my master hd failed on me today anyways qs is my slave has files on it and i need a hd now can i put a os on there and leave a partion with the files  like you can do with xp pro or all them going to be lostblue_caddy... If I undrerstand you .......your hard drive ( the master has failed ) but your other HD the Slave is ok ........    So If you replace the faulty drive with a new one and INSTALL your O/S on it your existing slave drive will still be intact and fully servicable.

dl65  no i want to put os on slave and keep the files that are on itblue_caddy.....ooooh , do you have empty partition on it
that will house the O/S .

dl65  no the hd just had files on it what i was asking can i just creat the partion and put the os on there without losing them files thats what i was asking cause with xp pro it shows as used space then empty yes no? if need i can get the files cause i have that drive backed up to tapeblue_caddy.... Well if you have everything backed up on tape..... I would wipe the drve and reinstall the O/S and then restore all the rest from your backup.

dl65  blue candy, Is your entire drive on the slave used up as one big partition?   If your only partition on the slave drive is USING up the entire disk, then you're going to have to use something like Partition Magic, which allows you to create, resize and merge partitions on your hard drive without destroying data.  Then you should be able to create a SECOND partition on your slave drive and install the OS there.  That is just one option, there are other partitioning tools out there as well.  

That's why is always important to backup your data.  If you need additional help, you can reach me at ResourcePC.

Dave Quote

no the hd just had files on it what i was asking can i just creat the partion and put the os on there without losing them files thats what i was asking cause with xp pro it shows as used space then empty yes no? if need i can get the files cause i have that drive backed up to tape