How to install a new hard drive on your computer. Features of installing hard drives of different formats. Preparing the hard drive for use

With most devices, everything is indecently simple: plug the board or module into the computer - and get to work! As a last resort, you will need to select drivers for the operating system, but even a beginner can handle this job!
One of the few exceptions is precisely HDD— we’ll have to tinker with him a little longer.

Installation hard drive.

The hard drive must be installed in a special bay in the middle part system unit, which is located just below the CD-ROM or DVD drive. You can insert the hard drive there from the inside or outside (by removing one of the plastic “plugs” on the front of the case).

TO system board The hard drive is connected using a special IDE cable (new computer models also use a thin SATA cable). And the cable, in turn, is connected to one of two rectangular IDE connectors, installed, as a rule, in the front part of the motherboard, near the front side of the system unit. Next to them there is another connector of a similar shape, but a little smaller - you need to connect a floppy drive to it. An IDE or SATA connector allows you to connect both a CD drive and a hard drive.

Let us remind you that the IDE interface, traditional for computers, allows you to connect up to four internal drives— two for each IDE channel. On motherboard There are two rectangular IDE connectors, usually installed in the front of the motherboard, near the front of the system unit.

It’s worth talking specifically about connecting cables for connecting drives.

First of all, note that each IDE cable typically has three connectors, with two of them located close to each other. We will connect our IDE drives to these two connectors, and the farthest connector will fit comfortably into the socket of one of the two IDE controllers on the motherboard.

At first glance, the connectors are arranged absolutely symmetrically - two rows of identical holes. And it seems that you can plug these connectors into the socket as best you can.

But if you look closely, you will notice a red vein on one side of the cable - it indicates the so-called “zero” wire. And you need to connect the cable so that the side of the cable marked with the red vein “looks” towards the power connector. On the motherboard, this side is on the right, where the processor socket and the case power supply are located. This rule is also relevant for the other end of the cable - and here the “red” side of the cable should face the power connector.

By the way , before connecting connecting cable don't forget to install in correct position switches on the drive itself. After all, we remember that, depending on the order of access, each of the two IDE devices connected to the controller can be either "main" (Master), or "subordinate" (Slave). There cannot be two IDE “masters” or two “slaves” on one channel, and therefore on one cable.

On the back panel of any disk drive or hard drive there are jumpers with which you can select the “role” for the device - whether it should be in charge or pull the subordinate strap.

The main device on the first IDE channel should always be a hard drive - after all, it is from it that the system is booted. It is best to make the second, slave device on the same cable a second hard drive. Well, if there is no second hard drive, let no one bear the “slave” share.

The second required drive - CD-ROM or DVD - should be made the “master” of the second IDE channel, “hung” on a separate cable. Of course, a hard drive and a CD(DVD)-ROM can coexist on the same channel, but the data transfer speed from such proximity drops somewhat.

Definition type hard disk in BIOS.After installing the new hard drive (I hope you did everything correctly? For example, you connected the IDE cable exactly as needed - the red wire is closer to the power connector!) We need to make sure that the newly transplanted hard drive has been accepted by the main one responsible for new hardware, BIOS.

It's quite easy to do this:

Turn on your computer and enter BIOS, pressing Del button immediately after the first inscriptions appear on the screen. Just in case, press the button several times to be sure that you managed to “catch the moment.”
After entering the BIOS, go to the STANDARD CMOS SETUP menu and make sure that your hard drive is in the list of connected devices. Check whether its capacity is correctly determined, as well as the type of connection (Master, Slave). Remember that if your computer has only one hard drive, it must be defined as Primary Master. If you installed new disk together with the old one, you can make it both Primary Slave and Secondary Master - it doesn’t matter.
To be on the safe side, return to the main page. BIOS menuand go to IDE HDD Autodetection - after clicking Enter keys BIOS yet will check your computer for new drives.

If everything went well, exit the BIOS, remembering to save the new settings.

Preparing the disk and partitioning it. If you assembled your computer yourself or installed a new hard drive into the system, you still need to prepare it for the responsible work of storing data. So to speak, plowing the field before sowing. To do this, we will have to perform several operations - create logical partitions on the disk and format them.

If the hard drive you bought is the only one in the computer, then that’s it. necessary procedures will be executed during Windows installation

Creating a new partition

Boot from the system CD (the installation procedure should start automatically) - and install Windows normal in order. But if new hard drive you are installing in addition to the old one, which already has a working Windows version XP, then all procedures for preparing a hard drive can be performed using its standard utilities.

Click the Start button, go to Control Panel and select Administrative Tools. In the folder that opens, click on the Computer Management icon, and then on the Disk Management line.

At the bottom right of the Disk Management window you will see full list drives installed in your system and their status. Naturally, the new hard drive will be shown as “unallocated”. Which means that no logical partitions have been created on it yet and the disk is not formatted.

We will now start creating sections.

What is a section? This is, one might say, a piece disk space, with which the computer can work, both with separate disk. Most often, large hard drives are “split” into two logical partitions - for convenience (the first partition can be allocated for operating system and programs, and on the second - to store user documents and settings). But in fact, the tradition of “breaking” hard drives appeared in an era when many computers simply could not work with hard drives more than a certain volume.

We discuss issues of choice hard drives. The main hard differences disks, their operating parameters, and also recommendations on choosing hard disks for certain tasks. In today's article we would like to dwell on the issues of putting a hard drive into operation.
Previous analysis modern market hard drives showed that there were practically no players left on it. The key players remain Seagate and Western Digital, Toshiba, which received the business after purchasing the bankrupt Fujitsu division, is playing the role of a catching up independent manufacturer. A comparison of various hard drives showed that competing models may differ in operating noise, performance, but this difference so low that it can be neglected. When choosing a universal hard drive, we recommend paying attention to the release date, which is indicated on the label, as well as its cost. The newer the hard drive, the better, since there is less chance that you will end up with a Thai drowned man or a disk with outdated, problematic firmware. There are already too many firmwares in the computer and often, not many people can take the time to update the firmware of the hard drives. At the same time, it is often hard disks causes various lags and freezing of the operating system, which must be taken into account by all computer users, especially laptops.

Some may disagree and begin to argue that hard drives are reliable. Unfortunately, using last generation hard drives for different brands we cannot confirm this - problems occur in all manufacturers, with approximately equal frequency. This is understandable, a hard drive is a mechanical nanotechnological device in which small parts carry out constant movement - this leads to the inability to eliminate the risk of defective products entering the market. For such users, we recommend purchasing a hard drive from the manufacturer that is closest to the “soul” and instills confidence.

For other rational users, we recommend taking a closer look not at the brand, but at the store where you purchase it. U manufacturers of hard There are practically no dealer warranties for discs in our country. service centers, so if the device fails, you will have to go to the store where you purchased it. Often, regional "sharashkin's offices" strike a pose. Such offices can be immediately identified by the terms of the warranty for the product sold. If instead of a two, three, five year warranty on a hard drive they offer you 6 months or one year, then you will not get any warranty from them. Fortunately, there are fewer and fewer such offices, since such network giants as Yulmart, Citylink, CSN are opening their representative offices in almost all regions, which reduces the cost of products while simultaneously increasing quality warranty service. Replacement is often made faulty hard disk for a new one or a refund of the money paid.

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Few users know how to handle a newly purchased hard drive. The most experienced in this regard should be considered users who began their acquaintance with the computer from the time of the operating room. MS-DOS systems, when each operation was “felt” through command line. Today everything has been simplified to the point of disgrace. It is worth inserting a CD with the operating system into the drive Windows system 7, as soon as it detects new hard drives, it will offer to create partitions on it and will format it itself, creating the most popular file system- NTFS. But many users consider this not sufficient, since it does not allow at least a preliminary assessment of the quality and reliability of the purchased hard drive. Therefore, the following specific advice is given.

Firstly, the purchased hard drive must be carefully inspected in the delivery department for any dents, scratches, as well as signs of previous mounting in the system unit. In the latter case, as a rule, the paint flies off the screw holes. Often hard drives are shipped in anti-static sealed bags, if the package is marked as the hard drive and it is sealed - you are still responsible for any defects on the hard drive itself, so don't be lazy - print it out and inspect the device. This is due to the fact that modern hard drives are quite sensitive to mechanical influences and there are frequent cases of spindle jamming or head block displacement due to falls or impacts, which can happen in any store - people work everywhere.

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As soon as you bring the hard drive home, install it in the system unit in accordance with all the rules. It should not be cramped; it is advisable that there should be one free slot at the top and bottom, and that it is secured to the body with all four screws or latches. The rubber gaskets used to reduce the level of transmitted vibration should not interfere with reliable fixation of the device. In this case, it does not matter how you install the hard drive - upside down or with the controller unit - the hard drive will still work, the main thing is that it is securely fixed. Next, connect all the cables and make sure that the voltage along the 5 volt line of your power supply is not too high or low. An underestimation will lead to constant “stop starts” of the hard drive, and an overestimation will lead to operation at elevated temperatures.

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Well, the third one key moment- Are you going to additionally check the reliability of the selected hard drive? If not, then you can start working, but periodically doing backups contents of your new device - this will protect you from catastrophic loss of information. Many users want to immediately determine the endurance of their hard drive, even before they upload their valuable data onto it. Typically, these device runs take a long time and can only be recommended for users who actually have one.

To begin with, it is recommended to enable the S.M.A.R.T check. devices at the BIOS level. Then independently evaluate the values of the new device through special programs. It makes sense to take a screenshot of the S.M.A.R.T. values. before testing begins, so that comparison can be made after it.

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The next step is to start testing linear speed read the entire disk. Typically this is a package of Everest Ultimate, AIDA or HD Tune. After evaluating the data obtained, compare them with the data of other hard drives in this class. If +/- 10%, then this is quite normal. More high difference should make you think, and if there is a difference of more than 50%, study in more detail the reason for the poor performance of the new device and check its performance on another computer. In case of problems, replace it under warranty. Similarly, estimate the access time to data on magnetic disks.

Then the surface of the magnetic disks is tested. As a rule, the MHDD or Victoria program is chosen for these purposes. The first program and the second up to version 3.5 work exclusively within the operating system DOS systems, which becomes unacceptable for many users. Victoria program 4.3 works in Windows environment 7, but requires running as a computer administrator. After starting the program in random search mode, leave it for a day. The hard drive begins to crackle and crackle all day and all night. Then it is recommended to repeat the test for a similar period, but in Butterfly mode.

Almost the last test is to launch the IOMeter program. After setting small block sizes, setting up random search, read-write ratios, you start the process. It is also recommended to test for about 24 hours. It makes no sense to compare the obtained data with other hard drives, so simply evaluate the performance of the drive and look at the S.M.A.R.T table. If everything is fine, then your disk is reliable and will fail in the next 24 hours - no one can guarantee you more, but peace of mind is still worth a lot.

It can be done on a computer or laptop both in specialized service centers and at home. The difference is that in the second case, you must have the necessary minimum knowledge in this area.

Therefore, today on the blog we will analyze the main directions that will serve as a guide for you in this. AND help you install a new hard drive with minimal loss of time and nerves.

Firstly, to install a new HDD, you need to know what type of connector to the motherboard is used in this particular drive. As you probably already know, on older computers this is IDE, and on newer ones it is SATA. Therefore, it is advisable to take care of purchasing it immediately, so that force majeure does not arise during installation.

So we have a new hard drive, a connection cable too, let's start installing it in its regular place in the system unit case. Usually it is located below the compartment where the CD-ROM is located.

Therefore, opening both side covers of the “system unit”, carefully insert it into the socket and screw it tightly with standard screws. Why am I drawing your attention? it's all about the length of the screw... Fasteners not from the computer arsenal can be shorter, or even worse, longer, which can lead to the formation extraneous noise when your computer is running due to incomplete tightening. Do you need it…..????

Next, we connect the electrical part, making sure that all connectors are firmly in place. And observing safety precautions with electrical appliances, we start the computer. I always carry out the first launch with the side covers open to make sure that everything is working properly.

Clicking POWER button and then F2, Del or some other to check that our computer detects a new hard drive. To do this, go to the BOOT section where our device should be registered something like: Boot Device-. If there is a disk in the list, number one, that is, First Boot Device, press the F10 key and confirm Enter to exit the BIOS.

If you installed a new hard drive to replace the old one and you don’t have more disks with an OS (operating system) installed, it is advisable to immediately “partition” it into partitions.
Because after you install the OS, you won’t be able to do it yourself.

To split disks into partitions, there are many, both paid and free programs.
I am using the program Acronis Disk Director which is available on all licensed installation disks.

I think that for the convenience of working on a computer, you should not create more than 2 or 3 partitions.

The best option for saving files may be to create subpartitions in the local "D" drive.
Local disk“C” is designed to store the OS on it and its optimal value ranges from 60 to 100 G/B.

On this installing a new hard drive finished and you can start.
And if you need information about that, then follow the link.

How to install a hard drive?

The hard drive or hard drive is the computer part that most often requires replacement. This does not happen because it fails, it’s just that the space on the hard drive runs out faster than the rest of the parts become obsolete. In this article we will look at how to replace a hard drive, install a new or second hard drive, without resorting to the expensive services of paid specialists. Moreover, this procedure is absolutely not complicated.

Hard drive formats

There are hard drives different standards, but we are only interested in the two most common ones:

"IDE";
"SATA".

IDE is considered an obsolete standard today, but IDE drives still very common.

These two hard drive standards differ from each other primarily in their connectors. Both IDE and SATA drives There are two of them: a power connector and a data cable connector. At the standard disk SATA connector There is more power, and the connector for connecting the data cable is smaller. U IDE drives- vice versa.

For an IDE format drive, the data cable looks like a cable. In order to connect it correctly, there are special “keys” and protrusions on the cable connectors. There are similar protrusions on the corresponding connectors on the motherboard. When connecting, make sure that they match.

Any operations with hard drive your computer should only be done when the computer is turned off. Otherwise, this is, firstly, a violation of safety regulations (you can get an electric shock), and secondly, most likely you will completely and irrevocably damage the hard drive.

So, the algorithm for connecting a hard drive, regardless of the format, looks like this:

Installing a second hard drive

It is not always possible to replace one hard drive with another, larger one. Yes, and this is not always necessary. Since it is quite possible to install two in one system unit hard drives. Let's look at how to install a second hard drive on our computer.

In order to install a second hard drive, it is not necessary to go inside the case. There are external hard drives, they are connected to the computer using USB cable. Therefore, let's look at how to install a second hard drive:

If you need to replace the hard drive on your laptop, information can be found in the article.

Not all users personal computer they purchase a device for productive video games, video rendering or 3D model processing. Quite a lot of people use PCs exclusively for watching videos, storing photos and surfing the Internet.

For such users, the main parameter in the computer will be the volume internal memory. The more disk space, the more data you can store, which is especially important if you watch videos in 1080p resolution and listen to uncompressed music. Thus, the average size movie can be about 20 gigabytes, and the size of one music file, at least 15 megabytes. What can we say about video games, which can reach 60 gigabytes in an uninstalled form and more than 100 when installed.

A modern computer simply must have at least one terabyte of memory, otherwise a person will constantly experience inconveniences associated with a lack of memory. Let's figure out how to install multiple hard drives in a computer.

What parameters should the motherboard support?

Of course, no one will buy a new one (MP) for the sake of a hard drive; however, if the MP is significantly outdated, then you will still have to change it.

Previously, hard drives were connected to the MP using the so-called IDE connector.

It is quite simple to distinguish an IDE connector from a modern SATA connector. An outdated connector is connected using a cable made of many wires, while the SATA connector is connected to 2 thin wires, one for power and the other for data transfer. If the motherboard does not have a SATA connector, the person will have to replace the motherboard.

When purchasing a motherboard, the buyer should pay attention to the availability of SATA 3 standards and the number of SATA connectors. In addition, a person must pay attention to ensure that the power supply has enough connectors to connect SATA power supply components.

Selecting a hard drive

Depending on how many SATA connectors are on the motherboard, a person can purchase as many hard drives. There are motherboards with 12 connectors for connecting hard disks, but for such a computer you will have to purchase an appropriate power supply. Firstly, it must have enough power connectors, and secondly, the power supply must have enough power to operate so many components.

If your computer motherboard only supports SATA type 2 then hard SATA drive 3, connected to this interface will operate at a slightly slower speed, limited by the SATA 2 data rate.

When choosing the amount of memory, it is advisable to purchase the most capacious drive possible, especially if the MP is limited to 2 - 3 SATA connectors. However, if the buyer is not limited in funds, he can purchase a hard drive maximum capacity, commercially available. Although, of course, it is better not to store all data on one drive.

As a manufacturer, it is best to purchase hard drives that are developed by well-known companies, such as Toshiba, WD and Seagate.

A running computer makes quite a noticeable noise, the source of which is the hard drive. The hard drive is especially noisy when reading or writing. Naturally than more hard drives, the louder the noise the computer makes. Hard drives with a lower rotation speed of 5400 - 5700 rpm are less noisy. Unfortunately, the reduced rotation speed negatively affects the overall speed of operation. In addition, if the computer is assembled to order or independently, then you should choose a high-quality case with anti-resonance properties. In order to completely get rid of noise, you need to purchase SSD drives, but their cost is significantly higher than the cost of classic disks with lower capacity.

Hard SSD drive with a capacity of 250 GB will cost the same as an ordinary 1 TB HDD, but its data exchange speed is several times higher than ordinary hard drives. The material "" explains about the units of measurement of information.

Before installing a new component, you must turn off the computer and remove both system unit covers. You can access the motherboard from the left side of the case. In the front of the case there are several compartments “pockets” into which hard drives are installed. The number of “pockets” depends on the form factor of the case. A standard ATX form factor case on average has about four pads for installing hard drives.

The hard drive placed in the bay is secured with bolts on both sides of the system unit. Typically, bolts are included with the hard drive.

A securely fixed hard drive produces significantly less noise. In addition, the hard drive has a moving mechanism, which is why a poorly secured part can be damaged due to constant vibrations.

After installing hard drive into the case, it must be connected to the motherboard and power. Both connectors are similar, but it is simply impossible to connect power to the data connector.

Thus, to hard drive a special SATA cable is connected, the other end of which is connected to the motherboard.

Wires for powering the hard drive are connected directly from the power supply.

After successful connection, the computer turns on normal mode. Most often, after turning on, a tool for adding a new device appears on the screen.

If the hard drive is not detected by the system, then you need to enter the menu “ Control Panel", Further " system and safety" And " Administration", Then " Computer management", then "Disk Management" and format the new volume.