Setting up two hard drives one as a mastaer and one as slave

[Aidan]

Ok I am trying to hook up two hard drives to my computer because there was an error when i tried to boot up from my main one. It said: Windows 2000 could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINNT\SYSTEM32\Config\System
So I am trying to use the other hard drive with the os on it as well to restore the functionality of my normal master Hd But when I boot up depending on which wires I connect I can have either one Hd or the other as master, (one of which works and the other has that problem) But I cannot hook up both at the same time. I NEED the files on the othe rcomputer all the stuff that pertains to the system such as user info and My docs...
Can somebody help me out here...PLEASE!
Aidan

[Aidan]

I can't seem to find any information on the hard drive that specifies how I should set up the prongs on the back to make it a slave or a master. One of them is a Western Digital 64AA this is the on I am tryig to use to restore my comp.

[Aidan]

Okay, I'm looking to back up all the following files:

-Windows registry of my QUANTUM FIREBALL LM15 HD with the Western digital one as the master and the
QUANTUM FIREBALLLM15 as a slave.

-The Users Info (my docs, and so on)

-Basically, anything that would be erased if I reinstall the system without deleting the other non system-related
files.

Okay so I have a program called WinRescue 2000, but it seems to me like If I back up the registry it is going
to back up the registry on my Western Digital HD when what I want is for it to back up thee other one. If I
install the WinRescue onto the Quantum Fireball LM15 HD will it back up that hard drive's registry or is it
restricted to that of the Hard drive currently running the OS.

If that program doesn't work, can I export all of my registry using the regedit built-in export option, will that allow all the programs(which are quite numerous) that I have installed on my hard drive to run once I reinstall the OS on it?

Also, Is it possible, once I reinstall the OS to Take the backed up registry and replace the new one I created, with it?

Refer to the first post for info on which file seemed to have a problem and was stopping my computer from booting off the Quantum Fireball LM15.

I think it is clear what I am looking for, if notm let me summarize:
1. I need to backup all that I have on my Hard drive that has anything to do with the system, all the other things should remain there when I reinstall the system (without formatting mind you).

The goal is to reinstall the problematic "system" on the Quantum Fireball LM15, but keep the system preferences I currently have such as the administrator user and my brother's, as well as the registry, so that  I won't have to reinstall all of the programs that I have on there.

Thank you to anyone who has the courage to actually come and help me out.