How to Set Up a Slave Drive

IDE and ATA drives feature master/slave jumpers.

In a computer system, a master/slave relationship establishes the primary and secondary hard disk or optical drive status. Many computer owners install operating systems on the primary or master hard disk and use the secondary or slave disk as a storage drive for games or multimedia. Master/slave or primary/secondary relationships exist only with IDE or ATA drives. SATA, a newer drive technology, is a jumperless system and does not allow for master/slave settings, which makes SATA drives easier to install.

Things You'll Need

• Small Phillips screwdriver
• Anti-static wrist bracelet

Instructions

Install the Slave Drive

1. Shut down your computer. Unplug all cables and peripheral devices.

2. Remove the left side panel while facing the front of the case. Remove screws, manipulate latches or perform other necessary steps to remove the panel. (Please see your computer or case manufacturer's documentation if you are unsure of how to remove the side panel, as this process varies.)

3. Turn the case so that you are facing the open, previously left side of the case.

4. Locate your drive bays. The 5.25-inch optical bays are at the top right and the 3.5-inch hard disk bays are towards the bottom right. You should be able to locate the necessary bay easily by matching your slave drive with the master drive.

5. Clip the anti-static wrist bracelet to a metal object, and attach the bracelet to your wrist.

6. Remove the drive from its anti-static packaging.

7. Locate the pins on the back of the hard disk or optical drive. Jumper configurations vary according to model and manufacturer, and most manufacturers show the configurations on the drive itself. Configure the jumper according to the hard disk manufacturer's instructions.

8. Insert the hard disk or optical drive into the appropriate bay. Secure it by screwing in at least two mounting screws.

9. Attach an available controller cable to your drive. Most controller cables feature a Y-split cable, which makes it easy to find and attach the secondary cable that links to your primary drive.

10. Insert the power supply cable into the port on the drive. Again, you may be able to plug in a secondary cable split from the power supply's cable to the master drive.

11. Double-check all connections. Remove the anti-static wrist bracelet, then reattach all cables and peripheral devices.

Configure the BIOS

1. Start the computer.

2. Enter your BIOS by immediately pressing the BIOS setup key, as shown onscreen. (Most computers feature a "Press X to enter BIOS setup" message after you hear the computer beep. Press this key. If you do not see this message, please consult your computer's documentation, as the BIOS key varies according to your motherboard.)

3. Navigate to system setup and allow the BIOS to auto-detect the new drive.

4. Save and exit the BIOS.

5. Reattach the side panel if the drive is working correctly.

Tips & Warnings

• If you're installing a second optical drive, you may need to also remove the case's front bezel. The bezel is the plastic protrusion at the front of the case.

• Don't reattach the side panel until you are sure that the slave drive is working properly. You may need to make adjustments.

• You must format hard disks and partition them before storing data on them. Use the Disk Management tool in Windows.

References

• PC Guide: Single, Master, Slave Drives and Jumpering
• Microsoft: Install or Remove a Hard Drive
• Easeus: Install an IDE Hard Drive

Resources

• Seagate.com: Installation Guides
• Western Digital: Installation Guides
• Seagate.com: SATA Troubleshooting