Hard Drive Installation: Replacing/Upgrading

In this section you are going to learn how to install a hard drive into your computer system. There are a couple of reasons for doing this. First, your main hard drive may have failed. In fact, if you keep your computer long enough, sooner or later, your drive WILL fail. This is one reason why it’s so important to regularly back up your data.

 

Aside from replacing a failed hard drive, you may simply want to add a second hard drive to your system. If you store a lot of large data files, such as graphics, video, or music, this is something you may want to consider doing.

While hard drive capacities continue to grow, they have not undergone any significant physical changes for a number of years now. So at least for now, we can count on a standard size, standard screw sizes, and easy adaptability to cases of various manufacturers.

 

What is beginning to change is the communications interface and bus technology used to store and retrieve data to and from the hard drive. The two main types of computer bus technology that is used to transfer data between the CPU and the bulk storage devices in your computer (hard drive and CD-ROM, or optical drive) are ATA (Advanced Technology Attachment) and SATA. The term SATA refers to Serial ATA, and while it is the newer technology, it does not yet dominate the marketplace. SATA was predated by ATA, which is now sometimes referred to as PATA, or Parallel ATA (when it was the only bus type available, it didn’t need to be distinguished from Serial ATA). Because ATA is still the norm, this tutorial will focus on ATA drive technology.

 

Another acronym you should be familiar with is IDE, or Integrated Drive Electronics. Technically, IDE refers to the interface itself (the design of the jack on the hard drive into which the cable plugs in), but the terms ATA and IDE are often used interchangeably. While SATA drives transfer data at much higher rates than ATA drives, the main physical distinguishing characteristic between the two is the type of cable used to connect the drive to the motherboard. ATA drives typically use a wide, flat, 40-pin cable, SATA uses a 4-wire shielded cable that is considerably smaller than its ATA counterpart and takes up much less space in the case. If you wish to add a SATA drive to your computer, either the motherboard must provide the SATA socket, or you can add an SATA adapter card.

However, our focus will be on ATA, since it still represents the standard configuration available on most new computers. So let’s begin!

 

Preparation

  • Turn off all power to the computer, and disconnect the power cord from the computer. It will also be easier to work on your computer if you remove all other connectors from the back of the case.
  • Carefully remove the case and set it aside. Maintain a clear and clean workspace.
  • Wear your ESD wrist strap, with one end connected to a non-painted surface of the case.
  • Keep your new drive inside its ESD protective bag until you’re ready to install it.
  • When you remove or install a drive, handle it by its mounting case. Don’t touch the pins or other electronics on the drive.
  • Keep your drive away from sources of high voltage, such as vacuum cleaners or other motors (strong electromagnetic fields can wipe out your hard drive data).

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