How to Install a Second Hard Drive on a Computer
Greatly increased capacity coupled with the overall large price decrease of hard drives leads many computer users wishing to install a secondary hard drive for data storage. The addition of a second hard drive not only provides extra storage space but may also increase a computer's efficiency under certain conditions. The process of installing a second hard drive into a computer is an easy one that virtually any computer user can accomplish.
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Instructions
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Disconnect the computer from any electrical sources and remove the side access panel. This may require the removal of two thumbscrews from the rear face of the computer's case.
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Locate the computer's hard drive cage that houses the computer's main hard drive. This will be located near the computer case's front face.
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Insert the secondary hard drive into the hard drive cage above the main hard drive with the data and power socket facing the rear face of the computer case. The hard drive cage is machined with several slots where additional hard drives can be installed.
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4
Locate a white Molex connector or thin SATA power connector from the computer's power supply unit. Molex connectors are used for IDE hard drives, and SATA connectors are used for SATA hard drives. They are not interchangeable and cannot be accidentally misinstalled across platforms.
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Insert the power connector into the Power socket on the rear face of the drive.
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Insert the second IDE connector, attached to the same cable of the main hard drive, to the hard drive's remaining rear connective port. If the hard drive is a SATA model, insert one end of the SATA cable that came with the hard drive into the drive's rear SATA data port.
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Insert the opposite end of the SATA cable to a free SATA port located on the motherboard. This data port is usually located in the bottom-right portion of the motherboard and is clearly marked on the motherboard for easy identification. If the hard drive is an IDE drive, no motherboard connection is needed because IDE hard drives share data cables.
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Replace the computer's side access panel and plug the computer back in.
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Boot into the operating system. No driver software is needed as hard drives are automatically detected and installed by the BIOS and operating system.
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Tips & Warnings
It is always a good idea to back up any important data before performing work inside the computer's case.
References
- Photo Credit hard drive 2 image by Graham Lumsden from Fotolia.com
