How to Change a Ribbon Cable
A ribbon cable in a computer is the thin, flat cable used to connect hard drives and disk drives to a computer. The ribbon cable is actually an IDE (sometimes called PATA) cable, which uses a 40-pin connector. Older ribbon cables transfer information at a slower rate than newer cables, so replacing older cables with new ones could help overall system performance.
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Instructions
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Unplug the computer to reduce the risk of electrical shock, then remove the side panel of the computer to access the inside.
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Disconnect the ribbon cable from the motherboard by pulling it firmly away from the motherboard. Likewise, disconnect the ribbon cable from the hard drive or disk drive it is connected to.
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Connect the new ribbon cable. If the cable looks like it has two connectors on one side, connect that end to the hard drive or disk drive. Connect the other end to the motherboard. The ribbon cable can only be inserted one way because of the small plastic tab that sticks up from the connector on the cable. Insert the cable and push it in firmly to secure it.
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Close the case.
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Tips & Warnings
Touch a piece of metal before touching any inside components of the computer to reduce the risk of damaging them from static shock.
References
- Photo Credit ide cable image by .shock from Fotolia.com
