Harddrive compatibility

[n0d3]

Right now I've got a 5 gig and an 8 gig hd in my cpu. Obviously, it's not cuttin it. So I'm looking to buy a new one. The only prob I've got is figuring out what's going to be compatible with my comp. I want a 120 gig or something around there. So.. the question.. will there be a problem if I put a big hd in? or is there any info that I need to know about my system before I go and buy something?

positive replies are really appreciated

 

[OTE]

depending on the age of your motherboard the IDE connectors will be limited to either ATA 33, 66, 100, or 133 (Measeured in Megabytes at brust rate). Considering your running a 5 and 8 gig drives i'd say yours support 66. Brands like Maxtor, Western Digital, IBM etc drives will support 66. However Hard drive performance will be slower if transfering large data. However most people never even reach the 133 burst that ATA is capable of, its more about how quickly can the drive aquire information. The latest drives are mainly 7,200Rpm and a few at 5,400Rpm and a few faster than 7,200. 120gig drives can be picked up at around the £100 mark.

hopes this helps

OTE

 

[LeeJend]

What OTE said plus:

If your MB is too old the bios may not handle the huge new drives. The drive manufacturers have some work around drivers to install but that could cause problems with compatibility.

Other things to consider -
What operating system are you running - Windows 95/98 or 2000/XP. (I assumed your not running Win NT or Linux.

You may need to update your ide drivers or flash your bios to handle the newer big drives. A dangerous process for the beginner. You can trash your mobo.

Post some details on your system (mobo make and model, operating system, processor and amount of RAM). People will be able to help you more.

Check out the mobo maker website and see if the FAQ's talk about any bios or driver updates you need.

If you plan to use 3 HD at once there may be problems with the one you connect to the same cable as your CDrom. There ore other posts in here about that.

 

[n0d3]

I figured it out... turns out the mobo can't handle over 32 gigs... oh well... I'll get it worked out... thanks for your help though

 

[Zedric]

First off, WELCOME TO THE BOARDS!

Originally posted by n0d3
I figured it out... turns out the mobo can't handle over 32 gigs... oh well... I'll get it worked out... thanks for your help though

Now there is a solution for this. Most manufacturers have programs you can run to overcome this. It first modifies the firmware of the disk so it will report a size your BIOS can accept. Then it installs a driver in the boot sector of the disk that will allow you to access the entire disk. It's sometimes a bit tricky to get to work (unless you follow the instructions... *whistle*), but once that's done it works well.

Oh and read the instructions VERY carefully and don't skip any step.