hide random home http://www.gateway2000.com/support/techsupt/fb/1100/1138.htm (Amiga Plus Extra No. 5/97, 05/1997)

Installing an IDE Hard Disk Drive

To open the case:

  1. Power down the computer.
  2. Follow the guide lines for preventing static discharge.
  3. Open the case. Use a phillips screwdriver to remove the screws from the back of the machine. Keep the screws together for reassembling the unit later. The procedure depends on which system case you have.

Desktop case

After removing the screws, slide the case top as far as you can towards the front of the system unit, then lift straight up and off the unit. This is easier if you turn the unit so it faces you. If the top won't pull forward, grasp the lower right portion of the case just below the power switch, and pull it away from the chassis as you slide the case forward. If the cover catches on something before it reaches the end, tilt it away to release it and then continue sliding it. Watch the cables inside as you slide the cover and note where each is attached. Sometimes floppy drive and hard disk drive cables catch on the cover and are pulled from their connections. (If this happens, reattach them.)

Mini desktop case

Remove the two screws shown. Then grasp the sides of the case top and slide it slowly and evenly towards the back until it is completely free of the system unit.

Tower case

Use a flat-head screwdriver to pry the plastic back cover from the system unit. Remove the screws shown in the illustration. Keep them together (they are a different size from the other screws in your system). Carefully tilt the cover back and up to free the top edge from the front of the unit. Then lift the cover straight up off the system unit.

If you are installing a second IDE hard drive, please follow the procedures listed in document 1092. This covers setting J8 jumper block on the drive for master/slave operation. After you have configured the hard drive, you are ready to install the drive and plug everything in.

To install the drive in the chassis:

  1. Depending on your system unit case, you may need to remove mounting bracket from, or attach rails to, the new hard disk drive before it will fit into the drive bay. If you need to attach rails, you may need to experiment to find the best holes to use so the drive aligns with the opening in the drive bay.
  2. Insert the drive into a vacant drive bay. If your system does not use the rails, attach the disk drive directly to the system unit chassis with the supplied mounting screws.
  3. If your system uses rails, the fit is quite snug. Apply even pressure to slide the drive into the bay. Then fasten the tabs on the end of the rails to the front of the chassis with the supplied screws.

To connect the drive cables:

  1. Connect the ribbon cable to the connector at the back of the drive. Be sure the side of the cable with the stripe goes to the pin 1 side of the connector on the drive, which is marked with a "1" on the circuit board, and is near the power supply connector. Some cables are also keyed so that they can only be inserted the correct way. It doesn’t matter which cable connector you use, but the most convenient arrangement is to connect the ones closest together to the drives, and the connector on the long end to the system board or adapter card.
  2. Connect the ribbon cable to the system board (local bus and mini desktop systems) or to the host adapter card. The colored stripe on the cable goes to pin 1.
  3. If your system has two IDE connectors on the system board, be sure to plug the first two hard drives (drives C: and D:) onto the primary connector and the second two drives onto the secondary connector.
  4. The power supply cable is keyed and can only be inserted correctly. Connect it to the hard disk. Power supply cables are interchangeable; you can use any of them.

    When you have finished, reassemble the unit, run the CMOS setup program, and format the drive. See your User's Guide or document 1139.



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