Consider the following scenario. You have two Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) hard disks attached to channels SATA0 and SATA1 on a Windows Vista-based computer. However, Disk 0 may not be assigned to the hard disk on SATA0, and Disk 1 may not be assigned to the hard disk on SATA1. You expect the disk-assignment numbers to match the corresponding SATA channel numbers.

You can see the assigned disk numbers by using any of the following methods:

• Run the Disk Management console. To do this, click Start Start button , type diskmgmt.msc in the Start Search box, and then click diskmgmt.msc in the Programs list.
• Use the Diskpart.exe command-line utility to run the list disk command.
• During Windows Vista setup, the assigned disk numbers are listed when you are prompted to select a drive and a partition for the installation.

Note: Under certain circumstances, it may be difficult to notice that the disk numbering does not match the corresponding SATA channel numbers. For example, if both SATA hard-disk sizes are identical, it may be difficult to tell the disks apart by using these methods.