A hard drive is considered to be one of the most important of the storage devices found on a modern computer. When installing a hard drive on any computer it must be done logically and with great precision. Although it is not a process that will take a considerable amount of time it must be done properly to ensure that everything will work as planed when you are complete. The complete process should take no longer then one half hour maximum from start to finish.
The first thing that you must do is turn your computer off. This may seem silly but you would be surprised at the number of people who would try to remove or replace their hard drive with the computer left on. The power must be completely shut off and as an added safety precaution the power cord should be removed.
You will next be required to remove the case from the computer thus exposing the insides. Be sure to let the entire component group cool down at this time. Brushing your hand against a very hot component is not a very enjoyable event. After all has cooled properly take and remove all the cables which are attached to the CPU. Anytime that you remove any sort of wires from your computer do so very carefully and with the utmost care. Being careless when you are removing the wires could cause damage to components, sockets or the wires themselves.
Now is the time to get those tools out. You will need a cross-tip screwdriver that matches the size screws which hold the hard drive case cover on. Unscrew your hard drive case and carefully remove the hard drive. The cable which connects is going to be a IDE cable this is one of the flat type cables which resemble a ribbon or a SATA hard drive cable thinner and rounded edges.
An important point that should be made at this time is to remember to inspect the jumper settings for your machine when installing the hard drive. These jumpers are used to configure various devices used within the computer. They are actually small metal pins with tiny black plastic sleeves which mount securely on the pins. In the event that you have only the one drive then you should select the master settings. If this will be an additional drive then set the master for your primary drive and this one as the slave.
In order to properly align the drives make certain that you check for the alignment notch. Insert the hard drive into the drive case as per the alignment notches. Slide the case at this time back into position. Screw the drive securely in place with the screws that you removed earlier. Plug all the cables that were previously removed back into their respective locations. Connect the power once again and turn the machine on.
The computer should automatically detect your drive and once the operating system has fully loaded click on "My Computer" to see if the hard drive is listed there. Lastly go back and recheck all the cables and connections to ensure a good fit. Place the cover on the computer and this project is completed
