Installing hard drive in narrow floppy bay

[Simon]

Hi,
This is my first experience with modding a PC and I'm a bit stuck. I
bought an old PC (933MHz PIII) to play around with Linux. The problem
is that it's a low profile case and it's all a bit cramped. I decided
to replace the floppy drive with an additional hard drive. The floppy
sits in a 4" wide bay on top of the first hard disk. The top of the
floppy bay has a restraining lip, so that the floppy drive can slide in
and out, but can't be lifted up. It is then held by 3 screws from the
outer edge. The inner edge is flush against the 5.25" CD-ROM bay.

I found a spare 40GB disk and tried to put that in place of the floppy.
The problem is that the floppy drive is about 25mm thick and fits
snugly into the bay and the hard disk is about 17mm thick and is free
to move up and down in the bay. Also, the screw holes on the floppy
drive (which line up with the holes in the bay) are 5mm up from the
bottom of the drive and spaced 25mm, 85mm and 115mm from the front of
the drive. On the hard disk, the holes are 6mm from the bottom and are
spaced 15mm, 75mm and 118mm from the front. So, my problem is that
there is no way I can secure the HD in the bay.

Any suggestions? Also, the original HD is suspended off the bottom of
the case in a cradle. If the new HD is just placed in the old floppy
bay, then the exposed part of the hard drive would be just resting on
the bottom of the metal bay. Is this ok?

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Christopher Range]

Hi, This is my first experience with modding a PC and I'm a bit
stuck. I bought an old PC (933MHz PIII) to play around with Linux.
The problem is that it's a low profile case and it's all a bit
cramped. I decided to replace the floppy drive with an additional
hard drive. The floppy sits in a 4" wide bay on top of the first hard
disk. The top of the floppy bay has a restraining lip, so that the
floppy drive can slide in and out, but can't be lifted up. It is then
held by 3 screws from the outer edge. The inner edge is flush against
the 5.25" CD-ROM bay.

Simon, I have a 933Mhz P-III. I don't consider it 'old'. I will only
upgrade the mobo and, the CPU when I need to, not when society and the
industry tells me to.

I found a spare 40GB disk and tried to put that in place of the
floppy. The problem is that the floppy drive is about 25mm thick and
fits snugly into the bay and the hard disk is about 17mm thick and is
free to move up and down in the bay. Also, the screw holes on the
floppy drive (which line up with the holes in the bay) are 5mm up
from the bottom of the drive and spaced 25mm, 85mm and 115mm from the
front of the drive. On the hard disk, the holes are 6mm from the
bottom and are spaced 15mm, 75mm and 118mm from the front. So, my
problem is that there is no way I can secure the HD in the bay.

A hard drive is not meant to go in that bay. You can have a 3.5" 1.44,
LS120 and, maybe a few other things but, the holes to mount a hard
drive, are at different position than, those on a floppy drive.

Any suggestions? Also, the original HD is suspended off the bottom of
the case in a cradle. If the new HD is just placed in the old floppy
bay, then the exposed part of the hard drive would be just resting
on the bottom of the metal bay. Is this ok?

This is not okay because, it will not be a 'snug' fit. While the hard
drive may be secured via mounting screws, it could still be jostled in
the the 3.5" bay. Also, Since a faceplate could not be used to cover
the exposed areas of the hard drive, those areas could collect dust.

Any help would be appreciated.

Don't try it.

 

[aasc77]

use a HD enclosure with a USB adapter.

 

[JAD]

Simon, I have a 933Mhz P-III. I don't consider it 'old'. I will only
upgrade the mobo and, the CPU when I need to, not when society and the
industry tells me to.

YOU DO IT NOW MISTER!!!!

 

[JAD]

Hi,
This is my first experience with modding a PC and I'm a bit stuck. I
bought an old PC (933MHz PIII) to play around with Linux. The problem
is that it's a low profile case and it's all a bit cramped. I decided
to replace the floppy drive with an additional hard drive. The floppy
sits in a 4" wide bay on top of the first hard disk. The top of the
floppy bay has a restraining lip, so that the floppy drive can slide in
and out, but can't be lifted up. It is then held by 3 screws from the
outer edge. The inner edge is flush against the 5.25" CD-ROM bay.

I found a spare 40GB disk and tried to put that in place of the floppy.
The problem is that the floppy drive is about 25mm thick and fits
snugly into the bay and the hard disk is about 17mm thick and is free
to move up and down in the bay. Also, the screw holes on the floppy
drive (which line up with the holes in the bay) are 5mm up from the
bottom of the drive and spaced 25mm, 85mm and 115mm from the front of
the drive. On the hard disk, the holes are 6mm from the bottom and are
spaced 15mm, 75mm and 118mm from the front. So, my problem is that
there is no way I can secure the HD in the bay.

plan to bounce the rig on a trampoline? then don't bother worrying about
mounting screws as long as it stays in the bay. If you can get one screw in
that would do

Any suggestions? Also, the original HD is suspended off the bottom of
the case in a cradle. If the new HD is just placed in the old floppy
bay, then the exposed part of the hard drive would be just resting on
the bottom of the metal bay. Is this ok?

yes and no if there are no protruding anchors or metal bits then yeah
(murphys law is in effect).
maybe just put it at the bottom of the case.
you could go to a second hand store and maybe find a old case with a
removable bay. just ground it and stck it in the bottom of the case.

 

[Christopher Range]

YOU DO IT NOW MISTER!!!!

After that, I have started to contemplate it. Right now, My fiance has
major medical issues that need to be addressed, before I can buy
mobo/CPU/RAM.

I am thinking of switching from Intel-based mobo to, an AMD-based mobo.

Christopher

 

[Rich Mayo]

...
Any help would be appreciated.

Personally, I would go for it. Any power drill with a decent bit is
going to have no problem making new mounting holes for your HD.

Carefully measure and mark the spots and if you accidentally drill holes
too large, use washers on the mounting screws. It should come together
fairly easily...


R.

 

[T Shadow]

Hi,
This is my first experience with modding a PC and I'm a bit stuck. I
bought an old PC (933MHz PIII) to play around with Linux. The problem
is that it's a low profile case and it's all a bit cramped. I decided
to replace the floppy drive with an additional hard drive. The floppy
sits in a 4" wide bay on top of the first hard disk. The top of the
floppy bay has a restraining lip, so that the floppy drive can slide in
and out, but can't be lifted up. It is then held by 3 screws from the
outer edge. The inner edge is flush against the 5.25" CD-ROM bay.

I found a spare 40GB disk and tried to put that in place of the floppy.
The problem is that the floppy drive is about 25mm thick and fits
snugly into the bay and the hard disk is about 17mm thick and is free
to move up and down in the bay. Also, the screw holes on the floppy
drive (which line up with the holes in the bay) are 5mm up from the
bottom of the drive and spaced 25mm, 85mm and 115mm from the front of
the drive. On the hard disk, the holes are 6mm from the bottom and are
spaced 15mm, 75mm and 118mm from the front. So, my problem is that
there is no way I can secure the HD in the bay.

Any suggestions? Also, the original HD is suspended off the bottom of
the case in a cradle. If the new HD is just placed in the old floppy
bay, then the exposed part of the hard drive would be just resting on
the bottom of the metal bay. Is this ok?

Any help would be appreciated.

You need to keep from getting the metal chips into the rest of the computer.
I.E. remove everything else or mask off. Both a PIA. Make sure that the
bottom of the HDD doesn't touch metal and short out. If theirs any chance
the drive might touch the metal below it, like say from 6months vibration,
put electrical tape on anything it might touch. I'd try to keep the drive
off the tape though.

I put a HDD in the floppy bay of a UATX case. Time to do it was about 4X my
original estimation. With the other mods I did the power supply wasn't up to
it and the HHDs ran warm. The drives were at the top of the case. Ended up
going to a mini case with a bigger PS and more bays.

When my next system is built into the mini case these internals(minus one
HDD&the newer video card) will go back to the UATX case. The second drive
will be a network drive.

Just pointing out my experience. Yours and other may (will probably) be
different.