How to Install a Slave Hard Drive

Install a slave hard drive in your computer.

The "master/slave" terminology is given to a computer with multiple hard drives installed. The master drive is the first and main drive used on the computer. When you install a secondary drive, it is designated as the "slave." This means it is the secondary hard drive used for storage such as backup or extra applications. The machine boots from the master hard drive, but it recognizes the slave and displays it for use in the operating system settings.

Things You'll Need

• Screwdriver
• Tweezers
• Hard drive cable

Instructions

1. Remove the screws on your computer case and slide the cover off of the machine. Notice the hard drive bays in the front of the machine. The existing hard drive is installed in one of these bays.

2. Use the tweezers to set the jumper pins to "Slave" mode. The jumper pins are white connectors located on the back of the hard drive. Above the jumper pin section on the hard drive is the schema to set the drive to "Slave."

3. Insert the hard drive into the computer case bay underneath the existing drive. Screw in the drive and mount it to the case using the screws included with the hard drive packaging.

4. Connect the hard drive cable from the main hard drive to the secondary slave drive. There are two connectors on the hard drive cable. The very end of it is inserted into the main hard drive. The middle connection is used for the slave drive. Insert this secondary, middle connector into your newly installed drive.

5. Insert one of the power supply cables into the back of the hard drive. This supplies electrical power to the device.

6. Replace the case cover back onto the machine. Ensure you replace the screws to properly fasten it to the computer case.

References

• Help With PCs: Installing or Adding a New Hard Drive

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish