Installing two optical drives into one computer is no more challenging than installing two new hard drives. The steps are nearly identical to hard drive installation. Modern computers use Serial Advanced Technology Attachment, or SATA, cables, which require no special jumper settings or chaining drives onto one cable. All that is needed are two empty drive bays, two unused SATA connectors and two SATA cables. Install these two drives and the computer will auto-detect them.
Instructions
1. Turn off the computer and unplug it from the wall. Open up the case and check the motherboard for any unused SATA connectors. The motherboard's SATA connectors are small, rectangle-shaped sockets with an L-shaped tab inside of them. Most motherboards also print "SATA" next to these connectors. You must have at least two unused SATA connectors, one for each of the optical drives you will install.
2. Remove the two top-most 5.25-inch drive covers from your case. To do this, push on them from inside the case until they pop out. Place your first optical drive in one of the uncovered 5.25-inch bays so that the buttons and tray face out of the case. Secure the drive on both sides with screws or clips provided with the case. In the next bay down, do the same for your second optical drive.
3. Plug a SATA cable into the back of your first optical drive. The SATA cable is about 1/4-inch wide, typically red, and has a black connector on each end. If you bought your motherboard separately, it likely came packaged with some SATA cables. The SATA cable plugs into the shorter L-shaped connector on the back of your drive. The other end of the SATA cable plugs into one of the connectors on the motherboard. Plug in the second optical drive as well.
4. Plug a SATA power connector into the back of each optical drive. These power connectors are on the cables that stick out of your power supply. A SATA power connector is black and is wider than the connectors for the motherboard.
5. Plug in the computer and power it on. Immediately after turning on the computer, press the setup key -- typically "Esc," "F1" or "F2" -- to boot into Basic Input/Output System, or BIOS. When the BIOS loads, find both of your new optical drives in the list of installed hardware. If the drives appear there, then the computer is reading them properly. Reboot the computer and boot into Windows normally. Install any drivers or software included with the drives.
Tags: optical drive, SATA cable, SATA connectors, connectors motherboard, SATA cables, unused SATA