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- Hard Drive Upgrades.
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- graph shows the drive’s capacity, the storage space in use, and the amount available (see FIGURE 1.
- 2GB: Any hard drive using the FAT16 file system can recognize only up to 2GB..
- If you have an old FAT16 drive in a PC using Windows 95B or Windows 98, you can upgrade the disk to FAT32 using the Windows FAT32 Drive Converter Utility.
- You can- not use any disk utilities designed for FAT16 drives after making the switch, but your 16-bit applications will run just fine..
- A drive with the latest version of the ATA data transfer technology—currently the Ultra DMA/100 mode (also called Ultra ATA/100)—will work at top data mp 3 collections , gargantuan software.
- pcworld.com/reviews/march2001/large.) But not every PC can ac-.
- Some drives may have more stor- age capacity than your PC can recognize, some may be too fast for your system, and some may not fit in your PC’s case.
- Before you buy the latest drive, make sure your PC can use it..
- Here are common size limits, and how you can get around them..
- If your BIOS doesn’t support large-capacity drives, see if your PC vendor’s Web site offers a BIOS update for your machine..
- If you install a drive with a capacity of 8.4GB or greater and your PC fails to rec- ognize its full capacity (and you can’t find a BIOS update), you can bypass the BIOS and the onboard disk controller by in- stalling an updated ATA disk controller card such as the $34 Ultra100TX2 from Promise Technology (www.promise.com .
- To view your drive’s capacity, open My Computer, right-click your hard disk, and select Properties.
- Most PCs made since 1999 sup- port the previous Ultra DMA/33 mode, and many support Ultra DMA/66 mode..
- To find out which mode your PC sup- ports, check your system’s documentation or visit your PC manufacturer’s Web site..
- Your new hard drive’s ATA mode does not have to match that of your PC.
- The lat- est drives will operate at the fastest mode your PC supports.
- Still, save money and buy a drive that matches your PC’s capabilities..
- Find more tips at www.pcworld..
- Click it once to display a list of all resolution/color-depth settings that your PC’s monitor supports.
- In Windows 98 and Me, select Start•Settings•.
- Find the Perfect Hard Disk for Your PC.
- FIGURE 2: THE ATA STANDARD HAS APPEARED in many variations over the years, so be careful to choose a hard drive that uses a version of ATA that will work with your PC..
- Ultra DMA mode 2 Ultra DMA mode 4 Ultra DMA mode 5.
- Ultra DMA/33, Ultra ATA/33 Ultra DMA/66, Ultra ATA/66 ATA/100, Ultra ATA/100.
- r Run the new drive-installation software..
- Some even help you transfer data from your old disk to the new one.
- You must run most installation software before you physically install the new drive, but check the drive’s manual or installation poster.
- You’ll either install and run the software from within Windows, or boot from a floppy disk.
- e Prepare your PC’s existing hard drive.
- To prevent future problems, make sure the cur- rent drive in your PC is trouble-free.
- Run ScanDisk (Start•Programs•Accessories•System Tools•Scan Disk) and check the Thorough test option.
- Then run Disk Defragmenter (Start•Programs•Accessories•System Tools•Disk Defragmenter).
- These tests sometimes take hours to complete if you haven’t run them before, but you’ll save time and headaches later in the installation process by ensuring that you will be copying error-free data..
- Next, make a full b a c k u p o f y o u r hard drive if you’re able to, or at least back up your vital data and configura- tion files from your favorite programs..
- Still, if you want the best performance out of your new drive, your PC must have on-board Ultra DMA/100 support.
- For about $40, you can buy a card that adds Ultra DMA/100 to your PC from a com- pany like Promise (www.promise.com)..
- Or you can just settle for the interface that your PC uses now..
- Because your new hard disk will be big- ger and faster than the one your PC cur- rently uses, plan on making the new drive your primary drive—the new home for your operating system and applications..
- You can attach the old drive as a secon- dary hard disk and use it for archives and less frequently accessed data..
- All major drive makers pack software with their upgrade kits that prepares the drive for data (partitioning and format- ting) and can also copy exactly what’s on your current drive to the new one, helping to make the upgrade a snap..
- Turn off your PC and unplug it before you remove the cover.
- And before you begin working under your PC’s hood, put on an antistatic wrist strap (available from local electron- ics supply stores) and clip it to a grounded metal object..
- i n s t a l l i n g a n e w hard drive remains one of the most popular upgrade projects for PC users.
- You’ll need that extra space for the increasingly roomy OS installs and gigabyte-eating applications that are the norm these days.
- If your budget is limited, you can up- grade to a 20GB drive for as little as $120;.
- For maximum storage space, you can invest in a 60GB or 80GB behemoth, although prices for these larger drives are in the $200-to-.
- If you’re comfortable making the upgrade without installation software, you can save a few bucks ($10 to $30) by purchasing a bare drive..
- Install a Bigger, Faster Hard Drive.
- Vendors: IBM (www.storage.ibm.com), Maxtor (www.maxtor.com), Quantum (www..
- quantum.com), Seagate (www.seagate..
- com), Western Digital (www.wdc.com) If you need….
- Ultra DMA/100 card: Ultra100 $40 (www.promise.com).
- Usually, you’ll install your new drive as the sec- ond drive on the p r i m a r y I D E channel (the same chan- nel where the current drive i s co n n e c te d.
- If you’ll be using the new disk as your PC’s boot drive, set its jumper to Master, and change the jumper settings on your old drive to Slave..
- (Check the included instal- lation software to make sure that it supports copy- ing of the data over to your new hard disk.).
- ward-compatible with the Ultra DMA/66 interface found on most PCs made in the last few years.
- But most of today’s drives support the Ultra DMA/100 interface (alternatively called ATA/100), which offers burst transfer speeds of up to 100MB per second.
- In some operations, the new interface can speed up data trans-.
- Install the new drive.
- Attach the two connectors on the new ribbon cable to the old and new hard disks.
- (It doesn’t matter which of the connectors goes where.) Make sure the red wire on the cables goes to.
- don’t put the cover back on until you’re sure that everything’s working correctly..
- Make sure the hard drive installation utility disk is in the floppy drive.
- then turn your PC on.
- Enter your PC’s setup utility (usually by pressing <Delete>, <F1>, or <F2>.
- If they’re not, your PC may not detect your new drive..
- Follow the directions to set up your new drive and copy the data from the old drive to the new..
- Finally, remove the floppy and reboot your PC.
- When you’re sure everything’s working, reformat your old drive to wipe out its superfluous data and to prepare it for new files..
- Find a space for the new drive..
- Find the drive.
- Note where the red wire of the ribbon cable meets the drive (Pin 1) so you can connect the new cable correctly.
- You need power for your new drive.
- Use the new cable.
- Remove the old cable and replace it with the new one (the connectors are compatible)..
- First, select Start•Programs•Accessories• Sys- tem Tools•ScanDisk, click Thorough, and check the Automatically fix errors box.
- Next, defragment each drive by selecting Start•Pro- grams•Accessories•System Tools•Disk Defragmenter..
- To use Windows 9x’s or Me’s built-in backup utility, select Start•Programs•Accessories•System Tools•.
- ing out XP, or even installing Linux), then you’ll absolutely need multiple partitions..
- no matter the capacity of your PC’s hard drive, chances are that it’s set up to function as one giant data dump.
- Though that’s fine for most users, dividing your drive into multiple partitions (additional drive letters) can make life easier: At the least, keeping all your data—such as doc- uments, worksheets, and images—in a partition separate from the operating sys- tem and applications simplifies backups and can increase your PC’s performance..
- And if you plan on using multiple oper- ating systems (adding Windows 2000, try-.
- Win- dows 95, 98, and Me can’t “see” the data in an NTFS partition.
- If you’re starting with a new, blank hard drive, partitioning is easy.
- But if you want to have extensive parti- tioning options, you’ll need a utility such as Partition Commander ($40, www..
- v-com.com) or PartitionMagic ($69, www.powerquest.com).
- Partition Your Hard Drive.
- run the partitioning software, decide how you want to orga- nize your hard drive(s).
- Once you’ve decid- ed how to set up your partitions, follow the di- rections to install and run the partitioning soft- ware.
- ble-check the new partitions to make sure you’ve allocated all the drive’s space..
- The software will also format the new partitions for you..
- ed, reboot your PC to complete the process.
- You can then move your data around or install a new operating sys- tem.
- If you plan to store all your data in one of the new par- titions, you’ll have to tell your applications where to save files in the future.
- Usually, you can set this from the Pref- erences menu or File Locations tab in each application..
- Problems? If you have problems accessing or using the new partitions, use the emergency disks that came with the partitioning software to double-check that the par- titions were created and formatted