Newbe!! Please help

Hi,
I have a gateway 400SD4 laptop, it has a 30GB hard drive, i want to get a bigger one, the guy at gateway says i can go to 60GB only, some friends say i can get bigger but have to update the BIOS...someone please help me understand. What i want to do is use half the HD for Windows XP and use the other for Linux. Any help you guys\gals can offer, thanks so very much.

K

 

before you want to carry a ten pound 120gb on your laptop; know that the larger they go the slower they perform and the more time will be spent accessing information on the hdd itself causing unwanted lag. Also windows virtuall memory would have a shopping spree

 

Okay, so do you think the 30GB hard drive i have now is adequate for running XP and Linux? Maybe 20/10, and that should be okay?
I was only really thinking of going to 60GB anyway, and halfing that. But i just really wanted to know what way meant by updating the BIOS. Thanks, any help would be grateful.
K

 

bios update is just somthing that updates your hardwares understanding on how to deal w/the products connected to it.

 

You might be able to go to 40 or 50 gig (if they make one) without going to 60 gig and have to upgrade the BIOS. If you can go to 40 (or 50) I'd suggest 10gig (15) for XP, 20gig for data (25), and 10gig for Linux. My old Gateway allows for 2 hard drives (1 permanent, 1swoppable bay) as well as a DVD/CD at the same time. Very convenient. If I was to experiment with another OS I would install it on the swoppable drive and boot from that. Saves a lot of heartache. I'd never buy another laptop without that feature.

See if you can get someone to upgrade your BIOS and GUARANTEE that it will work. Upgrading BIOS is not to be undertaken lightly. There might be some MG 'ers here, in the PC business, that would do it for you at a small charge. Bazza

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u dont have to settle with what gateway offers. You just have to get the hard drive out of the caddy, and replace it with a higher GB 2.5 inch hard drive that you can buy at computer shops

 

Simple solution is to ask Gateway if there is a BIOS upgrade that will allow your PC to install larger drives. If not, you are stuck with whatever they say is maximum harddrive size. Of course, you don't have to buy drive from Gateway, as Zulu pointed out, and I am sure you are aware of that. Bazza

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I actually did ask and they told me that the highest is 60Gig HD. But after thinking about it, i have another computer that i can put 2 hard drives in so i am trying that. i have loaded XP in one and now trying to download Fedora and put that on the other drive...I am learning...thanks