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Upgrade Guide: Manage Your Drive Connections

Manage your EIDE drive connections.

Stan Miastkowski

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2. Find a Space for Your New Drive

Turn off your PC, unplug it, and remove the cover. Depending on the size of your new drive, find a free small (3.5-inch) or large (5.25-inch) drive bay. If you're installing a peripheral (such as a CD-RW drive) that requires front-panel access, remove the bay's cover from the front panel of your PC's case. If you have a small drive and don't have an extra 3.5-inch bay, don't worry: Most drives come with an adapter that allows them to be mounted in a 5.25-inch bay. If your drive doesn't, you can obtain an adapter at extra cost.

Before you go any further, make sure that the wide data cable has a second connector for hooking up the new drive and that this connector can reach the drive in the bay you're planning to use. Also make sure that you have a free red, yellow, and black power connector. If not, you'll need to buy another ribbon cable or a Y-adapter that creates two power connectors out of one.

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