How to Install an Internal Hard Drive

These instructions are for installing a single Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) hard drive in a home-built computer with a standard drive bay.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Computer Cases
• Hard Disks
• Motherboards

1. Ground yourself with any professional grounding equipment you have. If you do not have professional grounding equipment, ground yourself by touching the power supply.

2. Position hard drive in drive bay inside case. Secure it with screws.

3. Connect data (ribbon) cable to back of hard drive. Align red band of cable with pin No. 1 on hard drive connector.

4. Connect other end of data cable to IDE controller on motherboard. If you have two IDE controllers, use No. 1.

5. Connect power cable from one of the connectors on power supply.

6. Connect computer power cable to surge suppressor. Boot computer.

7. Follow instructions in motherboard manual to set up hard drive in BIOS.

8. Format the drive. (See "Format a Hard Drive," under Related eHows.)

Tips & Warnings

• If possible, do installation in an uncarpeted area.
• If you do not understand these instructions or lack good manual dexterity, have a qualified technician install the hard drive for you.

on 11/22/2005 If you don't have the 3.5 bay to install a hard drive, you can install it to an unused 5.5 bay. You have to go to a computer store and get a hard drive install kit. The parts in this kit fit into the 5.5 rails like a dream.

on 11/22/2005 Some time the hard drive will have to be fitted below the floppy in a simular bay. This also goes for the fiitting of additional drives.
Loosen off the securing screws for the floppy. This will allow the cavity to be relaxed.
When sliding the new/additional drive in to bay make sure it is a lose fit.
Some drives have stickers that say about "Void if Removed" on the side. If you damage this then you could void your warranty.
Also I have come across these sticker covering up open slots on the side. Once the sticker is damaged then debris from the sticker can enter onto the hard disk surface, or let dust into the drive, which will render the drive useless.

on 11/22/2005 Once your hard drive is installed, you need to partition it with FDISK, once you have done that you then need to format it with something like "format c:\\".
Only then can you begin to install windows.

on 11/22/2005 Look at prices online, you will notice that some drives will very in size greatly, and will have a small price diffrence. You may be able to get a drive that is 10% - 15% larger in size for only 10$ more.

on 11/22/2005 This tip is specifice to Western digital drives and is the only one I know with this oddity: all drives require you to set it as master or slave which requires you to NOT jumper either way if it's the only drive in the machine.