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problem with upgrading harddisk
hi, in the late of 2005, i bought a dell desktop computer which's model is - Dell Dimension 5100
I am not quite sure but I believe the motherboard is somewhat "Intel 945G " (I am not into hardware too much)
, i bought a new harddisk yesterday with the purpose of acting as a second harddrive for data storage, so i
won't remove the original one. Here I have some questions about the installation and setup
1. My hardware manual states that I should use some mounting screw to mount my harddisk securely, but
as I see the original harddisk (that comes with dell dimension) does not have any screws attached to it,
and of coz no one has modified the harddisk so far, it just has a plastic case holding the harddisk in place,
so, do i need to add screw to my new harddisk? ( by the way my harddisk doesn't come with any screws
in package).
2. My new harddisk is a 1000GB seagate running SATA II , does my dell dimension 5100 support it? Do I
need to set any jumper to it? and what do I need to do with my BISO settings? Do I need to partition the
harddisk into smaller partitions?
Please help, Many thanks to you guy. By the way, my dell dimension 5100 was ordered in Hong Kong, I am
not quite sure if the hardware details will have any difference with your local one.
shesagordie
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October 3rd, 2008 03:00
How to add an additional SATA hard drive to the 5100.
There should a spare SATA power connector inside the case.
For the hard drive installation instructions, go here
You will need a 22" [or longer] x 180* x 90* [right angle] SATA data cable, similar to this
After the internal hard drive is installed, enter the setup and check that the drive is set to auto [on].
Go here for the 5100 system setup.
For windows to recognize the second hard drive, it must be patitioned and formatted. These are generic instructions for installing an additional hard drive using Windows XP Disk Management, they are by Seagate, but apply to all brands.
The hard drive placed in a plastic bracket [no screws are required]
If you need the plastic bracket, it can be purchased from here.
Yes, the 5100 support a 1TB hard drive and SATA2 hard drives are backwards compatible to SATA1.
No need to create smaller partitions, unless you wish to.
Bev.
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kenny1999
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October 3rd, 2008 04:00
Thank you shesagordie
you gave a wonderful answer to my questions, thank you
Sorry , but I still have some questions in response to your reply.
You say "You will need a 22" [or longer] x 180* x 90* [right angle] SATA data cable, similar to this"
I don't really get what you mean by 180* x 90* [right angle] and I don't have a ruler on hand now,
i have just bought a SATA cable this morning from some computer shop nearby, does the physical
dimensions of the cable is really that important?
By the way, does a SATA cable has difference between the two ends?? Which end should I use to connect
to my hard drive? But it seems they don't have much difference?
Sometimes I see people talking about "SATA" and "SATA II" i woud like to ask if there are also "SATA" and
"SATA II" cable? I worry if it is wrong because the cable i bought is only printed with "Serial ATA", and I
am not sure if my harddisk is SATA or SATA II , or if my dell 5100 supports SATA or SATA II, ... my harddisk
is Seagate 1000gb 3.5" 7200RPM 32MB cache ...
Actually , you said "For windows to recognize the second hard drive, it must be patitioned and formatted.
....." and you said in your last word "No need to create smaller partitions, unless you wish to."
so, do i need to partition my new harddisk then?
By the way, is that the harddisk will have a better performance if I partition it ? Personally do you
recommend me to partition it? If yes, how many partition do you recommend for my 1000gb harddisk?
I remember sometimes I encounter such words like NTFS, FAT32, etc word when using PartitionMagic ,
so what is that and what type should I choose to format?
by the way, is the original power supply comes with my 5100 enough? I can just use that spare power cable
to connect my new drive and everything will be alright?
Many thanks again
shesagordie
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October 3rd, 2008 19:00
Yes, you need to partition and format the hard drive, using XP disk management, it can be either one large partition, or several smaller partitions, it's your choice. Personally, I prefer one large partition.
Regards to SATA data cable check the link, I posted.
Yes, the cable lenght is important, as is the cable having a 90* connector at one end, to attach to the hard drive.
A Serial ATA cable is fine.
Most of the newer SATA hard drives, are SATA-2, but they are backwards compatible to SATA-1.
The original 5100 power supply is fine.
Bev.
===================================================
Please don't send me questions about your system by DCF Messenger.
Post the issue in the appropriate Board, where they will be answered.