How to Install a SATA Hard Drive on XP
- 1). Open the computer's case with your screwdriver.
- 2). Locate a free hard drive bay. Unless you have installed other hard drives, there will probably be a free bay above or below your current hard drive.
- 3). Mount your SATA drive in the bay. Slip the hard drive into the metal housing, so that the screw holes are visible through the housing, then screw the drive in place. (It should have come with mounting screws.) If you want to secure the drive from both sides, you will have to take off the other side of the case. Use your currently installed drive as a guide as cases vary significantly.
- 4). Plug in the SATA power connector. This cable will be coming from your power supply and should be easy to spot, since the end is different from the normal 4 prong connectors, and its head is usually black instead of white or clear.
- 5). Connect the SATA cable to the hard drive and the motherboard. Your hard drive should have come with a SATA cable. Slip one end into your hard drive's plug, and the other into a free SATA port on your motherboard. The SATA ports are usually in the bottom right corner of the motherboard as you look in from the left side. (See Resources for pictures of connectors.)
- 6). Close the case and turn on the computer.
- 7). Format the new drive. Open the control panel under the start menu, then open administrative tools. Select computer management, and then click disk management. Your new disk should be listed. Right click on it, and select format. Choose the format type you want and begin formatting. (See Resources for information on format types.) Restart your computer when formatting is complete.
