I was wanting to install an additional hard drive on my computer but I am wondering how can I determine what kind of hard drive I need for my computer. It's a Dell about 3 years old.
2006-11-25 15:35:33 · 10 answers · asked by Turtle 2 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Other - Hardware
Are you Irish? "they're always after *me* lucky charms"
LOL
(I'm not tryin to be an asshat, someone already answered what I was gonna say)
2006-11-25 15:49:54 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Right click my computer,select properties and it will take you to the system properties. Click hardware, then device manager and find your hard drive near the top of the list. Expand the list, and it will tell you what drive is installed. Before you install it, put the jumper on the back of the drive to cs {cable select} and install it in the middle of the cable with your primary drive on the end. It is important to buy a hard drive that is compatible with your ide cabl e in your computer, because the newer drives use twice as many connections as the older ones. Stay away from sata drives if you have never installed a drive before. Probably don't have sata connections and that requires more "stuff" to convert them. Be sure to use cs, because a lot of the older Dell computers will not install a drive set to slave.
2006-11-25 17:14:35 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It should make no difference what type of secondary (slave) hard drive you install. If it was the main hard drive you were replace, the primary, then it might make a difference. I had an Emachine, and you had to you a certain hard drive or Emachines Windows Install disk would not load. Apparently on the main hard drive, the restore disk looks for a certain combination of hard drive, motherboard etc to make sure it's an Emachine, sort of a lock and key approach. Incidentally manufactures do this to prevent you from loading Windows on different computers.
2006-11-25 15:42:57 · answer #3 · answered by Clipper 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes so long as you choose not to clone and transfer anything from your old hard drive, it'll be like a new computer system. The only thing that won't change is the speed of your computer because that portion is heavily factored by your ram and cpu.
2016-03-29 09:11:04 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you don't know what kind of hard drive your computer has / needs, then you probably shouldn't attempt to install one either. Have you ever opened your computer up? Not trying to be mean, just saying...
2006-11-25 15:44:05 · answer #5 · answered by Lloyd 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah, go check out your computer's online website. If it's 3 years-old it must be a worn down one and may not support a lot of the technology now days.
2006-11-25 15:45:27 · answer #6 · answered by Bob J 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
More than likely it will need to be and IDE HDD, check out www.newegg.com, I'm not sure if Dell had SATA then, but you can also if you have USB ports as I'm sure you do get and external HDD which isn't bad either, NEWEGG has them as well
2006-11-25 15:39:28 · answer #7 · answered by brad_s_wells 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Space, and size, is the determining factor. It most likely has an EIDE controller card.
2006-11-25 15:40:40 · answer #8 · answered by ? 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just goto the dell site, or any retailer can look it up for you. If you provide a model number, I will look for you.
2006-11-25 15:38:26 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Check your manufactuers link to see if your PC supports SATA harddrives... if so get a SATA (serial ATA).
If not get a generic IDE harddrive (much cheaper then SATA)
2006-11-25 15:39:46 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋