If you have a desktop computer that you bought three years ago are, chances are you have an IDE hard drive. Although this species is now the hard drive of the faster Serial ATA, or SATA, drive configuration, it replaces is still a lot of computers, the IDE drives on it. Go Over the years, there may come a time when you replace or add to an existing IDE drive to your computer. In this case, you need to know how your IDE drive the right way.

IDE drives can, by the type of cable that they see on your computer to connect to. In view of the SATA cable that looks like a flat electrical cable used for IDE hard drives, unlike a long, thin, and strip-like data-Interface ATA-7, the cable usually three forty-jacks, one at the end that the motherboard connection, one found in the middle and another on the other side for each of the pins on the back of the hard disk.

If your space with another IDE drive to expand, you must configure it so, so that one becomes the primary drive and the second is the secondary drive. Of course you have to the new drive as the secondary, because your old hard drive contains the operating system for your computer. Well, unless of course that you wanted your new IDE drive on your operating system, in which case you must set it as your primary or master to hold, but would mean that a reformat and reinstall the operating system is not on it forget the drivers that the computer and a variety of software applications that you use. If you want to make it easy, then you just take to set the new drive as secondary storage can.

On the back of the disk, there is a small area immediately to the right side of the 40-pin socket that contains eight pins in a four-pair configuration. This is the master and slave, or the primary and secondary selector. You will usually see a small bridge in this selector. Look at the label on the hard drive and you will see the correct jumper configuration for master or slave. If you intend to serve the new drive as a slave, then just follow the configuration as in the illustration on the label of your hard disk have.

Next, secure the hard disk on the drive bay of your computer and then attach the spare forty female connector on the IDE cable to the back of the hard disk. Be careful not to push too vigorously to avoid damaging the hard drive pins. There is a guide notch on the connector, so you never go wrong. Attach the power and connect the chassis of your computer. You can then your computer and enjoy the additional storage space.