Problems with Installing a new Hard Drive

kig

I recently purchase a new WD 320GB Hard drive over the net, to install in my dell dimension PC. The problem is that the HD is much smaller than the one I am replacing, and doesn't fit in the holder. Is this a problem, is there something that I should get to get it to fit, or can it lie loose within the PC console? Also they didn't send a sata cable with it, is there somewhere in Dublin I can get these things? I have never done this before (as you can probably see), but was led to believe that it would be a simple process, which it now isn't - can anyone please advise.

yoyo

kig wrote: »

I recently purchase a new WD 320GB Hard drive over the net, to install in my dell dimension PC. The problem is that the HD is much smaller than the one I am replacing, and doesn't fit in the holder. Is this a problem, is there something that I should get to get it to fit, or can it lie loose within the PC console? Also they didn't send a sata cable with it, is there somewhere in Dublin I can get these things? I have never done this before (as you can probably see), but was led to believe that it would be a simple process, which it now isn't - can anyone please advise.

You probably baught a laptop hard disk 2.5" compared to the 3.5" hard disk that was in the computer. Yes these can be semi secured in a drive bay without issues (make sure it is firmly screwed in to one side) but your probably better off getting brackets like these to fit the drive into a 3.5" bay properly. Regarding SATA cables peats, maplins even pc world I'm sure would sell them.
You may also need a Molex to SATA power adaptor like this:

To power the drive (check if the power supply has multiple SATA power ports firstly)

Nick

kig

Thanks Nick, I'll try that.

ScumLord

If your not going to be moving your PC around you can just leave it on a shelf inside, I've done that before. It's not going to affect the performance of the drive could . I currently have one of my hard drives (SSD) sellotaped to the case inside as one of the cables wasn't long enough to reach the drive bays.

kig

i've installed the new harddrive, but am not sure how to set it up, when I go into 'My Computer' now it doesn't come up as an additional drive, even though I have switched it on in the initial set-up. Can anyone help, I'm afraid I am a bit clueless with this.

FSL

From
Control Panel/Administrative Tools/Computer Management under storage click Disk Management

The new drive should show up as an un-formatted volume.

You can then partition it if you want more than one partition and format each partition.

Before doing anything make absolutely sure you have selected the new unformatted drive not your OS drive.

kig

Thanks, seems to be working now.