Grey Bug LLC
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by Abel R. Garza
| Mother Board PATA Connection Motherboards  |
Replacing your computer hard drive can be an intimidating task with all of the electronics that are inside you computer. Wires and fans and processors oh my! Well believe it or not replacing a hard drive is not as difficult as it may seem. Sure there are some wires that have to be disconnected and some software that needs to be installed but if you you are fairly technical person with the ability to unplug and twist a screw driver for some what seem to be the smallest screws in the world then you should be able to replace your hard drive. This is an attempt to provide you with the information you need to replace your computer hard drive. Whether you are looking to replace the hard drive that somehow lost all of your information, the one that is still kicking but making a sound that resembles that of an old man tapping his cane or just looking to upgrade your hard drive for something bigger. You are able to do with with the information provided on this page.
| SATA and PATA Difference SATA Hard Drives |
Step one: Find out what type of hard drives your computer supports. There are 4 kinds types of hard drives that your computer may support. You may have a: PATA type of hard drive that stands for Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment. These drives are also known as IDE and EIDE. These Drives connect directly to the motherboard using a 40 or 80 pin wiring cable. 40 pin wiring cables are utilized in older and much slower computers. The 80 pin cable is used in a much faster computer, however the computers nowadays are completely replacing these hard drives with what they call SATA or Serial ATA.
| Serial ATA (SATA) SATA Hard Drives |
These hard drivs are completely unlike the PATA hard drives which as technology advances are becoming bigger and faster. The Serial ATA or SATA utilizes a much different interface which is faster and cabling is narrower. This cable passes information along at a much faster rate allowing for better response time and faster information passes between the hard drive and CPU. The speed difference between a PATA and SATA is noticeably different. Also the new SATA hard drives utilize power more efficiently which allows for less over heating, longer shelf life and faster computing.
hard drives which as technology advances are becoming bigger and faster. The Serial ATA or SATA utilizes a much different interface which is faster and cabling is narrower. This cable passes information along at a much faster rate allowing for better response time and faster information passes between the hard drive and CPU. The speed difference between a PATA and SATA is noticeably different. Also the new SATA hard drives utilize power more efficiently which allows for less over heating, longer shelf life and faster computing. |
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The SCSI or Small Computer System Interface are similar to IDE hard drives which spin at a much higher rpm (revolutions per min) IDE and SATA spin at a 7,200 rpm where as SCSI can spin at a rate of 10,000 to 15,000rpm. What does it mean to have faster (rpm) or Revolutions per minute is that the higher the revolution the faster the data is accessed by the CPU. With the good comes the bad... faster revolutions may come with faster breakdown and it is important to have a clone drive when you have fast hard drives. If one goes out at least you have another drive as a backup.
. With the good comes the bad... faster revolutions may come with faster breakdown and it is important to have a clone drive when you have fast hard drives. If one goes out at least you have another drive as a backup. | SSD Hard Drive SSD Hard Drive |
Lastly there is the SSD or Solid State Drive which unlike its counterparts does not have any moving parts. The typical hard drive has a revolving magnetic disk. Since there are no moving parts information is almost instantaneously available. The SSD utilizes semiconductors for this purpose which makes this drive much faster and less likely to break down like other drives. The price for these drives are significantly more because of the speed and longevity.
Step Two: Back up all your information. There are several types of media you can use to back up your information. There are your standard CDR or CDRW. You can use an external hard drive to back up your system or if you are wary about backing up your system you can make an appointment with us to get all of your information backed up. You can use USB Drives also known as a Thumb Drive. These drives are small and usually able to hold more than a standard CD which may take some time to back up. USB Drives are a good choice for backing up your information because these drives are usually well protected and have a good life span. The only disadvantage to using USB drive is the size. It can be easily lost if not put in a save place. Most USB drives come with some kind of necklace or ability to hook to something.
Step Three: Disconnect your computer from the power socket. This will obviate the possibility of causing a short when you are sticking your hands inside the case of your computer. We recommend that you disconnect everything from the case and place it on a table that is just at your chest. This will give you a good angle to work at and will not hurt your back as you are working.
Step Four: Using a screw driver carefully unscrew the small screws on the back of your computer case. Unscrewing these from your computer case will allow you to open up the side panel of your computer and expose all of the internal components. To open the computer case carefully slide out the side panel and look for the hard drives. On the hard drive there will be something securing it to the slot in which it rests. It will either be a clip or four small screws that hold it in place. Before touching the hard drive touch the metal casing on your computer case to discharge any static electricity. Remove the hard drive on your computer by either the screws or clips and place it off to the side.
Step five: Pick up your new hard drive and make sure that you have removed static electricity by grounding yourself or touching metal to discharge it. Unwrap your hard drive and place it in place of the original hard drive attaching all of the screws that were taken off. Reattach all of the cables. If you originally disconnected all of the wire from the motherboard then be sure to reconnect them to the motherboard using the existing cable or the ones that came with your new hard drive. Be sure not to come into contact with other components in the computer. If is ok to touch other parts however the less you touch other parts the less likely you are to damage other components of the computer.
Step six: Replace the computer cover.
Step seven: Connect all of the wires back to your computer. When you boot your computer you will be asked to install the OS or operating system. You may need to initially format your new drive using the provided disk. Once it is formated you may then install your operating system.
Step eight: Using your back up disk or USB Drive you may be able to restore your information back onto your computer.
Step nine: Install any additional software programs that you will need.
Finally give yourself a big pat on the back. Installing a computer hard drive can be frustrating. Hopefully these instructions will ease that frustration. Know that you can do it...
Step Three: Disconnect your computer from the power socket. This will obviate the possibility of causing a short when you are sticking your hands inside the case of your computer. We recommend that you disconnect everything from the case and place it on a table that is just at your chest. This will give you a good angle to work at and will not hurt your back as you are working.
Step Four: Using a screw driver carefully unscrew the small screws on the back of your computer case. Unscrewing these from your computer case will allow you to open up the side panel of your computer and expose all of the internal components. To open the computer case carefully slide out the side panel and look for the hard drives. On the hard drive there will be something securing it to the slot in which it rests. It will either be a clip or four small screws that hold it in place. Before touching the hard drive touch the metal casing on your computer case to discharge any static electricity. Remove the hard drive on your computer by either the screws or clips and place it off to the side.
Step five: Pick up your new hard drive and make sure that you have removed static electricity by grounding yourself or touching metal to discharge it. Unwrap your hard drive and place it in place of the original hard drive attaching all of the screws that were taken off. Reattach all of the cables. If you originally disconnected all of the wire from the motherboard then be sure to reconnect them to the motherboard using the existing cable or the ones that came with your new hard drive. Be sure not to come into contact with other components in the computer. If is ok to touch other parts however the less you touch other parts the less likely you are to damage other components of the computer.
Step six: Replace the computer cover.
Step seven: Connect all of the wires back to your computer. When you boot your computer you will be asked to install the OS or operating system. You may need to initially format your new drive using the provided disk. Once it is formated you may then install your operating system.
Step eight: Using your back up disk or USB Drive you may be able to restore your information back onto your computer.
Step nine: Install any additional software programs that you will need.
Finally give yourself a big pat on the back. Installing a computer hard drive can be frustrating. Hopefully these instructions will ease that frustration. Know that you can do it...
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