DIY a HDD

  • Thread starter Thread starter John R
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John R

With XP HE I installed additional memory with ease. I used a utility that
directed me to the specific memory type that would function with my Dell
XPST550 machine. Is there a similar help in finding the drive that would be
compatible with what I have? Also, is the installation of an internal drive
rather straight forward?
 
My research shows that this model PC uses an IDE hard drive. Most any IDE
hard drive will work in this PC - but you'll have to be aware of limitations
that are built into the system (such as the maximum size hard drive that the
system will recognize). The workaround is to partition the hard drive into
chunks that are recognizable by the hardware.

The best place to find this out will be the Dell support website.

- John
 
John said:
With XP HE I installed additional memory with ease. I used a utility that
directed me to the specific memory type that would function with my Dell
XPST550 machine. Is there a similar help in finding the drive that would be
compatible with what I have? Also, is the installation of an internal drive
rather straight forward?
Click to expand...
This is a pretty old machine, so you need to be careful what you buy.
You need to know what sort of drive interface you have. I suspect, but
don't know for sure, that you have an IDE (EIDE) interface.

Here's what Dell says:

"To buy the right hard drive it is important that you know the interface
type of your computer. The interface type determines the compatibility
to a system. Common interface types today are IDE (also known as PATA),
SATA, or SCSI. SCSI interface type may come in different pin
configurations."

Use this Dell tool:
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/DellPartsFamily.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&RPU=1&s=dhs

Note that the "Dell storage selector" only works for Dells less than 5
years old, and may suggest drives with the wrong interface. For
example, for "Dimension XPS Gen5" the selector suggests 5 "Serial ATA"
drives. These will ONLY work if you have a Serial ATA (SATA) interface
either on the motherboard or as an auxiliary card. Be careful.

If you in fact have an EIDE interface:

For example, here's a 120 GB drive from Dell
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=A0391306
This actually is a Western Digital drive, and is slightly cheaper direct
from WD: http://www.westerndigital.com/en/products/Products.asp?DriveID=12

Note that the WD drive is described as a "bare drive." The Dell site
doesn't say one way or the other, but it too looks like a bare drive.
What this means is that if you are going to install this drive as an
addition -- rather than a replacement -- you may need mounting hardware.
These days, that amounts to a few screws and perhaps a jumper. WD
sells an installation ket for $4.99. You should not need a new ribbon
cable: if you only have one hard drive right now, there should be a
second connector in the middle of that cable.

You might want to open the case first and see if there are any mounting
screws already in one of the vacant 3.5" bays.

Whoever you buy the drive from, you should inquire whether it comes with
mounting hardware or if you need to buy this as an extra.

WD has handy install guides:
http://www.westerndigital.com/en/library/eide/2079-001026.pdf
Dell may also have hard drive install guides.

It's not difficult to do.
 
With XP HE I installed additional memory with ease. I used a utility that
directed me to the specific memory type that would function with my Dell
XPST550 machine. Is there a similar help in finding the drive that would be
compatible with what I have? Also, is the installation of an internal drive
rather straight forward?
Click to expand...


This is an Easy one. I've rebuilt lots of these, i think I've changed
out every part, including the all the case plastics (easier than
scrubbing off all that permanent marker). All in all, it's a solid
machine.

I know without looking, that that machine is (or was originally) a p3
550MHz. Pretty sure it's slot 1. It can handle a much faster p3
processor (1200mhz), with the latest bios.


It's an IDE drive, a standard of the shelf part. Don't get a SATA,
unless you want to invest in a controller too.

Dell Has firmware for that machine for 75GB hard drives, so I suspect
you can install anything below 137GB (48bit lba limit) without issue.
It's possible to break that limit, but why make work for yourself?



Anyway, changing the hard drive on that machine is pretty simple.

Pull the side panel, which has 1 big thumbscrew and 2 tabs that need
to be pushed in. The panel may require a fair amount of force to pull.

Pull the front panel, the magic secret is it has 3 tabs that need to
be pressed simultaneously to release. So you straddle the 2 on the
side with one hand, and press the one on top with the other.

There are 2 long lag screws holding the hard drive in (don't lose,
they're hard to find spares :) )

The hard drive then can be slid out, cables and all. (Remember to
reattach the cables before you put the new hard drive inside. There's
just no space to maneuver once it's inserted)


The service manual, as well as drivers and firmware are a free
download from support.dell.com

I would upgrade the bios, to accommodate your XP os and possibly other
new peripherals. As well as several bugfixes.
 
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