Newbie Hd Upgrade Question

[healimonster]

my 1 year old computer's 20gig HD is clearly too small to download full length movies.

other than adding memory, I am pretty ignorant when it comes to hardware upgrades.

If I wanted to add another HD, how much would it cost and what would it entail nuts and bolts wise and computer software instalation wise.

I understand that this is a ambigous question and could be answered 100 different ways with discriptions that go on for ever... but i am just looking for a cheap and easy solution to my space limitations.

What would you do?

[geprobert]

I have just had the same issue Just buying a new drive and installing it as a Slave to your current drive is fine.

The 20GB drive you've got is a perfectly respectable size in itself, and once you have moved all of your Movies on to your new (big&#33 drive the old one is plently big enough to act as your 'system' drive.

I've you've got enough money, the bigger drive the better I would say. I just bought a Maxtor 80GB for £70 - an I am more than happy with it.

One thing though - what operating system are you using? Also, did you mean that you wouldn't know what to do at all (like, where to put it and what to plug into it)?

[healimonster]

The computer is a p4 compac running XP home.

Being that I need to max out my memory, the cheaper the better. I am thinking in the area of 100 us dollars or less.

As for where it goes and what you plug it into, yes i am asking that. not so much exactly what to do but how involved it is. Other then the physical location of it... is it as simple as pluging it into something.

[Yanks0826]

Originally posted by healimonster@9 March 2003 - 20:54
my 1 year old computer's 20gig HD is clearly too small to download full length movies.

other than adding memory, I am pretty ignorant when it comes to hardware upgrades.

If I wanted to add another HD, how much would it cost and what would it entail nuts and bolts wise and computer software instalation wise.

I understand that this is a ambigous question and could be answered 100 different ways with discriptions that go on for ever... but i am just looking for a cheap and easy solution to my space limitations.

What would you do?

Dude- I just bought a brand new 80 gig hard from Best Buy, it cost me $129 but I will be getting back $70 from mail in rebates. That is a great deal. Check them out, www.BestBuy.com, they also have free shipping and handling.

As for installing it, use the new hard drive as your master. There will be a jumper (small plastic piece) that comes with your new hard drive. Just make sure that piece is on the master setting and change your 20 gig to slave. Or vice versa.

Once you have your new HD connected, place your OS CD in and boot from that. It will ask your to format and then you can install a clean version of windows on your PC. I recommend XP Plus.

[Yanks0826]

Originally posted by healimonster@9 March 2003 - 21:11
The computer is a p4 compac running XP home.

Being that I need to max out my memory, the cheaper the better. I am thinking in the area of 100 us dollars or less.

As for where it goes and what you plug it into, yes i am asking that. not so much exactly what to do but how involved it is. Other then the physical location of it... is it as simple as pluging it into something.

Open your case, you should have a couple extra power cords available. Just screw in your new hard drive right next to your old one. Plug in the power cord, they have a number on it so you know.
Then plug in the cable you got with your hard drive, it is about 1 1/2 wide. Ine part plugs into a card, then middle section plugs into your slave drive then the end part plugs into your master.

[geprobert]

If you look at this page:

http://compworks.users.btopenworld.com/hdd/hdd.html

then it goes over what you need to consider, and then what you need to do.

2 main considerations would be:
- do you want to just add extra space, or do you want to re-install Windows completely using the new drive as your 'main' drive?
- has your PC got the space for another drive?

by that I mean physical space. Some people I know that have bought 'pre-packaged' pc's (Dell, Compaq, etc.) have had MicroATX cases, with no room for a second Hard Drive.

Hope it is useful!

[ooo]

damn what do you dl? lol.... i have a 16gb, delete the movies after i watch them or put it in discs ....

[Yanks0826]

Originally posted by Soul814@9 March 2003 - 21:29
damn what do you dl? lol.... i have a 16gb, delete the movies after i watch them or put it in discs ....

I put mine in discs. That way you can always watch them if you want to.

[ooo]

exactly my point lol.... anyways 40gb = 100 dollars about

[healimonster]

What are the advantages of making the new drive the master drive.

It seems like I would want my old drive to remain the same and I just want to add more space to store downloaded programs and movies.

If I add a drive as a slave, would I have to reinstall XP?