2 Ways to Add an Extra Hard Drive to Your Computer

By:JR Lang

A convenient and easy way to add more storage space to your computer is by adding an extra hard drive. This can be done two ways: Adding an internal hard drive or an external hard drive.

To add an extra internal hard drive you must first do some research into your computer. You must check your computer manual or with the manufacturer to find out what kind drive you need before you make the purchase.

Also, you need to know how many hard disk drives already exist on the machine. Most will have only one, and hence it is relatively easy to install another one. If you open up your machine you will find the optical drive for the CD or DVD, maybe a floppy disk drive and the single hard disk drive. If you do not know what the internal hard drive looks like, look at the photos and diagrams in the manual.

The cable system is a very important element when adding an extra internal drive to the computer. There are two common cables that are used to connect drives to the motherboard. One is the IDE drive, which are also known as PATA or Parallel ATA. These cables are flat or thick and are as wide as your finger.

The other is the SATA drives or the Serial ATA drives. These cables are thin and are about the diameter of a pencil. By looking at the cables, you should know which of these cables have to be bought for installing your extra internal hard drive.

It is also possible that your computer has SCSI hard drives, for which you need SCSI cables. The most common types are the PATA or the SATA drives.

If your machine already has two internal hard drives, then it is a little difficult to install a third one. Check out whether there is space for a third drive and if there is no more space left inside the cage, then you could add an external hard drive.

An external hard drive with an enclosure system is probably the easiest way to add an extra hard drive to your computer. The system is fairly simple because you add a standard hard drive outside of the computer CPU and it sits on a desk-friendly case and connects to your computer via USB or FireWire. After you format your new external hard drive, it immediately registers as an extra drive on your computer. Now you can perform normal actions like adding, changing, creating and deleting files.

There are a couple of advantages to adding an external hard drive to your computer, the installation is easy and you do not have to open up the computer case and if you need more space in the future it is very easy to swap for a bigger drive.

Digg del.icio.us Blink Stumble Spurl Reddit Netscape Furl

Article keywords: internal hard drive, external hard drive, adding an internal drive, adding an external drive

Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com

You can learn more about computers and laptops, read helpful guides, and browse a large selection of hard drives, laptop computers and accessories at discounted prices at: Used Cheap Laptops and Cheap Laptop Computers.

Top Hardware Articles
1). Acer Aspire 3004WLCi - A Quick Review By : James Morris I recently found myself in need of a new laptop. With a tight budget and moderate needs, I knew it wasn't going to be easy to find a product that would do what I wanted and still be in my price range. As a Network Technician and a Web Designer, I needed a machine that would have enough storage to store all my software, projects for my clients, and still be able to handle an occasional temporary operating system backup from a client's machine.
2). A market study of colour printers By : John Sollars The printer manufacturing market seems to be a booming one. Manufacturers are no doubt eyeing expansion and coming up with newer products to capture the burgeoning market. The manufacturers are interested in the colour -printer sector for purely reasons of expansion. There is stiff competition between the makers as all are concentrating to keep the prices low to capture the market.
3). Read This Before You Buy A Laptop. By : Robert Michael Looking to buy a laptop? Congratulations! So, do you want a thin-and-light notebook, a mainstream notebook, an ultra portable notebook, or a business notebook? And do you want that in a Dell, a Gateway, an IBM, a Sony, or a Toshiba, to name just a few of your options? Confused yet? It really can be overwhelming. But buying a laptop doesn’t have to mean learning a whole new language.
4). The Types Of Computer Memory By : Robert Thatcher How can a computer be such an amazing gadget? To many people they just can’t be so amazed on how computers have changed the way we live. Computers can now be found in many sizes and shapes. Almost every home appliance seems to have their own mini computer located somewhere. From cars to buildings to almost every gadget there is, most of the time each one has a computer working to make them run and change the very way we live life.
5). Find your laptop drivers easily! By : Mohammad Abdullatif Many people, especially beginners, struggle in finding drivers for their laptops. In this article, I will illustrate two ways to help you find your laptop drivers quickly, and easily. The first method we will consider is to visit a company's website, and attempt to find a 'Drivers' or 'downloads' link. If a similar link is not immediately apparent, look for a search box.
6). Tips Before You Buy a Scanner By : James Hunt When buying a scanner or printer, it is always a good idea to look for advice if you are not sure what you are looking for or what you need. All too often people...
7). Computer Consulting 101 PC Troubleshooting Advice By : Joshua Feinberg While most small businesses really do need to find a good local computer consulting business to take care of their computer problems, there are some computer problems that are simple enough for even a technophobe to handle. At Computer Consulting 101, we've found there's one very simple piece of advice that often doesn't get communicated to non-technical small business end users: When in doubt, reboot first.
8). Building A Computer Introduction By : Chris Silop If you are reading this article, you are probably wondernig, why and how do you build a computer. Building your own computer is more simple than you think and has many benefits. Why Build A Computer? Building a computer has many benefits over buying a premade. First of all, it is generally cheaper if you build your own than buying one. If you shop your components, your DIY(Do it yourself) computer will be cheaper than its premade equivalent.
9). History of Hewlett Packard and Ink By : John Sollars Hewlett Packard’s tryst with ink took off when it acquired a company named F.L Mosley based in California in 1958. Mosley was manufacturing recorders and plotters for industrial applications such as continuous process monitoring systems, data loggers and the like in the 1950’s. Hewlett Packard was the pioneer in imaging and printing technologies. It was the first in the market during the 1980’s to come up with inkjet and laser technology used in printers until date.
10). Laptop Accessories By : Dave Klein Finally! You’ve managed to get that long-promised vacation. While enjoying the lazy sea breeze and coconut drinks at your tropical hideout, you decide to finish that closing report and mail it back to the home office, before really getting down to party. Luckily, you don’t have to depend on antiquated hotel computer systems. You clever man, you have your own computer laptop! The advantages of having a laptop are very obvious.

New Hardware Articles
1). Pocket PC Shareware Can Make Your PDA Both Useful And Fun By : Ron Heller Pocket PC Shareware is exploding on the new, as a part of the PDA revolution. Before you download any of that good stuff, you should be aware of some of the pitfalls. And this article will lay them down for you.
2). PDA Phone - Why Are They The Next Trend In The Mobile Computers World? By : Ron Heller The PDA-Phone combination is the latest trend in the PDA world, which had to happen in order to compete with the raising popularity of notebook computer. Is a PDA-phone the eight thing for you? Read the article to find out
3). Computer Consultant Skills: Do You Have to Have 20 Certifications? By : Joshua Feinberg I've had more than one person tell me, "Well, I’m a MCP or I’m a CNA and I’ve got this one cert but I’m working on like 15 more certs and as soon as I get my 19th cert, five years from now, I’ll be all set to be a computer consultant." That’s just a hunk of bologna. Know why? Small Business Aren't Using Cutting-Edge Technology Most small businesses don’t care how many certifications you have.
4). Xerox - Its Journey with Ink By : John Sollars Chester Carlson inventor of xerography founded the Haloid Company on April 18, 1935. The company manufactured and sold photographic paper! It was based in Rochester New York. In the year 1942 Carlson received U.S. patent No. 2,297,691 on Oct. 6 for electrophotography, later called xerography, the technology that revolutionized the world of imaging.
5). The History of Canon - From an Optical Lab to a Multimedia Giant! By : John Sollars Canon, according to the dictionary means is a general law, rule, principle or criterion; church decree or law; member of cathedral chapter; body of writings accepted as genuine. Now what I am talking about is a company that manufactures user-friendly products! Canon the camera making company that now gives varied other products and services to the world such as printers, inks and fax machines and copiers! Canon’s Roots Canon’s roots were laid in 1933 with very few employees as a precision optical instruments lab.
6). Four Power System Problems Common in Colocation Facilities By : RobertAIS The primary factor that determines uptime for servers in a colocation facility is power. Power outages will knock a network offline and even damage hardware such as motherboards, memory, and hard drives. Despite how intrinsic power is to keeping businesses connected to their networks, only 2% to 3% of colocation facilities have the right power systems in place.
7). Epson Yesterday and Today By : John Sollars Epson started as watch making company Seiko Epson Corporation, Japan. Epson was established in 1961 to manufacture precision parts for Seiko watches, back then it was called Shinsu Precision Manufacturing Company. Epson’s first foray into the printing and imaging business was the Olympics of 1964 held in Tokyo. The company was awarded a contract to develop a precision timer for the Games.
8). Konica Minolta By : John Sollars Konica Minolta, the name usually brings to mind their camera or their photographic materials. However, it is also one of the top players in the printing and ink manufacturing business. The lines below will take you through a brief history of the company and touch upon their all-new environment friendly polymerized toner. Konica’s Humble Beginnings Like all other big names in the printing business Konica Minolta too has roots way back in the past and forayed into the printing business due to the potential of printers and inks in the market.
9). Lexmark - Relatively new to the market but already on top! By : John Sollars Lexmark does not have the advantage of the proverbial long history in its kitty of printing and imaging solutions like its competitors to bank on; however it has managed to make a mark on the imaging and printing industry. One of its important technologies is the Photo Cartridge and PrecisionSense Technology. Its Brief Glorious History Lexmark was established fairly recently in 1991 previously a printing and imaging division of technology giant IBM.
10). Computer Consulting: Use Your Time Wisely By : Joshua Feinberg Time is money. If you're not careful in your computer consulting business, you'll waste both. With a little discipline and structure, you can maximize the return on your time. Journal Your Time One way to determine your computer consulting time is by journaling. Write down everything you do for a couple of weeks to determine what you do with your time, where the time wasters are, and what you could do to improve your time management.