Hopefully Last SATA Query

I have searched the net and read instruction manual but I'm not satisfied
with the answes i did/did not receive.

I just bought a new GW computer - a GM5478 which is not the toughest kid on
the block but it fills my simple needs - and I wish to add a second drive.

The computer came with a 500 gig WD SATA drive and I have a chance to add a
second SATA drive to use for backup images and archived digitized photos.
Here's my dilemma. When I checked my BIOS under Drive Configuration it gave
the following: ATA/IDE (greyed out) - <Native>, next was listed Configure
SATA as - <RAID> (the choices were IDE,RAID, & AHCI) and RAID was
highlighted, next was S.M.A.R.T. - <Enable>. and more stuff which has no
concern with my question - which is:

Can I just add the second SATA, have the BIOS recognize it, have WIN Vista
partition and format it leaving me with a drive C and a drive D - simple
like in the good old days when ATA was no problem? "<RAID>" has me scared.
All I want is a system that has, as stated before a drive C and a drive D
[no writing to two disks]. Any help would be appreciated.

(This is what I get for not reading technobabble for a few years!)

Yes you can. If saving power is a concern set Bios to AHCI, if not set it to
Raid mode.
You do not have to Raid your drives but, you will maintain the 3.0 speed of
the SATA
drive and in the furture if you want to raid them you can.

"jimrx4" wrote:

> I have searched the net and read instruction manual but I'm not satisfied
> with the answes i did/did not receive.
>
> I just bought a new GW computer - a GM5478 which is not the toughest kid on
> the block but it fills my simple needs - and I wish to add a second drive.
>
> The computer came with a 500 gig WD SATA drive and I have a chance to add a
> second SATA drive to use for backup images and archived digitized photos.
> Here's my dilemma. When I checked my BIOS under Drive Configuration it gave
> the following: ATA/IDE (greyed out) - <Native>, next was listed Configure
> SATA as - <RAID> (the choices were IDE,RAID, & AHCI) and RAID was
> highlighted, next was S.M.A.R.T. - <Enable>. and more stuff which has no
> concern with my question - which is:
>
> Can I just add the second SATA, have the BIOS recognize it, have WIN Vista
> partition and format it leaving me with a drive C and a drive D - simple
> like in the good old days when ATA was no problem? "<RAID>" has me scared.
> All I want is a system that has, as stated before a drive C and a drive D
> [no writing to two disks]. Any help would be appreciated.
>
> (This is what I get for not reading technobabble for a few years!)
>