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Adding further hard drive - how to?!
Hi,
Novice question. I'd be glad of help in adding a further hard drive. My question is - can I just attach the new hard drive to the ribbon that goes from the existing hard drive to IDE1? Further details are as follows:- Abit BH6 motherboard Intel Pentium 11 350 processor Seagate Medallist pro 9.1 gb UDMA hard drive Windows 98 CDRom and CDRW are connected by ribbon to IDE2 The Seagate hard drive connected to IDE1 Not too clued up on masters and slaves and the like - but I think the existing hard drive is set up as a Master I have in mind fitting a larger additional hard drive - something like a 60 or 80gb IBM Deskstar - this will be used solely for storage of files from adjacent connected networked pc. So my questions a- 1. Can I just attach the new hard drive to the ribbon that goes from the existing hard drive to IDE1?...and will my pc automatically recognise it?...or will I need additional software to set up the additional hard drive? 2.Will a hard drive such as the IBM Deskstar be compatible with my pc system/existing hard drive? 3. Any other advice welcome. Thanks, Pete |
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Pete Stockdale wrote in message ... Novice question. I'd be glad of help in adding a further hard drive. My question is - can I just attach the new hard drive to the ribbon that goes from the existing hard drive to IDE1? Yes, but you do need to ensure that the jumpering on the new drive is appropriate. Further details are as follows:- Abit BH6 motherboard Intel Pentium 11 350 processor Seagate Medallist pro 9.1 gb UDMA hard drive Windows 98 CDRom and CDRW are connected by ribbon to IDE2 The Seagate hard drive connected to IDE1 Not too clued up on masters and slaves and the like - but I think the existing hard drive is set up as a Master Very likely. It might be setup for cable select. You can check that using the proper model number that should be displayed on the black bios screen at boot time at http://www.seagate.com/support/disc/..._medalist.html I have in mind fitting a larger additional hard drive - something like a 60 or 80gb IBM Deskstar I wouldnt use a DeathStar myself, they arent called DeathStars for nothing. - this will be used solely for storage of files from adjacent connected networked pc. So my questions a- 1. Can I just attach the new hard drive to the ribbon that goes from the existing hard drive to IDE1?... Yes. and will my pc automatically recognise it?... Should do. You may need to set the drive type entry to AUTO. You may well need to flash the motherboard bios to allow it to handle drives over 32GB tho. or will I need additional software to set up the additional hard drive? Thats one way to get around the 32GB problem. 2.Will a hard drive such as the IBM Deskstar be compatible with my pc system/existing hard drive? Yes, apart from that potential 32GB problem. 3. Any other advice welcome. Dont get a DeathStar. Get a Western Digital instead. |
#3
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"Rod Speed" wrote in message ... Pete Stockdale wrote in message ... Novice question. I'd be glad of help in adding a further hard drive. My question is - can I just attach the new hard drive to the ribbon that goes from the existing hard drive to IDE1? Yes, but you do need to ensure that the jumpering on the new drive is appropriate. Further details are as follows:- Abit BH6 motherboard Intel Pentium 11 350 processor Seagate Medallist pro 9.1 gb UDMA hard drive Windows 98 CDRom and CDRW are connected by ribbon to IDE2 The Seagate hard drive connected to IDE1 Not too clued up on masters and slaves and the like - but I think the existing hard drive is set up as a Master Very likely. It might be setup for cable select. You can check that using the proper model number that should be displayed on the black bios screen at boot time at http://www.seagate.com/support/disc/..._medalist.html I have in mind fitting a larger additional hard drive - something like a 60 or 80gb IBM Deskstar I wouldnt use a DeathStar myself, they arent called DeathStars for nothing. - this will be used solely for storage of files from adjacent connected networked pc. So my questions a- 1. Can I just attach the new hard drive to the ribbon that goes from the existing hard drive to IDE1?... Yes. and will my pc automatically recognise it?... Should do. You may need to set the drive type entry to AUTO. You may well need to flash the motherboard bios to allow it to handle drives over 32GB tho. or will I need additional software to set up the additional hard drive? Thats one way to get around the 32GB problem. 2.Will a hard drive such as the IBM Deskstar be compatible with my pc system/existing hard drive? Yes, apart from that potential 32GB problem. 3. Any other advice welcome. Dont get a DeathStar. Get a Western Digital instead. ---------------------- Thanks, Rod...even more confused now :-) Yes, but you do need to ensure that the jumpering on the new drive is appropriate. I did here its best to use the newer, larger disc as the Master...but to keep things simple I could retain the existing as Master and set the jumpers on the new one as slave - do you agree that would be ok? Very likely. It might be set-up for cable select. No I think it is as Master I learned from the little diagram I found on the back of the existing hard drive. But there was some reference to cable select which I didn't understand - what is "cable select"? You can check that using the proper model number that should be displayed on the black bios screen at boot time at http://www.seagate.com/support/disc/..._medalist.html Couldn't see any reference to the model number on my screen at boot time..but did see confirmation that its the Master. And...frustratingly can't read the model number in the pc box and it would be one hellova job to take it out to get a better view....and can't find an obvious model having 9.1gb from the seagate lists, but, now have established its the Master, perhaps I can do without that info? I wouldn't use a DeathStar myself, they aren't called DeathStars for nothing. Don't get a DeathStar. Get a Western Digital instead. I'll bow to your knowledge on that one then...I'll look further afield than IBM - I see that Western Digital do a reasonably priced 80gb. Should do. You may need to set the drive type entry to AUTO. Where do I do that? You may well need to flash the motherboard bios to allow it to handle drives over 32GB though. Having nil experience of such things - is that difficult? Do you happen to know a useful web address I could view how to do that? or will I need additional software to set up the additional hard drive? That's one way to get around the 32GB problem. Such software - would that come with the new hard drive or would I need to d/l from the internet - or buy it from somewhere? Questions...questions...sorry to lumber you....thanks in anticipation :-) Pete ------------------- |
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Pete wrote:
But there was some reference to cable select which I didn't understand - what is "cable select"? First of all, be sure you disconnect the power plug before you mess around inside the PC, and take not to cause any static electricity which can damage circuit boards. Your computer instructions probably tells you how to ground yourself and all that. With Cable Select one does not have to worry about which drive is Master and which is Slave. The cable "selects" which is which. And the way it does this is that the cable assumes that the drive at the end of the cable is the Master and the drive attached mid-cable is the Slave. However, Cable Select will only work in a system that supports that method and only with the proper cable that allows it. With Cable Select, you jumper both drives as "cable select" and let the ribbon cable decide which is which according to the above. I *think* most new drives come with a Cable Select-compatible cable (at least my new Western Digital did). Your new drive should have detailed instructions with it, unless it is an OEM version or "bare drive" instead of a retail kit. I'd recommend getting the retail kit; the warranty is often longer and the instructions and hardware are all included. (Western Dig. has a 3-year warranty in retail version only). So to do it that way, you need to be sure your system and cable both support cable select. Otherwise, the drive you want to be Master (i.e., the main drive--in your case, the newer bigger one) you would jumper it as Master and place it on the end of the cable, and jumper the other drive as "slave" and place it on the mid-cable connector. Be sure you have the connectors lined up in the correct fashion (look for notches, etc) so you don't damage one of the pins. The last step is to re-connect the power connector (it too has to be lined up in the correct fashion; it is usually keyed like a D-shape). If your computer does not support larger drives and you can't upgrade (flash) your bios to do so, then you may need get an ATA controller card like Promise and hook the new drive cable to that instead of athe mother board. Do you have a computer geek friend? He may can come over and help you since this is your first drive install. But if you read all the directions carefully, you should be able to do it. Also look online at the website for the drive manufacturer you are considering. In their support section, they have installation instructions you can review in advance, and articles on being sure your computer can accomodate the drives. Good luck. Rob |
#5
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"Pete Stockdale" wrote in message ... "Rod Speed" wrote in message ... Pete Stockdale wrote in message ... Novice question. I'd be glad of help in adding a further hard drive. My question is - can I just attach the new hard drive to the ribbon that goes from the existing hard drive to IDE1? Yes, but you do need to ensure that the jumpering on the new drive is appropriate. Further details are as follows:- Abit BH6 motherboard Intel Pentium 11 350 processor Seagate Medallist pro 9.1 gb UDMA hard drive Windows 98 CDRom and CDRW are connected by ribbon to IDE2 The Seagate hard drive connected to IDE1 Not too clued up on masters and slaves and the like - but I think the existing hard drive is set up as a Master Very likely. It might be setup for cable select. You can check that using the proper model number that should be displayed on the black bios screen at boot time at http://www.seagate.com/support/disc/..._medalist.html I have in mind fitting a larger additional hard drive - something like a 60 or 80gb IBM Deskstar I wouldnt use a DeathStar myself, they arent called DeathStars for nothing. - this will be used solely for storage of files from adjacent connected networked pc. So my questions a- 1. Can I just attach the new hard drive to the ribbon that goes from the existing hard drive to IDE1?... Yes. and will my pc automatically recognise it?... Should do. You may need to set the drive type entry to AUTO. You may well need to flash the motherboard bios to allow it to handle drives over 32GB tho. or will I need additional software to set up the additional hard drive? Thats one way to get around the 32GB problem. 2.Will a hard drive such as the IBM Deskstar be compatible with my pc system/existing hard drive? Yes, apart from that potential 32GB problem. 3. Any other advice welcome. Dont get a DeathStar. Get a Western Digital instead. ---------------------- Thanks, Rod...even more confused now :-) Yeah, can be a problem. Yes, but you do need to ensure that the jumpering on the new drive is appropriate. I did here its best to use the newer, larger disc as the Master... Yes, generally it will be much faster than the old drive, particularly given that old drive is so small. but to keep things simple I could retain the existing as Master and set the jumpers on the new one as slave - do you agree that would be ok? Yes, that will certainly work as long as the 32GB problem doesnt arise. Main downside is that it wont be as fast as with the new drive as the boot drive, but a lot easier to setup your way. Very likely. It might be set-up for cable select. No I think it is as Master I learned from the little diagram I found on the back of the existing hard drive. Yeah, that was very common with that vintage of system. But there was some reference to cable select which I didn't understand - what is "cable select"? Its just a different way of specifying which drive is master and which drive is slave. With cable select both drives are jumpered Cable Select and the one on end of the ribbon cable becomes master and the one on the middle connector become slave. And it needs to be a cable select cable too, different to a normal one. Dont worry about it, with an older system like yours, it wont be using cable select unless its a Compaq. You can check that using the proper model number that should be displayed on the black bios screen at boot time at http://www.seagate.com/support/disc/..._medalist.html Couldn't see any reference to the model number on my screen at boot time..but did see confirmation that its the Master. And...frustratingly can't read the model number in the pc box and it would be one hellova job to take it out to get a better view....and can't find an obvious model having 9.1gb from the seagate lists, but, now have established its the Master, perhaps I can do without that info? Yep, the only reason for datasheet was if you couldnt read the label telling you the jumper config currently being used. I wouldn't use a DeathStar myself, they aren't called DeathStars for nothing. Don't get a DeathStar. Get a Western Digital instead. I'll bow to your knowledge on that one then...I'll look further afield than IBM - I see that Western Digital do a reasonably priced 80gb. Yeah, there isnt anything in it price wise. Should do. You may need to set the drive type entry to AUTO. Where do I do that? Get into the bios settings by pressing Delete very early on in the boot, with the black bios screen which usually has something about the Del key to get into the bios. Then in the drive table, just make sure its shows AUTO. It likely will already. You may well need to flash the motherboard bios to allow it to handle drives over 32GB though. Having nil experience of such things - is that difficult? Its a bit tricky, and a bit dangerous, but its not that hard. The most important thing is to ensure you dont get a power failure while you are doing it. Do you happen to know a useful web address I could view how to do that? http://www.abit.com.tw/abitweb/webjs...ITLE=BH6&#Bios has the bios for your motherboard, or http://www.abit.com.tw/abitweb/webjs...BH6+V1.1&#Bios for a BH6 v1.1 You can see that support for drives over 32GB came with version NV and later. The manual is right at the bottom of that page and Appendix C spells out the detail of how to flash the bios. The other approach if you're going to keep the new drive as a slave is to list the drive type as NONE, and then let Win find the drive when it boots. Thats a lot safer than flashing the bios, but does prevent you from using the new drive as the faster boot drive. or will I need additional software to set up the additional hard drive? That's one way to get around the 32GB problem. Such software - would that come with the new hard drive Nope, not usually. or would I need to d/l from the internet Yes, from the hard drive manufacturer's web site. - or buy it from somewhere? Nope. I wouldnt go that route myself tho. Cleanest approach is to flash the motherboard bios so that there isnt a problem with drives over 32GB, but there is a small risk involved. If you plan to go the simplest way, with the new drive as slave, just set the drive type in the bios to NONE for just that drive and let Win find it for itself. Questions...questions...sorry to lumber you.... No problem, thats what these technical newsgroups are for. thanks in anticipation :-) No probs, and you're welcome to ask as much as you like more if anything is still unclear. |
#6
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"Rod Speed" wrote in message ... "Pete Stockdale" wrote in message ... "Rod Speed" wrote in message ... Pete Stockdale wrote in message ... Novice question. I'd be glad of help in adding a further hard drive. My question is - can I just attach the new hard drive to the ribbon that goes from the existing hard drive to IDE1? Yes, but you do need to ensure that the jumpering on the new drive is appropriate. Further details are as follows:- Abit BH6 motherboard Intel Pentium 11 350 processor Seagate Medallist pro 9.1 gb UDMA hard drive Windows 98 CDRom and CDRW are connected by ribbon to IDE2 The Seagate hard drive connected to IDE1 Not too clued up on masters and slaves and the like - but I think the existing hard drive is set up as a Master Very likely. It might be setup for cable select. You can check that using the proper model number that should be displayed on the black bios screen at boot time at http://www.seagate.com/support/disc/..._medalist.html I have in mind fitting a larger additional hard drive - something like a 60 or 80gb IBM Deskstar I wouldnt use a DeathStar myself, they arent called DeathStars for nothing. - this will be used solely for storage of files from adjacent connected networked pc. So my questions a- 1. Can I just attach the new hard drive to the ribbon that goes from the existing hard drive to IDE1?... Yes. and will my pc automatically recognise it?... Should do. You may need to set the drive type entry to AUTO. You may well need to flash the motherboard bios to allow it to handle drives over 32GB tho. or will I need additional software to set up the additional hard drive? Thats one way to get around the 32GB problem. 2.Will a hard drive such as the IBM Deskstar be compatible with my pc system/existing hard drive? Yes, apart from that potential 32GB problem. 3. Any other advice welcome. Dont get a DeathStar. Get a Western Digital instead. ---------------------- Thanks, Rod...even more confused now :-) Yeah, can be a problem. Yes, but you do need to ensure that the jumpering on the new drive is appropriate. I did here its best to use the newer, larger disc as the Master... Yes, generally it will be much faster than the old drive, particularly given that old drive is so small. but to keep things simple I could retain the existing as Master and set the jumpers on the new one as slave - do you agree that would be ok? Yes, that will certainly work as long as the 32GB problem doesnt arise. Main downside is that it wont be as fast as with the new drive as the boot drive, but a lot easier to setup your way. Very likely. It might be set-up for cable select. No I think it is as Master I learned from the little diagram I found on the back of the existing hard drive. Yeah, that was very common with that vintage of system. But there was some reference to cable select which I didn't understand - what is "cable select"? Its just a different way of specifying which drive is master and which drive is slave. With cable select both drives are jumpered Cable Select and the one on end of the ribbon cable becomes master and the one on the middle connector become slave. And it needs to be a cable select cable too, different to a normal one. Dont worry about it, with an older system like yours, it wont be using cable select unless its a Compaq. You can check that using the proper model number that should be displayed on the black bios screen at boot time at http://www.seagate.com/support/disc/..._medalist.html Couldn't see any reference to the model number on my screen at boot time..but did see confirmation that its the Master. And...frustratingly can't read the model number in the pc box and it would be one hellova job to take it out to get a better view....and can't find an obvious model having 9.1gb from the seagate lists, but, now have established its the Master, perhaps I can do without that info? Yep, the only reason for datasheet was if you couldnt read the label telling you the jumper config currently being used. I wouldn't use a DeathStar myself, they aren't called DeathStars for nothing. Don't get a DeathStar. Get a Western Digital instead. I'll bow to your knowledge on that one then...I'll look further afield than IBM - I see that Western Digital do a reasonably priced 80gb. Yeah, there isnt anything in it price wise. Should do. You may need to set the drive type entry to AUTO. Where do I do that? Get into the bios settings by pressing Delete very early on in the boot, with the black bios screen which usually has something about the Del key to get into the bios. Then in the drive table, just make sure its shows AUTO. It likely will already. You may well need to flash the motherboard bios to allow it to handle drives over 32GB though. Having nil experience of such things - is that difficult? Its a bit tricky, and a bit dangerous, but its not that hard. The most important thing is to ensure you dont get a power failure while you are doing it. Do you happen to know a useful web address I could view how to do that? http://www.abit.com.tw/abitweb/webjs...ITLE=BH6&#Bios has the bios for your motherboard, or http://www.abit.com.tw/abitweb/webjs...BH6+V1.1&#Bios for a BH6 v1.1 You can see that support for drives over 32GB came with version NV and later. The manual is right at the bottom of that page and Appendix C spells out the detail of how to flash the bios. The other approach if you're going to keep the new drive as a slave is to list the drive type as NONE, and then let Win find the drive when it boots. Thats a lot safer than flashing the bios, but does prevent you from using the new drive as the faster boot drive. or will I need additional software to set up the additional hard drive? That's one way to get around the 32GB problem. Such software - would that come with the new hard drive Nope, not usually. or would I need to d/l from the internet Yes, from the hard drive manufacturer's web site. - or buy it from somewhere? Nope. I wouldnt go that route myself tho. Cleanest approach is to flash the motherboard bios so that there isnt a problem with drives over 32GB, but there is a small risk involved. If you plan to go the simplest way, with the new drive as slave, just set the drive type in the bios to NONE for just that drive and let Win find it for itself. Questions...questions...sorry to lumber you.... No problem, thats what these technical newsgroups are for. thanks in anticipation :-) No probs, and you're welcome to ask as much as you like more if anything is still unclear. ----------------- I'm very grateful...now going to try and fathom it all :-) I may be back. Thanks again. Pete ---------- |
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