How to Add Another Hard Drive to a PC

Adding another hard drive to your PC is an easy option for creating additional disk space to your system. Over time, the original hard drive's memory becomes filled with various programs and files, which makes it difficult to add new audio or visual files. Most computers are designed with an extra hard drive bay, which makes adding another hard drive easy. If your computer isn't equipped with an extra bay, you can add an external hard drive to your system.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Internal 3.5 PC hard drive or external hard drive
• USB cable
• Small screwdriver
• Grounding bracelet (optional)

Internal Hard Drive

1. Unplug the computer and all peripheral equipment. Allow computer to stand unplugged for 10 minutes before removing back to allow any excess electricity to drain from the unit. It's also a good idea to wear a grounding bracelet when working inside of a computer even if you drained the power from the unit. This will eliminate the chance of creating static electricity and eliminate the chance of receiving a shock.

2. Unscrew and remove the back of the PC.

3. Set the jumpers of the new hard drive to "Slave" if you are installing a IDE / PATA hard drive. Usually there is a switch on the back of the hard drive that allows you to do this; if not, check the hard drive instructions. Set the jumpers of the existing hard drive to "Master." This step is important because the master drive runs the computer's operating system and other important functions, and you will want the computer to recognize this hard drive first when booting. Skip this step if you are installing a SATA hard drive.

4. Insert the new hard drive into the bay and screw it into place.

5. Plug the hard drive into the computer's internal power source. Plug the hard drive into the motherboard. The motherboard outlet for the extra drive will be located next to the original hard drive outlet.

6. Replace the back of the computer and plug it in. Start the computer.

7. Configure the hard drive. Click Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Management > Disk Management. Click on "Disk 1" and click "Format." After the formatting has been completed, you can use the new hard drive.

External Hard Drive

8. Turn the computer off.

9. Plug the external hard drive into a power source. Plug the USB cable into the power drive and into the PC.

10. Restart the computer.

11. Configure the hard drive. Click Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Management > Disk Management. Click on "Disk 1" and click "Format." After formatting has completed, you can use the new hard drive.

Tips & Warnings

• Before you purchase a new internal hard drive, open your computer to determine what type of hard drive your motherboard uses: IDE / PATA or SATA. An IDE / PATA hard drive uses a motherboard connector that looks like a ribbon. A SATA hard drive connects to the motherboard with a thin round cable that is about the same thickness as a pencil. An external hard drive is also portable, which allows you to easily transfer large files between different computers or save important files offline.