Buy an internal SATA hard drive. Do this if you do not already have such a disk.
- Better to buy a hard drive made by the same company as your computer (eg HP).
- Some hard drives incompatible with some computers. Before the purchase hard disk search for your computer model and hard drive model (for example, search for “HP Pavilion Compatible with L3M56AA SATA”) to see if they will work together.
Turn off your computer and unplug it. Do not work inside the computer while it is on, as this could damage components or result in injury.
- Some desktop computers turn off within a couple of minutes. In this case, wait for the computer fans to stop working.
Open the computer case. This process depends on the model of your computer, so read the instructions for your computer or find the relevant information on the Internet.
- In most cases, you will need a Phillips screwdriver.
Ground yourself . This will prevent accidental damage to sensitive internal components of the computer (such as the motherboard).
Find an empty hard drive bay. The main hard drive is installed in a special compartment of the computer case; next to this bay should be a similar empty bay in which you will install the second hard drive.
Insert the second hard drive into the bay. The compartment is located under or above the main compartment. hard disk... Insert the disc so that the side with the cable connectors is facing the inside of the computer case.
- In some cases, the drive needs to be secured with screws.
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Our expert agrees:“After you open the case, insert the hard drive into the dedicated drive bay and secure it with the screws. Then connect the power cable to the hard drive, and then the SATA cable (connect one end of it to the hard drive, and the other to a free connector on motherboard)».
Find the connector for connect hard disk. Run the cable over the primary hard drive to find out where the connectors are located on the motherboard. connecting hard disks. (A motherboard is a large board that connects other boards and devices.)
- If the cable of the primary hard drive looks like a wide thin tape, it is an IDE hard drive. In this case, you will need an adapter to connect the second hard drive to the motherboard.
Connect a second hard drive. Connect one end of the cable to the second hard drive and the other to the connector on the motherboard (this connector is located next to the connector to which the primary hard drive is connected).
- If your computer motherboard has only IDE connectors (connectors several centimeters long), buy a SATA-IDE adapter. In this case, connect the adapter to the motherboard, and the cable of the second hard drive to the adapter.
Connect the second hard drive to the power supply. Connect one end of the power cable to the power supply and the other to the second hard drive.
- Typically, the power supply is located at the top of the computer case.
- The power cable plug looks like a wider SATA cable plug.
Make sure all cables are securely and correctly connected. Otherwise operating system the computer does not recognize the second drive.
Connect your computer to an electrical outlet and turn it on. Now you need to make Windows recognize the second hard drive.
Open the Disk Management window. Click right click mouse on the "Start" menu
In the lower left corner of the screen and then from the menu select "Disk Management".
- You can also click ⊞ Win + X to open the menu.
Even a large disk space may run out if you use your computer for a long time. You can delete files and programs, freeing up some space, but this is a temporary way out of the situation. You can replace the hard drive, then you will have to reinstall the OS and configure the computer. It is easier to connect a second drive, which will significantly increase the storage space for photos, games and movies.
Buy from the store computer technology a hard disk of sufficient capacity and a SATA data cable to connect it. The volume of the disk depends on the user's desire, but it is better not to save money and buy a disk of at least a terabyte, so that you do not have to think about increasing memory again soon. The hard drive of a modern computer is most often connected using the SATA interface. The IDE format was used on computers until 2000. To be sure that the drive and the motherboard are compatible, consult your dealer or read the instructions for your computer. Disconnect the computer and any optional devices from their power source completely. Lay the system unit on its side and remove its side panel. Consider the motherboard. Modern motherboards can have several SATA controllers, up to 6 pieces. The IDE connector may be missing or used to connect a CD / DVD drive. The computer board diagram will help you in finding the right controllers.
Higher temperatures can cause rapid wear on the hard disk surface. If there is no way to divide the hard drives by space, then there is one way out - to install a second fan to cool the drives. If all SATA controllers on the board are busy, then buy a PCI controller with SATA connectors to connect a second drive.
When the first computers appeared, all programs, games and other files practically did not take up disk space. Now things are quite different, and it is often necessary to install an additional storage medium. Therefore, every user should know how to connect a second hard drive to a computer. In fact, this is not difficult to do, you just need to follow simple instructions.
The device must first be purchased from a store. Please note that the hard disk has several connection interfaces. After purchasing the purchase, you can proceed with the installation of the device.
Preparing for installation
- How many hard drives are already connected to the motherboard? Most often, the computer has only one hard drive, so installing a second drive is not difficult. In most cases, the HDD is located directly under the DVD-ROM, so it won't be difficult to find it;
- Is there extra space for installing a second hard drive? In the event that it is not possible to install a second or third disk, then you will have to purchase a USB drive;
- What type of cable is used to connect the hard drive to the computer? If the purchased device does not have the same interface as on a PC, it will be difficult to install.
Please note that you need a 3.5-inch hard drive. You don't need to buy small drives designed for laptops.
Physical disk connection
If system unit not yet disassembled, disassemble it. It is now recommended to get rid of static electricity. This is done by any means known to you. If you wish, you can purchase a special grounding strap in the store.
After small manipulations, the hard drive will be fixed in the case, now all that remains is to connect the hard drive. Before plugging in the power cable and ribbon cable, it should be noted that the procedure is slightly different for the IDE and SATA interface.
IDE interface
When connecting a disk with an IDE interface, it is recommended to pay attention to such a nuance as setting the operating mode:
- Master (main).
- Slave (slave).
If installed extra hard disk, then you need to enable Slave mode. To do this, you need to use a jumper (jumper), which is installed in the second place. The first row turns on the Master mode. It is important to note that on modern computers, the jumper can be removed completely. The system will automatically determine how hard the master is.
At the next step, you need to connect the second or third hard disk to the "mother". For this, the IDE interface is connected to a ribbon cable (wide, thin wire). The other end of the cable is connected to the IDE 1 Secondary socket (the main drive is connected to the zero connector).
The final stage of connection is power supply. To do this, a white chip with four wires is connected to the corresponding connector. The wires go directly from the power supply (box with wires and fan).
SATA interface
Unlike IDE, a SATA drive has two L-shaped connectors. One is for power connection and the other is for data cable. It should be noted that such a hard drive lacks a jumper.
The data cable plugs into a narrow connector. The other end is connected to a special connector. Most often there are 4 such ports on the motherboard, but there are only 2 ports with an exception. One of the slots can be occupied by a DVD drive.
There are times when a disk with a SATA interface was purchased, but no such connectors were found on the motherboard. In this case, it is recommended to additionally purchase a SATA controller, which is installed in the PCI slot.
The next step is to connect the power. The L-shaped wide cable is connected to the corresponding connector. If the drive has an additional power connector (IDE interface), just use one of the connectors. This completes the physical connection of the hard drive.
BIOS setup
When all manipulations with the hard disk are completed, turn on the computer, and then enter the BIOS. It is important to note that the launch of BIOS on each computer is carried out in its own way. To do this, use the key:
- Delete;
After entering the BIOS, you need to go to the configuration setting. It is important to assign boot from the disk on which the operating system is installed. If the priority is set incorrectly, the system simply will not boot.
If one of the disks is not displayed in the BIOS, it means that the hard drive was connected incorrectly or the ribbon cable was damaged. It is recommended that you inspect all wires and reconnect (remember to turn off your computer).
As soon as the BIOS setup is completed, you can boot with the operating system. After that, all that remains is to assign a letter to the drive.
The final stage
Since it is not enough to connect a hard drive to a computer, you need to make the final settings directly from under Windows. On some computers, a similar procedure is carried out automatically. To check this, you should open "My Computer" and then see if a new disk appears.
If nothing happens, you need to start the control panel. Then select "Administration". As soon as a new window opens, you will need to select "Computer Management". In the left column, you need to find the "Disk Management" tab (on some computers "Disk Manager").
- At the bottom of the window, select disk 1 (if more than 2 hard drives are connected, select the disk with the highest number). This will be the new hard drive;
- You need to assign a letter logical volume... To do this, right-click on the disk, and then select "Assign letter";
- As soon as a new drive letter is assigned, it needs to be formatted. The procedure can take a long time, it all depends on the size of the hard drive. When formatting, it is important to choose file system NTFS.
When the formatting process is complete, a new disk will appear in the root directory "My Computer". If for some reason it is not possible to connect the HDD using the built-in manager, it is recommended to use third-party programs.
Partition Manager is an excellent tool for working with hard drives. In addition, such a utility allows you to partition a disk into several logical volumes.
Conclusion
Attaching a hard drive takes no more than 15 minutes. If you follow the instructions, difficulties should not arise. Modern computers do not need additional customization BIOS, of course, if the disks are not installed in absolutely new computer... Also, do not forget that the operating system depends on how large the plug-in hard drive can be.
Video review: connecting a hard drive
We are living in amazing times. Technological innovations propel humanity forward, forcing everything more people think about the future. The computer industry has long crossed all possible thresholds and now its development can hardly be stopped or redirected to another direction. But, as often happens, development undergoes a period of uneven distribution of efforts - the speed of development of certain areas leaves much to be desired.
One example of this phenomenon is computer memory. Every year programs and games for desktop machines become more resource-intensive, and if video adapters, controllers and monitors are actively modernized, then read-only memory is still represented by the hard disk, invented more than 50 years ago. Many users ask in advance the question "How to connect a second hard drive to a computer?"
How to connect a second hard drive to your computer
Before a user who wants to increase the available space for storing new data, sooner or later the question will arise: what to do next? You can of course purchase a solid state SSD drive, but the period of their active operation still does not exceed 5 years, therefore the best solution will connect the second hard drive to the computer. How to do this, we explain in detail in Russian in this article.
Before starting the installation
Before you start upgrading your computer, it will be useful to figure out how the latter is ready for it. If new hard the disc is already purchased or at least selected specific model, then it is necessary to clarify with which connector the connection to the computer motherboard should be made.
Among a number of interfaces for connecting hard drives to a computer, the main ones can be distinguished:
IDE - on this moment the connector is outdated and almost never used. At one time, it allowed connecting two drives at once through one loop.
SATA is the most popular connector found in most computers. Its distinguishing feature is the serial data transfer between the carrier and the receiving device (computer).
FireWire (IEEE 1394) is one of the options for how to connect 2 hard drives to your computer. It is most often used to connect to external storage media and is designed for a maximum data transfer rate of about 300 Mbps.
Next, you need to find out which interfaces are supported. motherboard computer. In order to do this, you need to open the "Device Manager", copy the motherboard model and search for the copied phrase on the Internet. Among the characteristics there will be a line we need - "Interface for connecting information carriers". If everything is in order, then you can go to next step... If there is a discrepancy between the interface of the board and the disk itself, then you should take care of buying an adapter in a specialized store.
Installing a hard drive
To install a second hard drive into your computer, you should start by preparing all the necessary tools and replacement parts. We need:
Small Phillips screwdriver (often included with new drives)
Wires for connecting the hard drive to the motherboard and power supply
The drive itself, freed from the factory packaging
If necessary - the adapter purchased in the previous step.
First you need to remove the case cover of the system unit and familiarize yourself with the location of the first hard drive. Practice shows that it is most convenient to install elements of the same purpose next to each other, therefore it is good if next to already installed disk there is a free slot.
When the place for installing the drive is chosen, you need to try on the connecting wires - they must not be allowed to be too short to prevent disconnection of the device during operation and loss of data. Such foresight is fully justified, because losing data in the event of a sudden power outage is as easy as shelling pears.
The next step is to mount the drive to the computer case. It is carried out using the screws provided with the hard drive and a small Phillips screwdriver. It is necessary to carefully monitor that during the installation process, none of the wires that are already inside the case are pinched between the wall of the system unit and the hard drive case. After the second drive is screwed on, you need to connect the new connecting wires first to it, and then to the motherboard and power supply. After that, you can collect the wires together using an electrical clamp - this eliminates the possibility of damage and getting into the fan blades when the computer is running. The final stage will be the assembly of the computer. This step is usually straightforward, even for novice users.
Checking the second hard drive
Specialists for working with computer equipment It is advised to check the speed of writing and reading data from a disk immediately after installing a new medium. "This allows us to identify factory defects and forgeries," they say. Therefore, after turning on the computer with the second hard drive installed, it is advisable to visit the website of the manufacturer of this equipment and find special software on it for working with the purchased model or series of models.
The interface of similar software solutions most often it is not replete with functions, but nevertheless, they are able to provide basic data, such as the real capacity of the medium, the speed of reading and writing to the disk. If the actual data transfer rate differs greatly from the one declared by the manufacturer, then you need to check the quality of the connecting wires and the contact between the disk itself and the wire leading to the motherboard.
conclusions
Installing a second hard drive into your computer is easy, just follow short instructions... Always unplug the computer when working inside your computer to avoid injury. electric shock... Also, when working with magnetic disks it is necessary to exclude the influence of powerful electromagnetic fields on the computer case, and also to ensure the discharge of static electricity from the drive itself.
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All problems with hard drives(screws) can be divided into two groups: incorrect connection (which, of course, is not a malfunction) and a malfunction of the device itself (failure of the electronics and / or the disks themselves).
It often happens that everything works fine until you connect the second hard drive... After that, the system “does not see” both disks or “does not see” the second disk.
Or you went to a friend with your hard disk (screw), everything worked fine for him, and when you came home, you found that the system “does not see” your disk.
These are all symptoms of an improperly connected hard drive. There is nothing difficult in connecting a hard drive, so every user should know how hard drives are connected to a computer.
It's like being able to replace a wheel in a car. Do not call a tow truck if a wheel is punctured.
Hard drive interface
For connecting the hard drive to the computer one of three interfaces can be used:
IDE (Integrated Device Electronics) - developed in 1986 and is still in use;
SCSI (Small Computer Systems Interface) - also developed in 1986 and is still in use;
Serial ATA (Advanced Technology Attachment) - developed in 2003, is steadily gaining momentum.
In addition to these interfaces, ST and ESDI interfaces were previously used to connect hard drives, but the first was forgotten in 1989, and the second - in 1991.
Initially, IDE was developed only as an interface for connecting hard drives. Later it was modified and received the official name ATA - an extended interface for connecting drives.
The difference between ATA and IDE is that not only hard drives, but also CD / DVD drives can be connected to ATA.
The ATA interface has been constantly improving, and at the moment there are several of its varieties, designed in the form of standards (Table 4.1).
Table 4.1. ATA standards
Yes, the last version of ATA was released in 2001. It seems that in the future the interface will not develop, but will peacefully live out its own. The next accepted standard - ATA-8 (2004) - already describes SATAII, not IDE (ATA).
SCSI interface is a high-performance interface for connecting various kinds of devices. Using this interface, not only drives can be connected to a computer, but also peripheral devices.
For example, there are SCSI scanners, the speed of which is much higher than the speed work of scanners connecting to the parallel LPT port. But with the advent USB bus the need to manufacture SCSI peripherals has disappeared - USB is much more convenient.
Therefore, now the SCSI interface is mainly used on servers - ordinary users, as a rule, do not buy SCSI disks because of their high cost... And a motherboard with a SCSI controller is quite expensive (compared to conventional motherboards).
The SATA (Serial ATA, Serial ATA) interface was developed in 2000, but it was not until 2003 that it first appeared in off-the-shelf systems. Compared to conventional ATA (sometimes called PATA - Parallel ATA - Parallel ATA), it provides better performance. Much also depends on what the real cache memory of hard drives is.
The ATA interface is described in the ATA-7 (in parallel with regular ATA) and ATA-8 standards. The interface of the ATA-7 version supports the data transfer rate of 150 Mb / s, and the ATA-8 version supports the data transfer rate of 200 Mb / s. As you can see, even the very first version of SATA is faster than the latest version PATA. And SATAII is even faster.
So far, 200 Mb / s is the limit for a home / office computer, that is, for a workstation. But the data transfer rate over the modern SCSI interface (Fast-320DT technology) is 640 Mb / s.
But such interfaces are used only on high-performance servers - most ordinary users cannot afford them, and there is no need for such speed.
Physical connection of the hard drive
As we know, there are two types of hard drives: ATA (IDE) and SATA (Serial ATA). The first discs are more "ancient", but nevertheless the second ones are on sale - more modern, promising and faster.
Definitely - the future belongs to SATA. It seems to me that in a few years ATA disks will be discontinued. I think so. Wait and see.
Attention! Any change in the physical configuration of hard drives and other disk drives requires the computer to be powered off!
Attaching an ATA disk (IDE)
As a rule, the motherboard has two controllers for connecting IDE drives - a primary and a secondary. Each controller can connect two IDE devices. I do not specifically say "two hard drives" because CD / DVD drives can be connected to the IDE controller.
The first device connected to the controller is called the master. it master device, so you need to choose a faster device for the role of master.
The second device is called a slave. So, the system can have four (maximum) IDE devices:
primary master;
primary slave (primary slave);
secondary master - the second controller;
secondary slave - the second controller.
Open the cover of the computer case. Typically, the first controller is labeled IDE0, and the second is IDE1 (that is, the numbering starts at zero). If you already have an IDE drive installed (because you might have bought a computer with a SATA drive), then it will be connected to the first controller.
How do you distinguish an IDE connector from a SATA connector? Quite simply: the IDE connector is large (Figure 4.3) and the SATA connector is small (Figure 4.4).
Rice. 4.3. IDE connectors on the motherboard
Pay attention to the color of the IDE cable that connects the motherboard and hard drive. If it is gray, then it is better to replace it with yellow - these are higher-performance cables (your hard drive will work faster if you connect it with a yellow cable).
You can watch a visual video tutorial - the subtleties and nuances of
checking the hard disk in the HDD Scan program
The difference is that the old (gray) cables have 40 pins, and the new (yellow) ones have 80. When the drive is connected using the old cable, the BIOS issues a warning that a 40-pin (40 pin) cable is used instead of an 80-pin ( 80 pin).
Rice. 4.4. SATA connectors
Connect one end of the IDE cable to the IDE connector on the motherboard (don't worry - you won't plug it in the wrong way, because the dongle won't allow it), and the other end to the hard drive.
And this is where the fun begins. You have connected a hard drive to one of the controllers, but now you need to select its mode - master or slave.
Next to the connector for connecting the IDE-cable on the hard disk there will be a connector for selecting the operating mode. The operating mode is selected using a jumper - jumper (Fig. 4.5), which must be set to one of the positions corresponding to one or another operating mode.
Mode Map work hard disk is drawn on the hard disk itself - on the sticker above. Sometimes the master is called DEVICE 0 (Figure 4.6), and the slave is called DEVICE 1. Don't be confused by that.
Please note: two masters or two slaves cannot be connected to one controller. If a device is connected to the controller, you need to disconnect it and check the operating mode - if master, then connect the second device as a slave, or vice versa.
Rice. 4.5. Connecting an IDE device
It is undesirable to change the operating mode of already installed devices. Let me explain why. Suppose a hard disk is connected to the first controller as a master - Windows boots from it.
If you install new hard drive as a master, and make the old one a slave, then the computer will try to boot Windows from the new hard disk and, of course, it will fail!
Usually there is a third mode of operation for an IDE device - by choosing a cable (CABLE SELECT). In this mode, the device will be master or slave, depending on how it is connected to the loop - to the middle or to the end of the loop. You do not need to select this mode, otherwise the controller may have two masters or two slaves (if you connect them incorrectly).
So, we connected the IDE cable, chose the operating mode, it remains to connect the power supply. With this, everything is simple: a lot of power cables come out of the power supply, connect one of them to the hard drive. Do not be afraid - you will not connect it incorrectly. Usually when connecting power, the yellow wire is facing you.
General scheme the connection of an IDE device (yes, exactly the device, since CD / DVD drives are connected in the same way) is shown in Fig. 4.5.
Why didn't we talk about the location of the device in the computer case? I remember that an acquaintance from America came and brought with him his computer, or rather, one system unit.
It was a system unit of the so-called white assembly. When I opened it, I was pleasantly surprised - the length of all wires was adjusted to a millimeter. There was an air intake from the fan to the processor, the second fan was directed to the IDE devices - for optimal cooling.
Our computers are of the so-called yellow assembly. Although they are assembled from us, all the components, including the cases, are manufactured in Taiwan (hence the name of the assembly - yellow).
And with Taiwanese cases, the situation is such that hard drives have to be placed not where you want or need from a cooling point of view, but where they fit. I'm not talking about adjusting the length of the wires. I am silent about this ...
Connecting a SATA hard drive
Now let's talk about SATA drives. Connecting a SATA drive is as easy as shelling pears. But there must be a SATA connector on board your motherboard (see Figure 4.4). All modern motherboards have it. Fear not, you will not be confused: the SATA cable cannot be connected to any other connector on the motherboard.
It's easier to connect a SATA drive than an IDE:
A SATA cable has two identical connectors - at the ends. One end connects to the motherboard, the other to the hard drive. It is impossible to connect the SATA connector incorrectly - the key will not allow;
The SATA disk has no jumpers (jumpers), so you do not need to select the device operating mode;
Only one disk can be connected to one SATA connector;
Jumpers on existing IDE devices do not affect SATA drives in any way;
After connecting the SATA cable, be sure to connect the power to the SATA drive. Please note: you need a dedicated power cable (3.3V) that comes with the hard drive.
Sometimes an adapter is supplied that allows you to connect a regular power cable to a SATA drive (Figure 4.7).
Rice. 4.7. SATA power cable with adapter (left) and interface cable SATA (right)
As you can see, the physical connection of the SATA drive is simple. If you want to install Windows on a SATA drive, you need to make it bootable.
How? When the computer boots up, when you see the inscription, press DEL to enter SETUP, then among the settings of the SETUP program, find one with the name Boot Sequence or Boot Device Priority.
If you plan to visit it later ... ( Connection procedure
hard drive to the computer | Connecting a hard drive)