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Godzilla-Size Hard Drives

Does size matter? It does when your hard drive is bursting at the seams, crammed with data, apps, Web add-ons, graphics files, video, and more. The solution: Pick one of these monster hard drives, with storage capacities of up to 16.8GB.

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Upgrade Wisdom

Basic hard drive installation steps are the same whether you're installing a slim 5.2GB model or a 12GB titan. Set the jumpers on the new drive to master, install it in the place occupied by the old drive, adjust your PC's BIOS settings, partition and format the new drive, change the jumper settings on your old drive to slave and connect it to the same ribbon cable as the new one, and copy the complete contents of the old drive to the new one. Now, wasn't that a cinch?

It's easier than it sounds. To install a hard drive successfully, think like a Boy Scout: Be prepared. Follow the steps in the checklist "Things to Do Before and During Your Hard Disk Upgrade," and your installation should have a happy ending.

All hard drive kits use software that simplifies the process of copying your current drive's contents onto your new drive. Forget reinstalling Windows and all your applications. In most cases, reinstalling Windows opens a whole different can of worms. For the fastest, easiest upgrade, just use the software bundled with your new hard drive to copy everything over from the old one. Only a few circumstances warrant a fresh start. PC World columnist Steve Bass wrote about his experience reinstalling everything last February in his column. If you're considering this option, give it a read.

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