Installing 2 Hard Drives

[kuhneboi]

I will soon be installing XP on a 80GB SATA2 hdd. Currently, I have a 80GB IDE hdd that I would like to use as data storage or backup reasons after I install the new drive.

When installing windows, will I want to partition the the drive to separate system files or just leave it one full partition? Also, how will I setup the IDE drive for use with the SATA drive?

Will programs need to be installed on the drive with windows?
Will it be worth using the IDE drive?
To get the best performance, what would be on each drive and how would I setup it up to be that way? I mainly play games, watch movies, and listen to music with this pc.

I'm a complete newb when it comes to storage options and appreciate any detailed help I can get.

[PC WizKid]

I think it is usually best to leave it as one full partition.

[Freakitchen]

With 80GB hard drives, which aren't so big these days, I'd leave them both as one partition.

If BIOS detects both drives correctly, then that's all you need to do. Only the SATA drive will have a boot record on it, but if your BIOS has a 'hard drive boot order' section, then put the SATA drive above the IDE in the list for the sake of completeness.

For best 'performance' and ease of use, I'd install Windows and all your programs onto the SATA, and use the IDE as the data drive. That way, if something goes wrong with your install, you can safely format the SATA drive without worrying about your data.