Add 2nd HD?

[KCD]

Not into gaming or graphics, I'm just a plain text guy

Have one bay slot available in my HP Pavilion XT 983 (made Sept `01) which is running XP sp2 with a 30 gig HD. The CPU is 1.4 ghz, 512 ram, CD-R/RW & a floppy drive.

Since the HP is getting long in the tooth, & despite the engineering prowess of HP, I don't like their idea of backing up to the same HD.

So would like to add a 40 gig HD, in the event it gets some bad sector(s), for total back-up protection.

1) Is the present PSU capable of another HD?

2) Without going into the case how are the PSU specifications discovered?

3) If the PSU is not capable of another HD what size PSU is recommended?

4) If the present PSU is capable of another HD, do I need a software addition to make the HP totally mirror the present HD to the new HD?

Thanks!

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by KCD 1) Is the present PSU capable of another HD?

Yes.

Originally Posted by KCD 2) Without going into the case how are the PSU specifications discovered?

You gotta go into the case. You might be able to find something about your particular HP on the HP web site though.

Originally Posted by KCD 3) If the PSU is not capable of another HD what size PSU is recommended?

For that system? 300 watts.

Originally Posted by KCD 4) If the present PSU is capable of another HD, do I need a software addition to make the HP totally mirror the present HD to the new HD?

If you get a retail hard drive it'll come with a CD with some utilities on it...one of them is for copying the contents of one hard drive to another.

Cricket

[KCD]

Cricket, do appreciate your help!

[KCD]

Cricket, according to this site the OEM for the HP Pavilion XT983 is a 200 watt PSU.

http://store.ramplus.com/oemhpco20mia.html

So when I read this

http://store.yahoo.com/apactonline/250waps3posu4.html

I opened the hood on mine & found it is indeed a 200 watt (max) ATX 1958D.

And after reading the following I think it wise to rescind my previous plan of adding a 40 gig HD to the Pavilion.

http://forum.majorgeeks.com/archive/...p/t-31868.html

Since money is tight my plan is now to gut the Pavilion, transfer everything but the psu to a new chassis & equip it with a 350 watt psu & Seagate 40 gig HD.

Yours & others thoughts on this are certainly welcomed.

Thanks

[jayb1234]

The motherboard might be an issue. A lot of the big manufacturers use proprietory motherboards with nonstandard power supply connectors, I'm not sure if that applies with yours or not. Check it out before you try to reuse it.

[Cricket]

Have you looked inside the computer to see if the present IDE cable that the current hard drive is on has an open connector on it?

Does the case even have another spot to install another hard drive?

Although it's only a 200 watt power supply it's probaby a good quality one and it might be able to handle an added hard drive. But we gotta know how it's set up currently.

Check to see if there are 2 IDE channels available. Is the CD-RW on the secondary IDE channel by itself or is it on the same IDE channel as the hard drive?

Also check to see if there are any free 4 pin Molex power connectors available from the power supply.

Cricket

[KCD]

The motherboard might be an issue. A lot of the big manufacturers use proprietory motherboards with nonstandard power supply connectors, I'm not sure if that applies with yours or not. Check it out before you try to reuse it.

Yes, I measured it for reference.

Have you looked inside the computer to see if the present IDE cable that the current hard drive is on has an open connector on it?

Yes it is designated ’slave’ & it is bridged off the ribbon cable that goes to the CPU board.


Does the case even have another spot to install another hard drive?

There is an open slot that is 4 ½” W x 5 ½” L X 1” H which is above the floppy. The floppy is above the present HD.

Check to see if there are 2 IDE channels available.

Please explain what is meant by “2 IDE channels” as I’m new to this terminology.

The present HD has a designated ’slave’ ribbon cable that is bridged off the ‘master’ ribbon cable that goes to the CPU board. The HD also has a power cable P-5 that is ready to power another HD if the connection is the same as the present HD.

Is the CD-RW on the secondary IDE channel by itself or is it on the same IDE channel as the hard drive?

The CD-RW presently has a cable marked ’slave’ which is floating in the breeze that is bridged to the ‘master‘ which goes to the CPU board next to the HD ‘master’ ribbon cable.

Also check to see if there are any free 4 pin Molex power connectors available from the power supply.

There is such a cable & it also is floating in the breeze.

The present 200 watt power supply measures 4 ½” x 4” x 6” W

Sorry for the slow response. The Pavilion was unbelievably dusty so I chocked the fans, took it to the shop, & blew the dust out.

Do appreciate the help.

[KCD]

Sorry about my last post. I was in a hurry & didn't realize the reading effect the colored responses would cause.

Quote: The motherboard might be an issue. A lot of the big manufacturers use proprietory motherboards with nonstandard power supply connectors, I'm not sure if that applies with yours or not. Check it out before you try to reuse it.

Yes, I measured it for reference.

Quote: Have you looked inside the computer to see if the present IDE cable that the current hard drive is on has an open connector on it?

Yes it is designated ’slave’ & it is bridged off the ribbon cable that goes to the CPU board.

Quote: Does the case even have another spot to install another hard drive?

There is an open slot that is 4 ½” W x 5 ½” L X 1” H that is above the floppy. The floppy is above the present HD.

Quote: Check to see if there are 2 IDE channels available.

Please explain what is meant by “2 IDE channels” as I’m new to this terminology.

The present HD has a designated ’slave’ ribbon cable that is bridged off the ‘master’ ribbon cable that goes to the CPU board. The HD also has a power cable P-5 that is ready to power another HD if the connection is the same as the present HD.

Quote: Is the CD-RW on the secondary IDE channel by itself or is it on the same IDE channel as the hard drive?

The CD-RW presently has a cable marked ’slave’ which is floating in the breeze that is bridged to the ‘master‘ which goes to the CPU board next to the HD ‘master’ ribbon cable.

Quote: Also check to see if there are any free 4 pin Molex power connectors available from the power supply.

There is such a cable & it also is floating in the breeze.

The present 200 watt power supply measures 4 ½” x 4” x 6” W

Sorry for the slow response. The Pavilion was unbelievably dusty so I chocked the fans, took it to the shop, & blew the dust out.

Do appreciate the help.

[glc]

You have 2 IDE channels if you have 2 ribbon cables with a total of 4 connectors.

Installing a second hard drive should be easy. Mount it in the open bay, using a 3.5" to 5.25" adapter if necessary (link below) and connect it to the "slave" connector on the same cable as the existing hard drive. Check the jumpering on the original hard drive, if it's set to Cable Select, set the new drive Cable Select - if it's Master, set the new drive Slave. If the original drive is a Western Digital jumpered to Single, change it to Master and set the new drive Slave.

http://tekgems.com/Products/35-to-52...er-bracket.htm

You may be able to find one of these adapter kits locally, I don't know how much that place wants for shipping and $5.99 is a bit steep anyway, I posted it as an example only.

NOW - if all you want is a hard drive to keep backups on, why not make it even more versatile and get an external USB drive? You can get bare housings (put your own drive in) or premade ones. Some come with software that will assist you in keeping backups or even full images or clones. My favorite:

http://www.apricorn.com/shopping.php?ID=222

[KCD]

glc, appreciate your response & tips. Been told if I’m ‘good’ there will be something under the tree this year. So will hint for the USB drive. Now my problem is being good until then. (lol)

Cricket’s questions required a look under the hood & there is room to expand.

Since the 200 watt PSU had little sign of heat damage, & my HD is a Seagate ST 340810A, 40 gig, ata unit, of which I’ve found several factory new for $45, my plan is to install one, copy the present HD, & then replace the 200 watt psu OEM with a 350 watt OEM.

I have a question into a supplier of the 350 watt psu regarding the wiring differences, if any, between s 200 & 350 watt unit since both are OEM designed for an Athlon equipped Pavilion operation.

I’ve noticed that though advertised as a 40.8 gig H,D Seagate / HP restricted it to 33.8 gig operation in my Pavilion Will check HP & a few more forms to see if the BIOS can be changed to a 40 gig operation without toasting the computer.

http://www.seagate.com/support/kb/di...limit_338.html

http://www.seagate.com/support/disc/...st340810a.html

If it seems risky I will leave that sleeping dog alone. (lol)

Thanks again for everyone’s assistance.

[David M]

Cricket or GLC,
Do external hard drives designed for backup have their own powersource? (from the wall socked) as opposed to getting their power from the PSU? If so I was just thinking that this may be a solution to backing up the data without possibly over taxing the PSU.

Is this so?

[glc]

Yep, 3.5" and 5.25" housings ship with an AC adapter. The little 2.5" housings for notebook drives can be powered off the USB port, but the better ones can be AC powered with an optional adapter, and some even come with a PS/2 adapter for powering off the keyboard port on a notebook. Notebook drives only draw 500ma so USB power is possible, but 3.5" hard drives and 5.25" opticals need more than that.