| If you have ever owned your own computer | | | | drive to the mother board. SATA on the |
| then at some point you have had to deal | | | | other hand, uses a lot smaller cable. |
| with hardware that dies at some point. | | | | They both also have some form of power |
| Often many people do not know what is | | | | cable attached to them. This is usually |
| even wrong, but just their computer quit | | | | a small, white plastic jack for IDE, and |
| working and will not start. Oddly | | | | an even smaller black jack for SATA. |
| enough, when you actually try to start | | | | Once you know what kind you have you |
| the computer it beeps a few times and | | | | simply need to go buy a new hard drive |
| suddenly displays a message... "OS Not | | | | thats the same as the old drive. |
| Found". | | | | 7. At this point you can disconnect the |
| Luckily for us though, its actually | | | | old hard drive. Do not disconnect the |
| quite simple to replace a broken hard | | | | cables yet. |
| drive. Most of the time the only tool | | | | 8. Install the new hard drive to the |
| you even need is a phillips screw | | | | slot and screw it back down properly. |
| driver. Following these steps will allow | | | | 9. Once you have the new hard drive in |
| you to replace that hard drive in no | | | | place, disconnect the first cable from |
| time flat! So here they are... | | | | the old hard drive. |
| | | | 10. Attach this cable to the new hard |
| 1. Disconnect the power cable from the | | | | drive. |
| back of the computer. | | | | 11. Disconnect the last cable and attach |
| 2. Once you have the power disconnected, | | | | it to the new hard drive. |
| unplug all the other cables and wires | | | | 12. With both cables connected, you |
| from the computer. | | | | should be able to replace the cover and |
| 3. Place the computer tower on a table | | | | screws to reseal your computer case. |
| or stand to allow easier access to the | | | | 13. Re-attach each cable to the back of |
| computer. | | | | your computer, connecting the power |
| 4. Locate the two screws holding the | | | | cable back up last. |
| cover on the side of the computer. Some | | | | 14. Install a fresh copy of Windows on |
| computers, like Dell, have a handle or | | | | your computer and you should be good as |
| button you press that will release the | | | | new. Most computers come with some kind |
| side of the computer for you without | | | | of disk that will reinstall Windows for |
| having to remove any screws. | | | | you. Simply turn on your computer, |
| 5. Remove the cover and place off to the | | | | insert the disk as soon as you can, and |
| side, out of the way. | | | | it should display a message asking you |
| 6. Unless you ordered more than one hard | | | | if you would like to boot from the CD. |
| drive for your computer, most computers | | | | The Windows installation is fairly |
| only come with one hard drive. Most of | | | | simple after that. |
| the time they are located in the spot | | | | Once you've replaced a hard drive, |
| directly under your computer's CD-ROM or | | | | replacing other things like a vidoe |
| DVD player. Older computers use IDE's | | | | card, or modem are a piece of cake. Most |
| drives and newer computers use SATA | | | | everything else simply plugs into some |
| drives. IDE is easy to spot as it has a | | | | kind of slot making most hardware work a |
| fairly wide cable attaching the hard | | | | breeze. |