Tweak3D.net - How to Install a Hard Drive

Written By: Keith "Farrel" McClellan
Posted: November 20, 1999

Introduction

I know this sounds rudimentary to many of you experienced tweakers and system builders, but we here at Tweak3D are concerned with the beginners as well, and so several of these How To guides will be aimed at the beginner to intermediate set. Okay, now that I'm done with the mindless corporate babble, which really doesn't make much sense, here's the scoop: Tweaks aren't just done in software. And, as many of you may already realize, it's not just WHAT you install, but how you install it. And when it comes down to hard drives, there are several things that can deliver superior performance without costing you a single penny. These are the tricks that the custom system builders don't want you to know, because they are what give them their edge over the competition.

Overview

Ok, it's pretty obvious that I'm going to be explaining to you how to install a hard drive in this article. But before we continue, I'm going to lie out the other things I will be discussing:

- ATA/33 & ATA/66, and how to get the most out of each
- IDE Channels and the Master/Slave properties of each channel
- Hard Drive Jumper Settings
- Power
- Cooling
- Overclocking

And you thought that hard drive installation was simple...hah!

Basic Installation

The basic installation of a hard drive is simple. Begin by checking the jumpers on the back of the hard drive and make sure they are configured properly for where you are connecting the drive. If you are going to be connecting the drive to the end of the IDE cable (as the Master), make sure the jumper settings are appropriate for the drive to "master" the IDE channel. If you are going to be connecting the drive to the interim connector (it should be closer to the master connector than it is to the other end of the cable), you are connecting the drive as the "slave" and need to configure the jumpers for that setting.

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