How to Setup Two Hard Drives on One Computer
Having two hard drives connected to your computer is not only useful as it increases the amount of space you have available but it can also increase your system performance. A second hard drive is also very useful for backing up files in case anything happens to one of the drives. Older computers used the IDE interface for connecting hard drives while newer ones make use of the SATA standard.
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Things You'll Need
- Hard drives
- Hard drive connector cables (SATA or IDE ribbon)
- Motherboard manual
Instructions
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IDE Hard Drives
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1
Connect your first IDE hard drive to your computer. Since this will be the "master" drive containing your Windows installation you ideally want to use the larger and faster of your drives. The IDE ribbon cable should be connected to the hard drive and the other end to the motherboard. It doesn't matter which end of the cable is connected to which device as long as both are properly inserted. You will notice a thin red line on the one end of the cable which should be lined up with PIN 1 which will be marked on the motherboard. On the hard drive it will be the pin closest to the power connector. Because there are a wide variety of motherboards consult your motherboard manual for the location of the IDE slots on your make and model of board. Also be sure to connect a power cable to your hard drive. These are easy to locate as they are the intertwined yellow, black and red cables that originate from your power-supply. There are usually a few of them but your hard drive only needs one and it can only fit in one position so don't force it.
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2
Set the jumper on the back of the hard drive to the "Master" position." These jumpers are found next to the power and IDE connector pins and the correct setting will be indicated on the sticker that is on the top part of the hard drive. It is crucial that this jumper be set correctly otherwise the PC will not be able to boot from the correct drive.
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3
Install Windows on your primary drive. Refer to the instruction manual that came with your copy of Windows for the necessary steps.
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4
Turn off your PC and connect the secondary drive in exactly the same fashion as described in Step 1. The only difference will be that for this drive you need to set the jumper to "Slave" instead of "Master." This will allow your computer to see this drive as the "secondary" device.
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5
Restart your computer. Your PC will boot into Windows and if everything was done correctly your secondary hard drive will automatically be detected and available for use.
SATA Hard Drives
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6
Connect your SATA hard drive to your computer. Use the red SATA cable to connect one end to the motherboard and the other end to the drive. To locate the SATA socket on your motherboard refer to the diagram or manual that came with your make and brand of board as this varies between manufacturers. Also connect a power cable from your computer's power supply to the SATA drive. These can be identified as the twined orange, red, yellow and black wires which originate from the power-supply. There should be four or more of these cables that lead from the power-supply but you should only connect one to the drive. At this point you can also install your second hard drive using the same method.
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7
Turn on your computer and enter the BIOS. This is done by pressing the correct key when your computer starts up. This key will differ depending on the make, model, manufacturer and BIOS type so be sure to consult your motherboard manual for the correct one. The correct key to press will also be listed at the bottom left side of your screen when your PC starts up.
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8
Locate the "Boot" menu in your BIOS after it has finished loading. It is most commonly found under the "Advance BIOS Features" or "Advance Boot Options" tabs. Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to navigate to this tab and press "ENTER" to access it. This is where you will be able to change the boot priority of your SATA hard drives. If your PC does not yet have an operating system installed you should have your CD/ DVD-ROM drive as the primary boot device and then the two hard drives. Make the drive that you want to install your operating system on the secondary boot device. These actions are usually performed using the "+" and "-" keys on your keyboard to shift the drives up and down on the list or by using the "PAGE UP" and "PAGE DOWN" keys. Your motherboard manual will have the correct procedure listed. Remember the first item on the list will be the first device that your computer will try to boot from and if this fails it will go down the list in order looking for a bootable device. Once done save the new settings and exit your BIOS.
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9
Install Windows on your primary drive. This will be the drive you have selected to be second in order on the boot priority list in your BIOS. Refer to your Windows installation manual for the necessary steps.
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10
Reboot your computer. If everything was done correctly according and your operating system was successfully installed you will find that the secondary hard drive is automatically detected and ready for use.
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Tips & Warnings
PC motherboards usually have two IDE slots which means up to four IDE devices ---hard drives, CD-ROMS, DVD-ROMS etc.--- can be connected. IDE ribbon cables come in two varieties, ones that only have a single connector on each end and ones that allow for two devices to connect to one slot. For the dual ribbon cables connect two of the same type of devices to each cable as the transfer speed will only run according to the slowest device on the cable. This means if you connect a hard drive and a CD-ROM to the same ribbon cable you will slow down the performance of the hard drive.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit hard drive internals image by BigDog from Fotolia.com
