SATA ports on a motherboard.
The SATA (Serial ATA) interface can transfer data much faster than the older IDE drives. Motherboards that support SATA drives have more than one SATA port, which allows for additional SATA drives on your computer. As programs, video and audio files become larger, increasing the storage capacity on your computer is important. Adding a second SATA hard drive is an easy way to increase your storage capacity.
Instructions
1. Power down and unplug the power supply from your computer.
2. Lay the computer on its side and remove the screws or thumbscrews that are holding the side panel of the computer case in place.
3. Locate your existing hard drive. Remove the SATA and power cable from the back of the hard drive and remove the hard drive cage.
4. Slide the new SATA drive into one of the mounting brackets on the hard drive cage. Usually, the next available hard drive bracket is located directly below your existing hard drive.
5. Align the hard drive with the holes in the bracket and screw in the hard drive. Once the hard drive is secure, place the hard drive cage back into the computer.
6. Locate an SATA power cable from your power supply and connect it to the hard drive. The power cable will have four wires with a small black plastic plug at the end of it.
7. Locate the SATA ports on your motherboard. The SATA ports are red, small square plastic ports typically near the front of your computer case. Plug one end of the SATA cable that came with your new hard drive into one of the SATA ports and the other end to the new hard drive.
8. Reconnect your existing hard drive and reboot your computer. When you log into Vista, it will recognize the new hardware and will prompt you to install the drivers for the new hardware. Insert the installation CD that came with your new hard drive and install the drivers.
Tags: hard drive, hard drive, your computer, SATA ports, drive cage, existing hard