I sent this to tech support on Friday but as it is the weekend no reply, so anyone know the answer for sure?:
Like a lot of people I’m a little confused over quite what to do with my new hard drive the WD5000HHTZ, should I use a jumper on pins 7 - 8 or use the align software for an installation of Windows XP Pro (32bit). please read the below before answering
It all seems quite clear cut to begin with but is it only how you format the drive that counts rather than the operating system that is going to be running on it?, meaning can I use a third party tool to format it as Windows 7 (64bit) would (if so which one and with what settings?) then install Windows XP Pro (32bit) on it without the need for the jumper being attached while installing Windows XP Pro (32bit) or without using the align software afterwards, or will the drive run slow because it is the operating system itself that needs to run with the jumper still attached or after having used the align tool?, *keep reading!…
*The reason I ask is because I am going to be first installing Windows XP Pro (32bit) on the drive to make sure that my PC is running OK before spending anymore money on it, then if it runs OK I will then be buying the full retail version of Windows 7 Ultimate (64bit) and installing that on it instead.
So my question is if I have to use the jumper on pins 7 - 8 or use the align software first, are the changes that they make to the hard drive temporary or permanent?, if I remove the jumper and delete the partition or delete the partition after having run the align tool on it for Windows XP Pro (32bit) will the drive then revert back to it’s original factory state so that I can then use Windows 7 ultimate (64bit) to format it correctly, install Windows 7 (64bit) and still use it as an Advanced Format drive or will I be stuck with a slow drive still aligned for Windows XP?.
I’m thinking that the changes that the align software makes are permanent after reading some of the documentation as it mentions no need to run it again once the drive has been aligned even if you reinstall.
*Can I just install Windows XP Pro (32bit) on it without using the jumper or the align software, will it still run all be it perhaps slower than it should?, as all I want to do is test the PC before buying Windows 7 ultimate (64bit), would that be the safest bet?.