Hi Rusty Wrex, and welcome to our forums>

Sorry to hear of the problems you are experiencing with the transition from Win XP to Win 7
Its not easy, but hopefully we will be able to guide you in the right direction.
As I'm only using Win 10 now, I'll set up a Win Xp machine and also a Win 7 machine, so I can provide some "step by steps" that should actually work!
It will take me a couple of hours to set things up and as soon as its all ready I'll get back to you, in the meantime can you post back with the make model number of your computer?
Regards
paws
Thanks Paws, I might seem thicker than a lorry load of dried pig manure but one of the first things I did i.e. in the first five minutes, was to use 'Computer' to look at the volumes i.e. discs on my system. Which only shows my 'C' drive, DVD and a flash USB 'disk' I have but NOT my 1TB auxiliary. I have found my 1TB disc physically present on the system -- can't recall precisely where -- I have spent over a day at least wandering around countless menus via Control Panel and many others whether relevant or not, but I can't see what SHOULD be a plain, straight forward simple means and menu to identify the disc to the system, and incorporate it with a letter identifier be it E, F, G, Y, or Z. Or anything else.
This isn't rocket science and neither should be picking up the disc and making it 'system visible' and hence accessible.
Think I'm going to have to go back to the chap who built it for me, because there is NO means of doing what is elementary. I can't afford to keep on wasting time.
I'm afraid the Bill Gates and generally the American approach to information organisation and everything from psychology to welding sets is one flat level. Whereas the European approach is hierarchical and contextual, meaning relationships between objects and LEVELS of information or hardware are functionally related. As a hardware engineer and troubleshooter and hardware and software instructor for years working for Honeywell using American course material, used to drive our instructors mad because course notes were a dogs breakfast of information lacking in structure and cohesion. In fact 'new' course material was not unusually bits of old course sandwiched in with new material with no consistency of information presentation either technically of graphically, making it a nightmare to teach.
If you look at a Caterpillar tractor engine it has bits bolted all over the place. It works extremely well but in comparison to a similar Mercedes engine the latter is a model of functional neatness.
Hence also the difference between the Bill Gates and Apple.
I've seen American welding sets, which are also a rats nest of wiring which also work extremely well whereas an Italian welder is beautifully laid out inside. And talking to a psychologist -- who was also my boss at one time -- he told me American psychology is 'flat' in its organisation whereas European psychology is structured, layered and contextual meaning that topics have clear RELATIONSHIPS.
There is nothing in W7 grouping activities by function e.g. disc management and a tree structure beneath guiding a user through levels of operations, their relationship, and from simple to complex and detailed. IT is the menu 'sausage machine' with NO context.
I'm not a Bill Gates menu diagnostician nor do I wish to become one. More Apple and less 'Bill' would be very welcome.
Rusty
Hello again Paws,
Assuming I'm typing in the right place.
I'm Pleased to say I have 'found' the 1TB HDD. And where the sub sub menu is to a) allocate a drive letter and b) to bring it into my file system.
I wish I could say it was clear and coherent.
Its not difficult but it is horribly obscured by the 'Bill mentality' string of information sausages.
I finally found what I wanted to do through the Control Panel ---> Administrative Tools -----> Computer Management -----> Disc Management -----> Create VHD (whatever 'VHD' means??? --Virtual Hard Disc I imagine?) Give it a drive name e.g. 'F'
That was after discovering I had named the 'System Reserved' area as 'G.' Which of course isn't explained.
After that I got into Computer Management -------> Disc Management ------> Actions (again) ------> Attach VHD (I think).
Easy when you already understand the system and completely lacking in context when you don't. It could so easily make Disc management a functional title which when clicked on displays a Heading 'How To' and below it a list of ALL disc management functions and click on the one desired. Thereby creating context within function.
'Computer Management' is superfluous. Organising discs it what its about.
But then as Bill was well known to say in software design review meetings: "That's the most stupidest way of doing it I've ever heard." (Quote in an article on the W8 pigs breakfast) Given Bill's use of double superlatives its hardly surprising 'Bill English' demonstrates the same disregard with software for elegance, context and function.
Many thanks for your help. It IS appreciated.
Regards
Rusty