OK to format slave that is the active drive?

W2k system with 20GB primary IDE HD.
I added a redundant 80GB IDE from a malfunctioning mobo on another system and set it up as slave. This has XP installed and has 2 partitions. BIOS sees it OK, W2k loads as before. (Windows requested 2 reboots to initialise the new slave). So I thought I would just format the slave. However Windows Drive Management by default labels one of the 2 partitions on the slave as the active drive.
Is it still OK to format the whole drive?

Miles

 

If the WinXP detects the W2K and made up a nifty boot menu, select WinXP first. Then if you want to clean up the 80GB HDD, just format it and make some new partitions out of it. In the meantime, you can remove the "Windows 2000" from the "Startup Recovery" there.

 

Thanks guys
It boots into W2k which is on the original 20GB HD (master C:\ drive)
The newer added 80GB HD (slave) has XP (which is no good to me now I think, seeing that it is now separated from the dodgy mobo), plus a few applications that I don't need. I was just puzzled why it says the first partition (E:\) on the slave is the active one if it has booted into W2k.
Anyway I'll just format all of the slave and see what happens

Miles

 

Good that worked no problems
Miles