hard drive instalation

oksanen · 07-03-2005, 02:00 PM

I am asking for a brief overview of what is involved in putting in a bigger hard drive. Is it as simple as disconecting the old one and reconnecting the new one? Then I assume I put an OS disk into the cd drive and follow the instructions?
I'm using a P3 chip and running ME. I want to install XP whenI put in my bigger drive (which I have not purchased yet). Any advise on what size and type of drive to buy and from where? I like to down load movies and music a lot.

William

**UncleMacro** · 07-03-2005, 11:24 PM

Adding a new hard disk is usually pretty straightforward. Installing Windows XP is usually not too difficult but sometimes you have to chase down drivers to get everything in the computer working again.

Regarding the hard disk: you may have to deal with size limitations on the hard disk. There are two different things which can limit the maximum size hard disk you can use: the operating system, and the BIOS.

Windows ME has a limitation of 137GB. If you want to get a hard disk bigger than 137GB it would be a good time to switch to Windows XP. XP can access extremely large hard disks.

The BIOS (a program built into the motherboard) can also limit the maximum size hard disk you can use. Given that you're running a Pentium 3 your computer probably has a limit on the maximum hard disk it can access. You may be able to get a BIOS update to overcome any limitation built into the BIOS. But if you get a name-brand hard disk (Seagate, Maxtor, Western Digital), they all come with programs which can overcome the BIOS limit in your motherboard.

Maxtor has a little "interactive" guide which shows how to install one of their hard disks although their operating system installation part is out of date. This is an installation guide from Western Digital. The procedure is basically the same for any of the name-brand hard disks.

When it comes to which brand of hard disk to get, I'd suggest either Maxtor or Seagate. I have nothing against Western Digital but I just bought a 160GB drive a few days ago for a computer I just built and it makes a teeny little whine noise all the time. The Maxtors and Seagates you buy at retail these days use fluid dynamic bearing motors which have no spin noise at all. Usually the cheapest way to buy a hard disk is to buy them at retail stores like CompUSA, Best Buy, or Fry's (assuming you're in the US) when they have a large rebate. There always seems to be one model which is offered with a very large rebate at any given time. For example, this Friday's Fry's ad has a 200GB Seagate for US$108.88 with a US$60 rebate and Best Buy has a 250GB Western Digital for US$180 with an US$80 rebate. That just seems to be the cheapest way to buy them.

I assume your machine uses PATA (parallel ATA) which uses the ribbon cable since it's a Pentium 3. You should check just to be sure. When you get the drive, make sure you don't get a SATA (serial ATA). Those are the new drives which use a different kind of cable which is not compatible with motherboards which support only PATA.

When you add the new drive, if you want you can probably leave your old drive connected so you can see both drives. Most computers can handle at least four hard disks and CD-ROMs so if you've only got three or less currently installed, then you can leave your old drive installed. Those installation guides I linked above show you how to do that but basically you just set the jumpers for your new drive to "master" and the old drive to "slave".

Regarding size, if you have lots of video then you can never have enough space. 250GB drives tend to be available for about US$100 but drives get much more expensive if you go above 250GB.

oksanen · 07-07-2005, 04:32 PM

Uncle Macro,

Thank you for your detailed reply to my hard disc instalation questions. The information you shared helped me considerably to make some enlightened choices! By the way it is from Vancouver, British Columbia that I am posting.

william

07-03-2005, 02:00 PM	#1 (permalink)
oksanen Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 2 OS: ME	hard drive instalation I am asking for a brief overview of what is involved in putting in a bigger hard drive. Is it as simple as disconecting the old one and reconnecting the new one? Then I assume I put an OS disk into the cd drive and follow the instructions? I'm using a P3 chip and running ME. I want to install XP whenI put in my bigger drive (which I have not purchased yet). Any advise on what size and type of drive to buy and from where? I like to down load movies and music a lot. William

07-07-2005, 04:32 PM	#3 (permalink)
oksanen Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 2 OS: ME	Thanks Uncle Macro, Thank you for your detailed reply to my hard disc instalation questions. The information you shared helped me considerably to make some enlightened choices! By the way it is from Vancouver, British Columbia that I am posting. william

07-03-2005, 11:24 PM	#2 (permalink)
UncleMacro TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: San Diego Posts: 2,133 OS: Vista SP1 My System	Adding a new hard disk is usually pretty straightforward. Installing Windows XP is usually not too difficult but sometimes you have to chase down drivers to get everything in the computer working again. Regarding the hard disk: you may have to deal with size limitations on the hard disk. There are two different things which can limit the maximum size hard disk you can use: the operating system, and the BIOS. Windows ME has a limitation of 137GB. If you want to get a hard disk bigger than 137GB it would be a good time to switch to Windows XP. XP can access extremely large hard disks. The BIOS (a program built into the motherboard) can also limit the maximum size hard disk you can use. Given that you're running a Pentium 3 your computer probably has a limit on the maximum hard disk it can access. You may be able to get a BIOS update to overcome any limitation built into the BIOS. But if you get a name-brand hard disk (Seagate, Maxtor, Western Digital), they all come with programs which can overcome the BIOS limit in your motherboard. Maxtor has a little "interactive" guide which shows how to install one of their hard disks although their operating system installation part is out of date. This is an installation guide from Western Digital. The procedure is basically the same for any of the name-brand hard disks. When it comes to which brand of hard disk to get, I'd suggest either Maxtor or Seagate. I have nothing against Western Digital but I just bought a 160GB drive a few days ago for a computer I just built and it makes a teeny little whine noise all the time. The Maxtors and Seagates you buy at retail these days use fluid dynamic bearing motors which have no spin noise at all. Usually the cheapest way to buy a hard disk is to buy them at retail stores like CompUSA, Best Buy, or Fry's (assuming you're in the US) when they have a large rebate. There always seems to be one model which is offered with a very large rebate at any given time. For example, this Friday's Fry's ad has a 200GB Seagate for US$108.88 with a US$60 rebate and Best Buy has a 250GB Western Digital for US$180 with an US$80 rebate. That just seems to be the cheapest way to buy them. I assume your machine uses PATA (parallel ATA) which uses the ribbon cable since it's a Pentium 3. You should check just to be sure. When you get the drive, make sure you don't get a SATA (serial ATA). Those are the new drives which use a different kind of cable which is not compatible with motherboards which support only PATA. When you add the new drive, if you want you can probably leave your old drive connected so you can see both drives. Most computers can handle at least four hard disks and CD-ROMs so if you've only got three or less currently installed, then you can leave your old drive installed. Those installation guides I linked above show you how to do that but basically you just set the jumpers for your new drive to "master" and the old drive to "slave". Regarding size, if you have lots of video then you can never have enough space. 250GB drives tend to be available for about US$100 but drives get much more expensive if you go above 250GB.