PC Help Jansant - IDE Hard Drive Installation Guide

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Install IDE Hard Drive (internal)

Installation of a hard drive is easier than most people imagine. The process is similar to installing a CD or DVD player. Most PCs can have up to 4 IDE devices (hard drives or optical drives). There is normally 2 IDE controllers on motherboards and each controller can have 2 devices installed on a single cable.

To install your IDE drive you will need;

Compatible hard drive (IDE)
4 screws (supplied with drive)
IDE cable (normally supplied with drive)
Anti-ESD kit

Starting the Installation of Your IDE Hard Drive

Start by disconnecting all cables from the rear of your PC. Use your anti-ESD kit as instructed by its manufacturer, and remove the covers from your computer. You will need internal access to both sides of the PC. See the Removing PC Case Cover Guide.

Next locate the drive bay where you will install your new drive. Its best practice to leave as much room between devices to allow better air flow for cooling. If possible leave a drive bay between the device your about to install and any existing device. While it is ok to use all drive bays, if there are spare bays, use them to space your devices.

IDE Hard drive Rear Panel

The next step is to configure the DIP switches on the rear of the hard drive. The correct position of the shunt is normally marked either near the DIP switches or on a sticker on the top of the drive, it should also be referenced in the documentation supplied with the device. The shunt simply slides on and off the switches and can be moved to the correct position.

There are 3 options, Cable Select, Master, Slave.

Master should be selected if the new drive will be the only device on the IDE cable.

Slave should be selected if there is already a device connected to the cable you will connect to. The device already connected to the cable should be master, check the DIP switches on the existing device to ensure one device will be master and one slave. Any 2 IDE devices (optical drive/hard drive) can share a single cable. I prefer to always make a hard drive master when sharing with an optical drive.

Cable Select can be selected when devices will be attached as in the figure below. The connector furthest from the motherboard is master, the middle connector is slave. Notice the distant between the connectors, the 2 connectors closest to each other connect to devices, the furthest connector plugs into the IDE controller on the motherboard.

Most motherboards that use IDE devices have 2 connectors, meaning you can connect a total of 4 IDE devices to 2 cables. Consult your motherboards documentation as the number of IDE connectors on motherboards can vary.

Insert Drive into Drive Bay

Once you have set all your DIP switches, slide the device into the drive bay. Make sure there is no obstruction from stray cables etc. Take the screws supplied with the device and secure the drive in place.

Connecting IDE and Power Cables

Once your IDE new hard drive is in place, connect the IDE cable and power cable. IDE cables are marked down one side with either a black or red stripe, this denotes Pin 1, match this with Pin 1 indicated on the rear of the device. Most IDE cables can only be inserted correctly, but check for Pin 1 before inserting. When inserting or removing IDE cables do not push or pull on the cable, only apply pressure by holding the plastic connector. Insert the power cable, power cables can only be inserted the correct way; note the rounded and sharp corners ensuring correct orientation. The power connectors run from the power supply and PC manufacturers always provide extra connectors for upgrading.

Completing the Installation

Double check all your cables are correctly seated and DIP switches are correctly set. Replace your computers covers. When you restart your PC the BIOS should automatically detect the new device. Once windows starts go to My Computer and you should see the new drive listed there. The drive letter assigned to your new device will depend on your PCs configuration. If there was a CD supplied with the hard drive, insert and follow the instructions, most often this will install a file system so the operating system can read and write to the drive. If this will be your only hard drive you will need to install an operating System. If you need to format the drive follow the instructions below.

In Windows 2000 use "Computer Management", from the left pane select "Disk Management", then from the right window right click the new drive and select "Format" and follow the instructions.

Format drive in Windows 2000.

In Windows 95/98/ME open "Windows Explorer" right click the new hard drive and select format.

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