Windows 7 64bit and 32bit HD Compatability?

Hello,

This is my first experience with 64bit Windows so please ignore my
ignorance. I will be clean installing 64bit Windows 7 on a raid array
and I'm wondering if the new Windows 7 system will recognize an existing
formated 32bit IDE hard drive? This IDE drive contains documents,
files, program & driver updates, and other back-up stuff.

If Windows 7 will recognize the drive, would you recommend I temporarily
disconnect the IDE drive until I re-format the array and install Windows
7 64bit clean, then reconnect the IDE drive once everything is up and
running, or is this not necessary?

Any other suggestions and/or recommendations would be appreciates.

Thank you,

Steven

On 24/10/2009 in message <euBdjGMVKHA.3720@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl> Steven
Hilgendorf wrote:

>Hello,
>
>This is my first experience with 64bit Windows so please ignore my
>ignorance. I will be clean installing 64bit Windows 7 on a raid array and
>I'm wondering if the new Windows 7 system will recognize an existing
>formated 32bit IDE hard drive? This IDE drive contains documents, files,
>program & driver updates, and other back-up stuff.

If it's a format Windows recognises (FAT, FAT32, NTFS) then Win 7 will
recognise it.

>If Windows 7 will recognize the drive, would you recommend I temporarily
>disconnect the IDE drive until I re-format the array and install Windows 7
>64bit clean, then reconnect the IDE drive once everything is up and
>running, or is this not necessary?

I don't think that should be necessary.

>Any other suggestions and/or recommendations would be appreciates.

Do you really want the hassle of installing the OS on a RAID? I suppose it
may make sense sometimes for data but to me it just doubles the risk of
failure.

--
Jeff Gaines Dorset UK
If it's not broken, mess around with it until it is

Win 7 x64 drivers for the RAID host will be needed. Make sure you can
obtain them before you start.


Steven Hilgendorf wrote:
> Hello,
>
> This is my first experience with 64bit Windows so please ignore my
> ignorance. I will be clean installing 64bit Windows 7 on a raid array
> and I'm wondering if the new Windows 7 system will recognize an existing
> formated 32bit IDE hard drive? This IDE drive contains documents,
> files, program & driver updates, and other back-up stuff.
>
> If Windows 7 will recognize the drive, would you recommend I temporarily
> disconnect the IDE drive until I re-format the array and install Windows
> 7 64bit clean, then reconnect the IDE drive once everything is up and
> running, or is this not necessary?
>
> Any other suggestions and/or recommendations would be appreciates.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Steven

Jeff Gaines wrote:
> On 24/10/2009 in message <euBdjGMVKHA.3720@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl> Steven
> Hilgendorf wrote:
>
>> Hello,
>>
>> This is my first experience with 64bit Windows so please ignore my
>> ignorance. I will be clean installing 64bit Windows 7 on a raid array
>> and I'm wondering if the new Windows 7 system will recognize an
>> existing formated 32bit IDE hard drive? This IDE drive contains
>> documents, files, program & driver updates, and other back-up stuff.
>
> If it's a format Windows recognises (FAT, FAT32, NTFS) then Win 7 will
> recognise it.
>

Yes, It's FAT32 setup and formated with VISTA.

>> If Windows 7 will recognize the drive, would you recommend I
>> temporarily disconnect the IDE drive until I re-format the array and
>> install Windows 7 64bit clean, then reconnect the IDE drive once
>> everything is up and running, or is this not necessary?
>
> I don't think that should be necessary.
>

OK, however I still may unplug the drive during setup and format so that
the IDE drive content does not get zapped.

>> Any other suggestions and/or recommendations would be appreciates.
>
> Do you really want the hassle of installing the OS on a RAID? I suppose
> it may make sense sometimes for data but to me it just doubles the risk
> of failure.
>

I've installed my last two OS's on RAID 0 ARRAYS and have not worried
about failure, since I backup my data regularly. I also try to upgrade
my hardware every year or so.

Thanks again,

Steven

Ah good point!

Thanks again,

Steven

Bobby Johnson wrote:
> Win 7 x64 drivers for the RAID host will be needed. Make sure you can
> obtain them before you start.
>
>
> Steven Hilgendorf wrote:
>> Hello,
>>
>> This is my first experience with 64bit Windows so please ignore my
>> ignorance. I will be clean installing 64bit Windows 7 on a raid array
>> and I'm wondering if the new Windows 7 system will recognize an
>> existing formated 32bit IDE hard drive? This IDE drive contains
>> documents, files, program & driver updates, and other back-up stuff.
>>
>> If Windows 7 will recognize the drive, would you recommend I
>> temporarily disconnect the IDE drive until I re-format the array and
>> install Windows 7 64bit clean, then reconnect the IDE drive once
>> everything is up and running, or is this not necessary?
>>
>> Any other suggestions and/or recommendations would be appreciates.
>>
>> Thank you,
>>
>> Steven

Why would the content get "zapped"? You're going to be formatting the array,
fine, but that won't change the data drive.

I also think that having RAID0 is a really bad idea, since it does double
your chance of failure. And while you might have a good backup, it's still a
pain.

--
Charlie.
http:/msmvps.com/blogs/xperts64


"Steven Hilgendorf" <stevenmh@wi.rr.com> wrote in message
news:OGynoBOVKHA.1232@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
> Jeff Gaines wrote:
>> On 24/10/2009 in message <euBdjGMVKHA.3720@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl> Steven
>> Hilgendorf wrote:
>>
>>> Hello,
>>>
>>> This is my first experience with 64bit Windows so please ignore my
>>> ignorance. I will be clean installing 64bit Windows 7 on a raid array
>>> and I'm wondering if the new Windows 7 system will recognize an existing
>>> formated 32bit IDE hard drive? This IDE drive contains documents,
>>> files, program & driver updates, and other back-up stuff.
>>
>> If it's a format Windows recognises (FAT, FAT32, NTFS) then Win 7 will
>> recognise it.
>>
>
> Yes, It's FAT32 setup and formated with VISTA.
>
>>> If Windows 7 will recognize the drive, would you recommend I temporarily
>>> disconnect the IDE drive until I re-format the array and install Windows
>>> 7 64bit clean, then reconnect the IDE drive once everything is up and
>>> running, or is this not necessary?
>>
>> I don't think that should be necessary.
>>
>
> OK, however I still may unplug the drive during setup and format so that
> the IDE drive content does not get zapped.
>
>>> Any other suggestions and/or recommendations would be appreciates.
>>
>> Do you really want the hassle of installing the OS on a RAID? I suppose
>> it may make sense sometimes for data but to me it just doubles the risk
>> of failure.
>>
>
> I've installed my last two OS's on RAID 0 ARRAYS and have not worried
> about failure, since I backup my data regularly. I also try to upgrade my
> hardware every year or so.
>
> Thanks again,
>
> Steven

be cautious.
make sure drivers are available for the RAID array before installing.

been at least 1 report of no raid drivers.

mikeyhsd@lamparty.net



"Steven Hilgendorf" <stevenmh@wi.rr.com> wrote in message news:euBdjGMVKHA.3720@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
Hello,

This is my first experience with 64bit Windows so please ignore my
ignorance. I will be clean installing 64bit Windows 7 on a raid array
and I'm wondering if the new Windows 7 system will recognize an existing
formated 32bit IDE hard drive? This IDE drive contains documents,
files, program & driver updates, and other back-up stuff.

If Windows 7 will recognize the drive, would you recommend I temporarily
disconnect the IDE drive until I re-format the array and install Windows
7 64bit clean, then reconnect the IDE drive once everything is up and
running, or is this not necessary?

Any other suggestions and/or recommendations would be appreciates.

Thank you,

Steven

You may want to convert the hard drives from fat32 to ntfs when you come to
format them.

"Steven Hilgendorf" <stevenmh@wi.rr.com> wrote in message
news:euBdjGMVKHA.3720@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> Hello,
>
> This is my first experience with 64bit Windows so please ignore my
> ignorance. I will be clean installing 64bit Windows 7 on a raid array and
> I'm wondering if the new Windows 7 system will recognize an existing
> formated 32bit IDE hard drive? This IDE drive contains documents, files,
> program & driver updates, and other back-up stuff.
>
> If Windows 7 will recognize the drive, would you recommend I temporarily
> disconnect the IDE drive until I re-format the array and install Windows 7
> 64bit clean, then reconnect the IDE drive once everything is up and
> running, or is this not necessary?
>
> Any other suggestions and/or recommendations would be appreciates.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Steven

Not necessarily, depends on the chipset, 7 has drivers for some.

--


--
"Bobby Johnson" <rjohnson@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:Opv7kINVKHA.4592@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> Win 7 x64 drivers for the RAID host will be needed. Make sure you can
> obtain them before you start.
>
>
> Steven Hilgendorf wrote:
>> Hello,
>>
>> This is my first experience with 64bit Windows so please ignore my
>> ignorance. I will be clean installing 64bit Windows 7 on a raid array
>> and I'm wondering if the new Windows 7 system will recognize an existing
>> formated 32bit IDE hard drive? This IDE drive contains documents, files,
>> program & driver updates, and other back-up stuff.
>>
>> If Windows 7 will recognize the drive, would you recommend I temporarily
>> disconnect the IDE drive until I re-format the array and install Windows
>> 7 64bit clean, then reconnect the IDE drive once everything is up and
>> running, or is this not necessary?
>>
>> Any other suggestions and/or recommendations would be appreciates.
>>
>> Thank you,
>>
>> Steven

How is it a hassle? Yes it doubles the chance of a hard drive failure, but
frequent backups take care of that risk.

--


--
"Jeff Gaines" <jgaines_newsid@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:xn0ggsehidfc0s006@msnews.microsoft.com...
> On 24/10/2009 in message <euBdjGMVKHA.3720@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl> Steven
> Hilgendorf wrote:
>
>>Hello,
>>
>>This is my first experience with 64bit Windows so please ignore my
>>ignorance. I will be clean installing 64bit Windows 7 on a raid array and
>>I'm wondering if the new Windows 7 system will recognize an existing
>>formated 32bit IDE hard drive? This IDE drive contains documents, files,
>>program & driver updates, and other back-up stuff.
>
> If it's a format Windows recognises (FAT, FAT32, NTFS) then Win 7 will
> recognise it.
>
>>If Windows 7 will recognize the drive, would you recommend I temporarily
>>disconnect the IDE drive until I re-format the array and install Windows 7
>>64bit clean, then reconnect the IDE drive once everything is up and
>>running, or is this not necessary?
>
> I don't think that should be necessary.
>
>>Any other suggestions and/or recommendations would be appreciates.
>
> Do you really want the hassle of installing the OS on a RAID? I suppose it
> may make sense sometimes for data but to me it just doubles the risk of
> failure.
>
> --
> Jeff Gaines Dorset UK
> If it's not broken, mess around with it until it is

Hi, Steven.

> I'm wondering if the new Windows 7 system will recognize an existing
> formated 32bit IDE hard drive?

Of course! Please don't confuse FILE systems with OPERATING systems. File
systems don't get involved in the "bitness" question. Even if that IDE
drive had been formatted by 16-bit MS-DOS, Win7 would have no trouble
reading it and using it as a data drive. Win7 can still read floppy disks
from long ago. (I haven't actually tried to read my old 5.25" disks
recently, but I'm confident that Win7 could do it.)

Win7 doesn't care if that drive is IDE or SCSI or SATA - or if it is in a
RAID. And it doesn't care if it was formatted by Win7 x64 or WinXP x86 - or
32-bit Win3.1 or 16-bit MS-DOS. The Win7 OS must be installed on a
partition formatted NTFS, but it is quite tolerant about reading data
drives. There's no problem mixing FAT(x) and NTFS partitions on the same
HDD - or even on a single RAID array.

> would you recommend I temporarily disconnect the IDE drive until I
> re-format the array and install Windows 7 64bit clean, then reconnect the
> IDE drive

Not necessary. But not a bad idea, just in case. Once Win7 is up and
running, with all drives connected, use Disk Management as usual to assign
or reassign drive letters to volumes on all your drives.

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
rc@grandecom.net
Microsoft Windows MVP
Windows Live Mail 2009 (14.0.8089.0726) in Win7 Ultimate x64

"Steven Hilgendorf" <stevenmh@wi.rr.com> wrote in message
news:euBdjGMVKHA.3720@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> Hello,
>
> This is my first experience with 64bit Windows so please ignore my
> ignorance. I will be clean installing 64bit Windows 7 on a raid array and
> I'm wondering if the new Windows 7 system will recognize an existing
> formated 32bit IDE hard drive? This IDE drive contains documents, files,
> program & driver updates, and other back-up stuff.
>
> If Windows 7 will recognize the drive, would you recommend I temporarily
> disconnect the IDE drive until I re-format the array and install Windows 7
> 64bit clean, then reconnect the IDE drive once everything is up and
> running, or is this not necessary?
>
> Any other suggestions and/or recommendations would be appreciates.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Steven