In this article, you will learn how to determine which of the two hard drives on your computer is the primary (master) and secondary (slave). To define the primary and secondary hard drives, the computer's motherboard must support multiple internal hard drives, and the computer must have a second hard drive installed. The operating system is usually installed on the primary disks, and data and backups are stored on the secondary disks.
Steps
Step 1. Make sure the second hard drive is connected
To determine which drive is primary and which is secondary, both drives must be connected to the motherboard. As a rule, the main drive is already connected, and you will have to connect the additional one manually.
If you haven't connected an additional drive yet, do so now
Step 2. Open the Start Menu
Click on the Windows logo in the lower left corner of the screen.
Step 3. Press "Power"
It's in the lower-left side of the Start menu.
Step 4. Click on Reboot
This option is on the menu. The computer will go to reboot.
Step 5. Press the key to enter BIOS
It depends on the motherboard model, but usually it is one of the F-keys (for example, F2), the Delete key, or the Esc key. Press this key before the login screen is displayed.
- The desired key will be displayed under the logo of the computer or motherboard manufacturer and will be labeled “Press [key] to enter setup” or similar.
- If you missed entering the BIOS, restart your computer and try again.
- Also, the required key can be found in the instructions (paper or online) for the computer or motherboard.
Step 6. Enter your password when prompted
If you have set a BIOS password, enter it and press ↵ Enter.
If you do not remember your BIOS password, reset it
Step 7. Find the list of hard drives
There are several tabs at the top of the BIOS. Use the arrow keys to navigate through these tabs. Scroll through the tabs and view the information in each to find a list of connected hard drives (Hard Disks or similar).
Step 8. Select the first hard drive (the drive that is already connected)
This is most likely the first hard drive on the list, although you need to verify this by looking at the drive name.
Step 9. Change the status of the hard disk to “Master”
To do this, click “Configure” or “Change”. As a rule, you need to press the ↵ Enter key; if not, find the key you want in the list of keys at the bottom or on the right side of the screen. “Master” appears next to the hard drive name.
- In some cases, you must first click “None” to the right of the hard drive name, and then click “Configure”.
- You can also select the Auto option for this drive to have the operating system assign it the Master status.
Step 10. Select the second hard drive
Use the arrow keys to find and select the hard drive that you connected to the motherboard.
Step 11. Change the status of the hard disk to “Slave”
To do this, click “Configure” or “Change”. “Slave” will be displayed next to the hard drive name.
If you selected Auto for the first drive, select the Auto option for the second drive
Step 12. Save changes and exit BIOS
To do this, find the “Save” or “Save and Exit” option. Your changes will be saved and you will exit the BIOS.
In some cases, you need to press another key to confirm that you want to save the changes and exit the BIOS
Advice
The secondary drive can store backups of the primary drive
Warnings
- Be sure to ground yourself when handling the inside of your computer, that is, touching connectors or boards.
- The BIOS interface depends on the computer or motherboard model. Refer to your computer or motherboard manual for the location of the section with the “Master” and “Slave” options.