Adding a second HD

[XspyX]

I want to stick my old hard drive into my current computer so I can dig some files off it. I would like to add it as a secondary HD so I can use both at the same time but I can't get it set up so it will work!

How do I set up the cables and whatnot to do this?

Something new for me to learn

[virus]

on the back of your hard drives there should be a set of pins and a jumper
look at the hd case and there should be a diagram for the master, slave, cab sel(cable select) and sometimes spe (special)

just set your main hd to master and the other to slave.... plug in the power and ide cables turn the comp on
go into the bios and if your computer is new enough (which it should be) have it auto detect the hard drives and you should be all set

[Miscue]

You will need to fdisk and format the drive once the computer sees the drive.

[XspyX]

Thats what I figured, it told me to insert a boot disk.

[Zumina]

no no. I assume XspyX is using a rudimentary HD and CD rom computer setup. Set the jumper on the second hard drive to MASTER. On your mother board there will be two IDE ribbon plugs. What you probably have now is either a single ribbon with two connectors plugged into the motherboard IDE one plug, the hard drive, and the CD. Get another IDE ribbon and plug it into the IDE2 plug on the motherboard, then plug it into the the second HD. Start the computer up and go into CMOS setup. Do standard CMOS setup/Drive config, and tell the system to auto detect the master, slave, and secondary master. Then you're done. No, you will not need to format or Fdisk the drive.