the MBR, NTLDR, HAL, NTDETECT, NTOSKRNL.EXE or BOOT.INI, it is a quick snap to repair using the Windows install CD and recovery console. Just one or two commands and you're back in business.
I don't see this as such a huge concern.