Installing Two Hard Drives in a Computer
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Data Cables
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The second hard drive will need a way to transfer data between it and the central processing unit (CPU). The primary drive acts as a buffer or a go-between for the secondary hard drive and the motherboard. SATA (Serial-Advanced Technology Attachment) and IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) cables offer multiple ports allowing more than one hard drive to be connected to the cable. The 4-pin SATA cables are an advancement to the 40-pin IDE cables. Both cables offer varieties that include more than one port for you to plug your two hard drives into.
Jumpers
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The plastic cap covering--or not covering--the pins on the back of your hard drives determines each drive's position in the hierarchy of your computer. Setting the jumpers to a position on the hard drive's pins allows you to determine which drive will be the primary and which will by the secondary. Your drive will often include a diagram of the pins etched or printed onto the drive's exterior. The chart will show which pins to cover to make the drive primary and which ones to make it secondary. The secondary position is usually no pins covered.
Power Cables
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The hard drive power cables supply power to both cables. Like the data cables, the power cables also feature multiple ports--allowing two hard drives to piggyback off of one cable. The 4-pin "molex" power cables route power to the hard drives via the power port on the back of the drive. The molex to SATA power cables are available to connect a hard drive with a molex port to a serial connection. Some SATA cables combine both power and data into one cable.
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