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60-Minute Upgrades

Get new PC power in an hour--or less--with these speed boosters, storage add-ons, and more. Plus: Tune-up tips to keep your system going strong.

Jeff Bertolucci

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Hard Drive Problem Solvers

Problem: All of this master/slave business confuses me.

Solution: You'll find master/slave jumper diagrams, even for older hard drives, on most hard-drive manufacturers' Web sites. And your new drive kit will include a diagram in its documentation. Once you've imaged your original hard drive, you'll have to switch the cable and jumper positions to establish the newer, faster drive as the boot drive. You can use the Cable Select position on both hard drives if your PC supports it. But in our experience, the master/slave settings are more likely to work in most systems.

Problem: My PC won't recognize the new 160GB drive.

Solution: Check with your computer or motherboard manufacturer to see if your PC supports drives larger than 137GB. If it doesn't you may have to update the BIOS, download an OS service pack and/or a utility from the drive vendor's site, or use a special controller card.

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