The HyperDrive 4 connects just like a hard disk so in a sense this section is unnecessary. You can simply install Windows/Linux/Unix/MacOs on the HD4 and run it like you do with any other hard disk.
But please remember to connect the external power lead to the 2 pin power connector on the far left of the back of the device looking from the back, so that the HD4 does not lose its data during a power off or a total shutdown of the PC. The Hyperdrive will retain data during a restart without the external power lead.
HyperDrive 4 Product Manual
The HD4 has a jumper which when applied automatically formats the device as FAT32 Logical. We recommend that you leave the jumper in place. If you wish to use NTFS or make the partition primary you can reformat the partition yourself. It only takes a second with a HyperDrive! However if you do not wish auto formatting to occur, simply pull off the jumper and reposition it on one of the two pins only.
Having connected the HD4 to your PC the simplest way to get started in the case of Windows 2K/XP is as follows...
0. Make sure that the BIOS sees the HyperDrive and that the BIOS Hard Disk Boot order is correct!
1. Boot the PC and install HyperOs OneClick or HyperOs 2007 Geek/SuperGeek on your C: drive.
2. Open My Other Computers.
3. You will see the HyperDrive partition marked with a RAM icon.
4. Clone a Windows system to the Hyperdrive by dragging and dropping the desired Windows system icon onto the Hyperdrive RAM icon.
5. Click OK. HyperOs will clone that Windows system to the HyperDrive and then reboot.
6. Double Click the HyperDrive RAM icon and click OK. HyperOs will swap to the cloned Windows system on the Hyperdrive.
Then HyperOs will automatically run Winmove, which automatically re-references the Windows registry on the HyperDrive to the drive letter that XP has assigned to it. Then HyperOs will reboot and you are now running Windows from the HyperDrive.
7. Next you should move the paging file to be on the HyperDrive by right clicking My Computer and choosing Properties, then clicking the Advanced Tab, the choosing the Settings button in the Performance Box for virtual memory, then clicking another Advanced Tab, then choosing the Change button in the Virtual Memory Box, then moving the paging file.
If you use the HD4 as your boot drive you will see no performance advantage over using a hard disk as your boot drive but running Windows itself on the HyperDrive, so long as the paging file is on the HyperDrive too! No performance advantage other than it will take 3 seconds to boot Windows XP from the splash screen to the desktop rather than 2 seconds with the HD4 as your boot drive!
If the HyperDrive is not being recognized by the BIOS make sure that...
1. You disconnect the power completely to the HD4 unit and then reconnect it. This enables it to change from PATA to SATA or vice versa
2. You check the cable between the MOBO and the HD4.
3. You check the BIOS to ensure the MOBO port is enabled
4. You have not got the laptop backup drive connected the wrong way round!
5. You have the power connected to the HD4 - so that you see its fans going round!
If you cannot install Windows on an HD4 make sure that...
1. You have not got any RAID controllers enabled. These upset the Windows installation routine and lead to the message: Windows cannot find any hard disks - doh!
2. You use the HD4 autoformat jumper setting (default is jumper set, which is autoformat FAT32) for small installed memory sizes (less than 10GB). The Windows installer formatting program is not much good under 10GB. You can always convert to NTFS later.