[Student101]

i would like to add a second internal hard drive to my gateway 310 X desktop computer. Is this possible for me to do so.

Student101

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Yes but double check here: http://support.gatew...=310series.html

There are a couple of versions of the 310 X. You will most likely have to add a 3.5-inch IDE HDD. Just click on "Upgrade Information" on the page where your specific PC is on.

[jackflash1991]

Yes but double check here: http://support.gatew...=310series.html

There are a couple of versions of the 310 X. You will most likely have to add a 3.5-inch IDE HDD. Just click on "Upgrade Information" on the page where your specific PC is on.

[Student101]

well crud...it says that i can't have a second hard drive. i can only replace my drive with another one. Is there a way i can still get a second hard drive? (my guess would be an external, then again im not good in the computer parts department)


Student101

btw here is the link to the computer i have

[jackflash1991]

Well yes you could go with an external HDD. It would connect it to your PC through the USB 2.0 port.

What are you going to use the hard drive for? Because I believe a USB connection will be a little slower then a standard connection. Also how big of a drive are you looking at? 100GB, 200GB, 500GB.

Here are some top selling external USB 2.0 HDDs on Newegg for you to browse at: http://www.newegg.co...amp;Order=PRICE

Edited by jackflash1991, 13 April 2008 - 08:16 PM.

[John Hook]

Student101,

You could always add an external USB hard drive. What specific Gateway 310 model do you have? How many IDE devices do you have installed (i.e. internal hard drive, CD ROM, CD-RW or DVD-RW, Zip, etc)? MOST desktop PCs have 2 IDE controller channels (primary & secondary) on which you can chain 2 devices per channel, for a total of 4 IDE devices. It's possible that your specific Gateway model only has a single IDE channel - but MOST P4-based PC's I've worked with provide 2 IDE connectors on their motherboards.

If your PC ONLY has a single IDE channel, the other possibility would be to purchase and install an additional hard drive controller (IDE or SATA). Not sure of how many available drive bays you have in your PC's physical case. The lack of an available drive bay or would be a limiting factor in your case.

How much additional storage space are you looking for? What do you plan to store on this additional drive? I don't think you're completely out-of-luck in terms of expanding the available disk space on your PC.

If the information I saw on Gateway's site for the 310 series applies to that entire line, you're working with a fairly old Pentium 4 - based PC. Given that fact, I would be careful about throwing too much money into upgrading a system that is that old. There are other components in this system that might eventually fail - particularly the existing har

[jackflash1991]

I'm thinking the best solution would be an external hard drive, like the ones I recommended looking at from my last post. As said by John, keep in mind that if the PC is old expect the need for a whole new or the possibility of the power supply or existing hard drive to give out.

PS: Exactly how old is this PC?

[Student101]

well poking around the inside of the computer it seems to only have one Hard drive bay (bummer) so it looks like im kind of forced to go the external hard drive route. the PC is only 4 years old, so it isn't that old imho. and there is two IED channels because i have a CD drive along with the hard drive. but any further opinions would be appreciated.

Student101

[Kazzoo]

Greetings Student101

If you have a open 5.25 drive bay normally used for optical drives, why not consider some 5.25 drive rails that will adapt the 3.5 drives to fit in the drive space. Usually consists of a couple of metal brackets and some screws.

Not unlike this--->http://www.nextag.co...473/prices-html

Like those before me, insure you have enough ide headers if you are going IDE. Or consider a controler card with sata/ide choices on it.

Yes mounting the drive in a open optical space is fine.

Regards

Kaz.

[cvswebdesign]

This sounds like the perfect time to get creative!!!
If you have "space" available but not specifically a hard drive bay....make it work.
Like the last poster said....if you have an open 5.25" slot....get some rails and put it in there. You can never mod your case enough to get in it what you want in it!!
If all else fails....get yourself a PCI eSATA expansion card and make sure your external drive is eSATA. That way you don't lose the speed connectivity.

Carl

[Student101]

well this is makes my day better! i think i will put it in an optical bay and get creative! thank you guys so much. i thought i was down and out for a bit. i will keep you apprised of my situation when i put the 100gb drive in later this week. (i would have never thought of that, not a parts guy)

Thanks again to all who have helped!
Student101