Caution: please read our safety information.
Before opening the case, unplug the PC to avoid an electrical shock hazard. Exercise caution as there are sharp edges on a PC and its components. Always wear a static electricity discharge strap and attach the lead to the metal frame of the case, when working with your PC's components to avoid damaging your PC. Note that some manufacturers will void your PC's warranty if you open the case.
Protect your data! Whether you are adding or replacing a drive, start by backing up any critical files from the existing drive. If you are replacing a crashed disk, that won't be an option, but in all other cases, it is wise to back up any critical files before you begin installing the new hard disk.
If you are replacing a hard disk, then you will be installing the new drive in the bay vacated by the old drive. If you are adding a drive, then you have some things to consider. First, is there an available bay? Will the communication and power cables reach that bay? Is there available space on either the primary or secondary controller? Will this drive be set as a master drive or a slave drive?
The communication cable can be no longer than 18 inches and if it is going to connect to two drives, make sure that the connectors can reach each drive. The drive that is set to be master should be connected to the end of the cable and the drive set as a slave should be connected to the middle connector. If this is the only drive on the controller, then it should be set as a master drive. It this drive will be the boot drive, it must be set as a master drive and it must be connected to the primary controller, usually labeled IDE 0.
When installing the drive, the connectors should face into the center of the PC and the exposed electronics should face down. If your case has a vertical bay, no need to worry, it is no longer required to mount a drive horizontally.
Installation steps:
- Unplug the PC and open the case.
- Touch your hand to the power supply and the metal frame of the case to equalize any static charge. A wrist strap provides this same safety step.
- If you are not replacing a drive, then skip to step #9.
- Locate the disk to be replaced.
- Disconnect the power connector.
- Disconnect the communications cable.
- Remove the mounting screws.
- Remove the old drive (in some situations, you must remove the front panel of the case to slide the drive out).
- On the new drive, set the jumpers to master or slave.
- Locate pin one on the drive so that you can properly match the communications cable.
- Slide the drive into the drive bay and fasten it with the provided screws. (Caution: using screws that are too large can destroy the drive.)
- Note that one edge of the communications cable is marked to signify pin one. This edge must match with pin one on the drive. Connect the communications cable to the drive.
- Connect the power connector to the drive.
- If this is an additional drive, and you are using an additional communications cable, connect the cable to the drive controller on the motherboard. Make sure that pin one of the cable matches pin one on the motherboard.
- Replace the case.
This completes the installation. Most new drives are preformatted and it is not necessary to run format. However, you will probably need to run FDISK to configure the disk for use with your system. Follow the instructions provided with the drive for configuration.