How to Install an ATA Hard Drive in a New Computer
Hard drives store data and relay it to the computer's memory when the computer's processor asks for it. Everything from computer applications to your music goes straight to at least one hard drive on a computer. Adding a new hard drive increases the amount of data your computer can store.
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Instructions
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Disconnect every cable connected to your computer. Keep in mind that leaving a cable connected to your computer might cause problems later on.
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2
Lean your computer on its right side, and on the left side's edge, remove the screws that hold the computer's side cover to its body.
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3
Pull the cover towards the back of your computer, and lift it off.
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4
Locate your hard drive bay and ATA connector. ATA connectors sit on your motherboard and have a small hole on the border around them. You can find the connector by trying to match the size of an ATA ribbon connector to it. If you already have a device with an ATA ribbon cable attached to it, you don't need to do this, because you can use the free ATA connector in the middle of the ribbon cable for your hard drive. You'll find the hard drive bay on the bottom front of your computer's interior.
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Slide the ATA hard drive into a free slot on the hard drive bay, and screw it in at the exposed holes on one side. You don't necessarily need to screw it in on its left and right sides.
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Connect an ATA ribbon to the hard drive, and connect the blue connector on the ribbon to the ATA connector on your motherboard.
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Connect a flat 4-pin Molex power supply connector to the hard drive's power cable housing. The power supply connector is a white or black plastic structure with four wires coming out of the back and four holes in one line at the front. The hard drive's power cable housing has four pins that fit into the four holes in the front of the power supply connector.
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References
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