[stejens]

Just needed some advice on a hard drive, i need to buy a new one for my computer but am not sure which to get, i look on ebay and theres 1000s to choose from and i would just get any but don't know if they fit all computers.
So do i have to find specific requirements to get one for my computer or can i just get any and it should work?

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Hi stejens,

If you purchased your Desktop Computer within the last few years: IDE, SATA, and SATA2 hard drives should be compatible with your computer.

To confirm which hard drive will exactly work, what brand and model computer do you have? (ie. HP Pavilion DV2408CA, Dell... etc..)
IF you have a white label/custom made computer, do you know what motherboard it is utilizing?

If you are unsure what motherboard your computer is using, please download HWiNFO32 Portable ZIP

• Download HWiNFO32 Portable ZIP
• Unzip the file and Run "hwinfo32.exe"
• A new window will appear, click the "Run" button
• Another window will now appear with System Summary details
  
• On the right side of this System Summary, you will see Motherboard: _______
• Please copy and paste in your reply what Motherboard your computer uses
• At the bottom left, there is a section called "Drives"
• Also in your reply, please list what interface(s) are listed

Most or ALL desktop computers support IDE Hard Drives; however, SATA Hard Drives will allow you to transfer data faster.
I will wait for your reply to help you determine what hard drive is suitable.

[SalomonXM]

Hi stejens,

If you purchased your Desktop Computer within the last few years: IDE, SATA, and SATA2 hard drives should be compatible with your computer.

To confirm which hard drive will exactly work, what brand and model computer do you have? (ie. HP Pavilion DV2408CA, Dell... etc..)
IF you have a white label/custom made computer, do you know what motherboard it is utilizing?

If you are unsure what motherboard your computer is using, please download HWiNFO32 Portable ZIP

• Download HWiNFO32 Portable ZIP
• Unzip the file and Run "hwinfo32.exe"
• A new window will appear, click the "Run" button
• Another window will now appear with System Summary details
  
• On the right side of this System Summary, you will see Motherboard: _______
• Please copy and paste in your reply what Motherboard your computer uses
• At the bottom left, there is a section called "Drives"
• Also in your reply, please list what interface(s) are listed

Most or ALL desktop computers support IDE Hard Drives; however, SATA Hard Drives will allow you to transfer data faster.
I will wait for your reply to help you determine what hard drive is suitable.

[stejens]

Hello, thanks for replying, the details are...

Motherboard:

MSI MS-7211

Drives:

ATA - 133 Maxtor 6K040L0 (41GB, 2MB)
ATAPI HL-DT-ST DVD-RAM GSA-H22N [DVD+R DL]
ATAPI CD-ROM F567E [CD-ROM]


Thanks.

[stejens]

The model i have is an E - S (e system) 103A

[SalomonXM]

Hi stejens,

Thank you for the information, the details you provided were that your Motherboard is MSI PM8M3-V (MS-7211).

By searching Ebay, you can purchase either a 3.5" ATA/IDE Hard Drive or a 3.5" SATA 1.5Gbps Hard Drive. The difference between these drives are that ATA Drives transfer at 133MB/sec and SATA 1.5Gbps Drives transfer at 150MB/sec.

Please note that IF you purchase a SATA 3.0Gbps Hard Drive, your computer will not support the full 300MB/sec speeds. It will work with your computer as long as you change the jumper settings on the hard drive. Please refer to the hard drive manual for this.

If you live in North America, you have the following e-tailers to purchase from:

• Canada - www.newegg.ca
• Canada - www.ncix.com
• USA - www.newegg.com

MSI MS-7211 Motherboard: On-Board IDE

• An IDE Controller on the VT8237R chipset provides IDE HDD/ CD-ROM with PIO, Bus Master and Ultra DMA133/100/66 operation modes.
• Can connect up to four IDE devices.
• Serial ATA 150 controller integrated in VT8237R
• Up to 150MB/s transfer speed
• Can connect up to 2 Serial ATA drives

Edited by SalomonXM, 12 August 2009 - 03:22 AM.

[stejens]

Thanks again for the information, that's great!, i am guessing they are easy to install?, or i have to pay like $100 to an engineer to do it, i live in the UK btw.

[stejens]

Had a check on ebay for that type of hardrive but wasn't much there, will have a look around elsewhere too.

Edited by stejens, 12 August 2009 - 03:36 AM.

[SalomonXM]

Hi stejens,

I am not familiar with retailers in the UK that sell computer parts; however, a quick search provided me with Misco.co.uk. They seem to sell all kind of computer parts and seem similar to a North American company named Tigerdirect. Here is a list of ATA/IDE Hard Drives from Misco Misco Desktop ATA Hard Drives

It is not very complicated to install a hard drive; however, it should not be too expensive to get someone to install it for you. I would doubt it would be 100 British pounds; it cost about 12 British Pounds in Canada to have a hard drive installed. Here is a link for how to install a hard drive: Hard Drive Installation Guide.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

[stejens]

Hey again,

Ok so i got myself a MAXTOR 250Gb IDE ATA Hard Disk Drive 3.5", so this should work.

What i was wondering was, if i rip out my old useless hard drive and bin it, can i replace it with this, and put in my reformatting disks so that everything will still be the same, just more space?

[stettybet0]

Your old hard drive has your operating system, your programs, and your data on it. Your new hard drive will have none of these. If you wish to solely use the new hard drive, you will have to install an operating system on it, install your programs on it, and transfer your data from the old hard drive to the new hard drive.

[stejens]

Your old hard drive has your operating system, your programs, and your data on it. Your new hard drive will have none of these. If you wish to solely use the new hard drive, you will have to install an operating system on it, install your programs on it, and transfer your data from the old hard drive to the new hard drive.

So the disks that came with the computer originally won't have an operating system on them to put onto a new hard drive?