New HDD

[Steve]

I have a new internal HDD for my computer. The existing is a 250GB, the new one is a 500GB. I plan to keep the existing one, and simply have the new one for storage of music, movies, etc.

Is it simply a case of plugging this new drive in? Im running vista ultimate, and both drives are SATAII.

What is RAID and should I consider it? What are the benefits? Will I have to erase all data before setting it up?

 

[Deluks]

Yes, just plug it in, the machine will simply list it as another drive under 'my computer'

You might have to go to control panel>admin tools>computer management>storage to set it up and assign a drive letter etc. Cross that bridge when and if you come to it.

RAID, very good for increased performance, but not worth it unless you are editing multiple streams of video or music. The average user will barely benefit.

RAID can also be used to mirror what's on the first drive, for backup purposes. Again this is overkill for most users. Although you might want to keep copies of important files on both drives, just in case.

Here is a more in-depth explanation of the various forms.

Not sure about RAID setup, depends on your motherboards RAID controller (if it has one)

R.T.F.M.