My drives have always been SCSI, and the SCSI bios has its own drive format and checking protocols. The advantage is that when I format a drive, I do it far below the DOS/Windows level. The actual higher-level formatting for Windows gets done during the initial installation of the OS.

I believe that the Windows installer system gives you the option of wiping the disk and doing a high-level format, but I don't know that for sure, since I've never used XP.

When you buy memory, don't skimp. Go for brand names, and top quality. I'd offer suggestions, but my system uses RAMBUS, and I don't think yours does.