How do I Install Two Hard Drives on One Computer?
Adding an additional internal hard drive is possible on most desktop computers. The limiting factors are the number of available connectors on the motherboard and the available internal drive bays in which to insert the drives. There are two primary types of hard drive connections. The older standard is IDE, which uses the wide-flat cable. The newer and preferred method is SATA, which uses a smaller cable, is faster than IDE and is easier to configure. To determine your options, you should open your computer and examine the motherboard to see what connectors are available. You can then decide between IDE or SATA hard drives.
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Things You'll Need
- Phillips screwdriver
- SATA data cables
- IDE data cables
- SATA power connector
- Molex power connector
Instructions
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IDE Drives
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1
Shutdown the computer, detach anything connected to it and open the computer's case.
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2
Set the jumper configuration on one drive to "Primary/Master" and the jumper on the other hard drive to "Secondary/Slave." The jumpers are the pairs of pins on the rear of the drive. There should be a diagram of the jumper settings on the hard drive case. If not, consult the drive's manual.
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3
Place both drives into an available drive bay. The exact procedure will vary slightly. Some computers feature removable brackets to make removing drives easier and some simply attach to a non-removable bracket with screws.
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4
Connect an unused Molex power cable to the power connector on the back of the drives. Molex connectors have four large pins. The connector from the power supply is the female connector and the connector on the back of the hard drive is the male connector. If necessary, you can attach a splitter cable to one of the connectors to add an additional connector.
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5
Attach the end connector on the IDE cable to the hard drive you configured as "Primary/Master" and the middle connector on the cable to the "Secondary/Slave drive. The primary drive should be the one that will contain the operating system you will use on the computer.
SATA Drives
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6
Shutdown the computer and prepare it by removing all cables and disconnecting any attached devices. Make sure you unplug the power cable from the outlet and the rear of the computer.
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7
Open the computer's case to access the motherboard and the drive bays.
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8
Set the jumpers on both drives to the "Cable Select" setting. If this jumper setting isn't present, set both drives to "Primary/Master."
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9
Place the drives into the bays and secure them. This will depend on how your computer is constructed.
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10
Connect a SATA power cable to the rear of each drive. If your computer's power supply doesn't have an available SATA power connector you can purchase an adapter to attach to one of the Molex connectors.
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11
Connect a 7-pin SATA cable to the rear of each hard drive. Connect the other end of the cables to an open SATA connector on the motherboard. SATA connections work by assigning priority in the order the cables are connected. In other words, the drive you connect to SATA connector 1 will be recognized before the one connected to connector 2.
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1
Tips & Warnings
It's possible to connect a SATA drive to your computer even if the motherboard lacks a SATA connector by using an IDE to SATA adapter.
Before you open the case, connect an anti-static wrist strap to you and the computer's chassis. This will prevent electrostatic discharge, which can damage a computer.
