[Jessica J.]

I've got a Dell Optiplex computer that I'm trying to put a new hard drive into. The old drive was a SCSI drive, and I'm trying to put an IDE drive in its place. Can I just plug it up or is there anything extra that I would need to do to replace this drive? Any help would be appreciated...thanks in advance.

Jessica

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Should just be able to plug it into th appropriate connector (IDE1) on the board. If its a brand new drive then the computer should be intelligent enough not to try and boot off it but go back to the SCSI drive to boot off that instead.

You'll need to partition and format the new drive in Windows before you're able to put any data on it. This can be done by going to the Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Computer Management -> Disk Management.

[Neil Jones]

Should just be able to plug it into th appropriate connector (IDE1) on the board. If its a brand new drive then the computer should be intelligent enough not to try and boot off it but go back to the SCSI drive to boot off that instead.

You'll need to partition and format the new drive in Windows before you're able to put any data on it. This can be done by going to the Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Computer Management -> Disk Management.

[Kemasa]

SCSI != EIDE

If the machine has an IDE controller, then you can install the new disk and should be able to use that, but you would also need to get a new cable (unless you already have one). Most computers do have IDE controllers and it is much more rare to have a SCSI controller. Personally I prefer SCSI drives (for many reasons), but the drives are more expensive.

You should also check the BIOS settings to ensure that the boot order is correct so that it does not try looking for the SCSI disk.

Once the new disk is installed, you can reinstall Windoze. It sounds like you are replacing the old disk (dare I ask why?).

[Jessica J.]

Thanks for the replies. The old disk is being replaced because I think it is almost worn out. I've had that machine for a little over 3 years, and it was used when I got it, so I figure it's about time to give it a little upgrade. I've gotten two new machines since I got that one, so I'm just doing a little experimenting on the old one. I will try the suggestions and see where that gets me. Thanks again for replying.

Jessica

[Kemasa]

Ok, SCSI disks tend to be a bit better built than IDE, mainly because they are used in higher end systems (somewhere I have an article about that issue). Use is a major factor, rather than years, so there might be a lot of life in the drive still.

You should be able to add an additional IDE disk if your system has a controller for it. Then you can use the old drive for additional storage and install new on the new disk. If the SCSI drive is still working, there is little reason to take it out unless you can sell it or give it away (if it is a good sized disk, then it might have some value to it).