Modern hard drives use a serial advanced technology attachment (SATA) interface to connect to a computer. Some motherboards can support up to eight SATA devices, but the computer won't boot to the main hard drive unless the drive is connected to the correct port on the board. SATA hard drives also must connect to the computer's power supply unit (PSU). After installing the two SATA hard drives to a computer, you must format the drives before use.
Instructions
1. Turn off the computer. Remove the power cable from the back of the case. Turn off and disconnect any peripheral devices connected to the PC.
2. Use a Phillips-head screwdriver to loosen the screws that are located on the back of the case. Place the screws in a cup for safe-keeping.
3. Hold onto the indent in the center of the cover for support, then slide the case cover off of the computer.
4. Set the cover aside. Touch the chassis to ground yourself and prevent static electricity from damaging the hard drives or other computer components.
5. Remove the first SATA hard drive from its antistatic packaging. Connect one end of a 7-pin SATA data cable to the 7-pin slot on the back of the drive.
6. Check the power supply for an unused 15-pin SATA power cable. Connect the power cable to the 15-pin slot on the back of the drive.
7. Slide the SATA hard drive into an empty hard drive compartment, which can be found near the front of the PC. Insert two screws into the side of the compartment facing you, and into the side of the compartment facing opposite you.
8. Use a Phillips-head screwdriver to tighten the screws in place. Connect the other end of the 7-pin SATA data cable to the SATA0 port on the motherboard.
9. Remove the second SATA hard drive from its packaging. Connect the SATA power and data cables to the back of the hard drive.
10. Insert the second hard drive into an open bay and screw the hard drive into place. Connect the other end of the SATA data cable into the "SATA1" port on the motherboard.
11. Reassemble the computer. Press the power button and insert a Windows DVD into the disc drive.
12. Restart the computer and press any key to boot from the disc drive. Follow the on-screen directions to format the primary SATA drive and install the operating system.
13. Boot into the operating system. Click the "Start" menu. Right-click "Computer." Select "Manage" from the context menu.
14. Click "Disk Management." Right-click the secondary SATA hard drive (the primary SATA hard drive will be labeled as "C:").
15. Select "New Simple Volume" from the context menu. Use the default settings for the partition capacity and the drive letter. Click "Next" on each page.
16. Click "Format this volume with the following settings." Enter a volume label, then select "NTFS" as the file system. Click "Next."
17.Confirm your selections on the summary page, then click "Finish," to format the hard drive and prepare the disk for use.
Tags: hard drive, SATA hard, SATA hard drive, data cable, drive into