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Adding SATA

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I am new to the inside of machines, so please forgive me for asking what is probably a simple question – I just can’t find a conclusive answer anywhere!

I want to add a big SATA drive to my setup which includes two DVD writers connected by IDE and two hard drives – one which is split into two partitions C: and E:

As I have no IDE connections left and have SATA ones, and as SATA is faster I would like to add a SATA drive for storage. However, if I do, I am under the impression that this will become my main drive, and it will be expected Windows will run off this drive. Is that the case?

Also, is it even possible to mix SATA and IDE drives in your machine? Can you only have one type in use in your machine?

Thanks (hopefully!) in advance.

Best,
dk

Topic

Clarifications

In reply to Adding SATA

Clarifications

No you’ve got that the wrong way around

In reply to Adding SATA

If you have a SATA Drive and install an IDE Drive the IDE Drive becomes the primary drive that the computer wants to work off.

As far as adding a SATA Drive you’ll need to make sure that the M’Board can handle the size that you are buying and then just bolt it in place attach the Power & Data leads and then boot up. The New Hardware Wizard may run and you may need to install the SATA Drivers depending on the Chip Set of the M’Board and then you’ll probably be asked to reboot and once the computer is running you’ll have to go into the Control Panel and format the drive so it appears in the system.

Col

Thanks!

In reply to No you’ve got that the wrong way around

Well I never! I didn’t know it worked like that so thanks for the advice!

I think that was a rather simple answer.

In reply to Thanks!

Hey David,
Number one your boot order is determined in the BIOS. You can usually get in to the BIOS with a certain keystroke during the boot process before POST for example: F2, F10 or the Delete key. It depends on the BIOS manufacturer. If you wanted to add the SATA HDD and install your OS to it you could, but unless you are running low on drive space on your current install you should leave your config as is. It could be a little rough for someone who isn’t that technically savvy. If you do decide to install to the SATA drive I would suggest you disconnect the IDE drives from the motherboard and run your install.
The other respondent was correct that you would need to install drivers by hitting F6 when prompted. You can reconnect them later and recover your data. In so far as making the drive available for you to put data on you will need to right click on My Computer on your desktop and select manage. Once you are there go to disk management to enable the disk. I am supposing you have a newer OS like Win2K or XP. I hope this is a little more informative than the previous response.
Also make sure you document any changes you make in the BIOS so you can revert back if there are any problems.

[Author]

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