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"second hard drive" II
This is a spinoff of a previous question called "second hard drive". I used the temporary solution suggested there of plugging the second drive into the CD-ROM data cable, in fact I was able to link the 2 machines without removing either hard drive, so it was very convenient.
Now I want to permanently install a second hard drive (Seagate). Some of this question is copied from the previous question
The original hard drive has a data cable marked HDD and a 4-wire power cable. What is the correct way to connect the second hard drive? Should I somehow chain the second drive off the original data cable using some kind of data cable splitter? The cable currently goes from the board to the drive with no additional connectors.
1) I guess I need a data cable with an additional connector for the second drive - is that how it works (that's what I mean by a chain).
2) The power cable has 2 connectors, one not used. Should the second connector be used for the second drive?
3) Should I expect problems getting the computer to recognize the 2 drives?
4) I want to keep the free bay open for a CD-RW. Advice on mounting the thing elsewhere in the machine?
Now I want to permanently install a second hard drive (Seagate). Some of this question is copied from the previous question
The original hard drive has a data cable marked HDD and a 4-wire power cable. What is the correct way to connect the second hard drive? Should I somehow chain the second drive off the original data cable using some kind of data cable splitter? The cable currently goes from the board to the drive with no additional connectors.
1) I guess I need a data cable with an additional connector for the second drive - is that how it works (that's what I mean by a chain).
2) The power cable has 2 connectors, one not used. Should the second connector be used for the second drive?
3) Should I expect problems getting the computer to recognize the 2 drives?
4) I want to keep the free bay open for a CD-RW. Advice on mounting the thing elsewhere in the machine?
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
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All power connectors are the same.
Yes you can use an old 40 pine IDE cable with room for 2 drives. No problem.'
Go for it !!
Yes you can use an old 40 pine IDE cable with room for 2 drives. No problem.'
Go for it !!
You will need a 40 (0r 80) conductor cable with 3 connectors. One for the motherboard, one each for master and slave drives. If this is an ATA-66 or 100 drive, you will need an 80 conductor 40 pin cable and a controller to utilize the full speed of the drive. Some motherboards come equipped with an ATA-66 or 100 controller onboard. If you let us know the make and model of your board and drives, we can see if this is an option. Otherwise you'll need to either add a controller, or just let your drives run at UDMA-33. More information about your current configuration will help a lot.
The unused power connector can be used to power this new drive.
There are jumpers on the drives so that they are seen correctly by your system. If you cable the drives together, your boot drive should be the master, and the added drive the slave. Once the drive is recognized in BIOS, and is partitioned and formatted, there should be no problem with an OS seeing the drive.
Unless this is a Bigfoot or similar drive, it should fit in a 3.5" drive bay. That should leave room for a 5.25" CDRW drive. That is if you have a free 3.5" bay.
The unused power connector can be used to power this new drive.
There are jumpers on the drives so that they are seen correctly by your system. If you cable the drives together, your boot drive should be the master, and the added drive the slave. Once the drive is recognized in BIOS, and is partitioned and formatted, there should be no problem with an OS seeing the drive.
Unless this is a Bigfoot or similar drive, it should fit in a 3.5" drive bay. That should leave room for a 5.25" CDRW drive. That is if you have a free 3.5" bay.
WOW. You guys are quick. No posts when I read this. Sorry for any duplicate info.
The blank spot in the data cable is to ensure that pin 1 of the cable lines up with pin 1 on the motherboard. If you look closely at your board, you'll see that the pin on the motherboard is missing.That way there is only 1 correct way to line the cable up. Is this a Compaq?
ASKER
I would still like to put the drive elsewhere than the free bay (there is only one and I don't see how a CD-RW would fit after the hard drive is put there). Like bolting the drive to the metal side of the box.
Re jlauster, here is info from MS System Info:
GENERIC IDE DISK TYPE01
Secondary IDE controller (dual fifo)
Primary IDE controller (dual fifo)
Intel(r) 82801AB Ultra ATA Controller
It is a HP Pavilion 6535, Seagate hard drive,
Re jlauster, here is info from MS System Info:
GENERIC IDE DISK TYPE01
Secondary IDE controller (dual fifo)
Primary IDE controller (dual fifo)
Intel(r) 82801AB Ultra ATA Controller
It is a HP Pavilion 6535, Seagate hard drive,
You can put it wherever you want as long as the data and power cables reach.
I would not cause any shorts to a metal surface , so protect the bottom circuit board with insulating cardboard or plastic.
I would also consider removing the origianl drive and using kust the new one.
I hope this helps !
I would not cause any shorts to a metal surface , so protect the bottom circuit board with insulating cardboard or plastic.
I would also consider removing the origianl drive and using kust the new one.
I hope this helps !
ASKER
An additional question:
Why would I consider removing the origianl drive and using kust the new one (suggested by SysExpert) - do you anticipate problems?
Why would I consider removing the origianl drive and using kust the new one (suggested by SysExpert) - do you anticipate problems?
ASKER
If I shouldn't use the hard drive power cable, where to get power? There is another power connector coming from the power supply but it has the cables doubled - 2 red, 2 black, 2 blaCK, 2 yellow, can I use that? Or split off the cable that goes to the floppy?
The origninal hard drive power cable with 2 connectors is marked "HDD" - is there something special about it? Or is it just saying it should be connected to the hard drive device?
BTW, what is an HDD data cable - is it something special or can I use an old 40-pin cable from an old computer? The new cables seem to have a missing pin in the middle and the connector does not have a hole at that point (I guess that makes it 39-pin) - can I use the old 40-pin cable anyway? At any rate, whatever and HDD cable is it is VERY hard to find.