Things You'll Need:
- Screwdriver(s)
- SATA cable
- Mounting screws
- SATA power connector
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Step 1
Shut down your computer and unplug the power cord. You may wish to unplug other cords as well to make the tower easier to work with.
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Step 2
Use your screwdriver to open the tower case. There are usually several screws holding both the side panels of the tower in place, which can be removed on the back of the case. For most devices it is sufficient to remove the left side panel and access the motherboard, but to install a hard drive, it can be helpful to remove both the right and left side panels.
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Step 3
Locate a free hard drive bay, and insert the SATA drive in the bay. Hard drive bays are metal housings that are just large enough for a hard drive to slip in. They should be located toward the front of your case.
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Step 4
Secure the hard drive with mounting screws. After the hard drive is in the bay, use the mounting screws that came with the hard drive to screw it in place. (There will be holes in the housings and on the hard drive itself for the screws) Usually there is room for four screws, two on each side. You will need to have removed the right side panel of the case to put in all four screws.
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Step 5
Connect the SATA cable. Take the small SATA cable that came with your hard drive and locate the SATA ports on your motherboard. Usually the ports are on the bottom right-hand corner of the board as you look inside the case. Plug one end of the cable into a SATA port on the motherboard, and plug the other end into the back of the hard drive.
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Step 6
Connect the SATA power cable. Locate the SATA power connectors from your power supply and plug one into the back of your SATA hard drive. SATA power connectors look like slender, slit-like plugs and are usually black.
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Step 7
Close your computer, and plug the cables back in.
