HP D300 manual Installing Additional Drives, Upgrading the Hard Drive

Hardware Upgrades

Installing Additional Drives

The computer has two external drive bays. The first external bay contains a preinstalled diskette drive.

When installing additional drives, follow these guidelines:

■ For optimal performance, connect hard drives to the primary controller. Connect expansion devices, such as CD-ROM, IDE tape, and diskette drives, to the secondary controller using an 80-conductor IDE cable.

■ You may install either a third-height or a half-height drive into a half-height bay.

■ You must install guide screws to ensure the drive will line up correctly in the drive cage. Compaq has provided extra guide screws, installed in the front of the computer chassis, behind the front bezel. Some options use metric hardware. The Compaq supplied metric screws are black.

le:	CAUTION: To prevent loss of work and damage to the computer or drive:
	■ If you are inserting or removing a hard drive, shut down the operating
	system properly, then turn off the computer. Do not remove a hard drive
	while the computer is on or in standby mode.
	■ Before handling a drive, ensure that you are discharged of static
	electricity. While handling a drive, avoid touching the connector. For
	more information about preventing electrostatic damage, see Appendix
	E, “Electrostatic Discharge.”
	■ Handle a drive carefully; do not drop it.
	■ Do not use excessive force when inserting a drive.
	■ Avoid exposing a hard drive to liquids, temperature extremes, or
	products that have magnetic fields such as monitors or speakers.

Upgrading the Hard Drive

The 3.5-inch hard drive is located on the left side of the computer.

To remove and replace the drive:

1.If you have locked the Smart Cover Lock, use Computer Setup to unlock it.

2.Turn off the computer and any external devices.

3.Disconnect the power cord from the power outlet.

2-16 Hardware Reference Guide