Hard Disk Installation Procedures

This section describes the hard disk drive installation process, particularly the configuration, physical installation, and formatting of a hard disk drive.

To install a hard drive in a PC, you must perform some or all of the following procedures:

• Configure the drive.

• Configure the host adapter (if used).

• Physically install the drive.

• Configure the system to recognize the drive.

• Partition the drive (FDISK, DISKPART, or SETUP).

• High-level format the partitions (FORMAT or SETUP).

As you perform the procedure, you might need to know various details about the hard disk drive, host adapter (if used), and system ROM BIOS, as well as many of the other devices in the system. This information usually appears in the various manuals or reference sheets that come with these devices. When you purchase these items, be sure the vendor includes any documentation that came with the original components. (Many do not include the manuals unless you ask for them.) For most equipment sold today, you will get enough documentation from the vendor to enable you to proceed.

If you are like me, however, and want all the technical documentation on the device, you should contact the original manufacturer of the device and order the technical specification manual. For example, if you purchase a system that comes with a particular ATA drive, the seller probably will give you some limited information on the drive, but not nearly the amount that the technical manual for the drive provides. To get this documentation, you normally download it from the drive manufacturer's website. The same rule applies for any of the other components in most of the systems sold today. I find the OEM technical manuals essential in providing the highest level of technical support possible. For reference, you can look up the hard disk manufacturer names in the Vendor List on the disc packaged with this book; you will find numbers to call for technical support, as well as URLs for their websites.

Drive Configuration

Before you physically install a hard disk drive in the computer, you must ensure that it is properly configured. For an ATA drive, this generally means designating the drive as a master/slave or using the Cable Select (CS) feature and a special cable to determine the relationship. For SCSI drives, you must set the device's SCSI ID and possibly its SCSI bus termination state.

To learn more about configuring ATA drives, see "ATA Standards," p. 552.

Serial ATA drives do not require configuration with jumper blocks. Although some SATA drives might have jumper blocks, they are intended for factory use only. Each SATA drive connects to the SATA host adapter in a point-to-point configuration using its own cable; there is no master or slave as there is with Parallel ATA drives. For compatibility, some SATA host adapters emulate master and slave configurations.

Host Adapter Configuration

Older hard disk drive types used separate disk controller cards you had to install in a bus slot. The ATA, SCSI, and SATA hard disk drives used in today's PCs, however, have the disk controller integrated into the drive assembly. For ATA drives, the I/O interface is nearly always integrated into the system's motherboard, and you configure the interface through the BIOS Setup. No separate host adapter exists; therefore, if you have an ATA drive, you can proceed to the section "Physical Installation" later in this chapter. Some systems might use ATA/IDE adapters in lieu of the built-in interface. This is because some of the motherboard-integrated ATA interfaces might not support the faster modes (such as Ultra-ATA/33 through Ultra-ATA/133) that most newer drives can use. In most cases, I would recommend upgrading the motherboard rather than getting an ATA host adapter because a new motherboard has other benefits and the cost isn't much higher. SATA drives can be connected to a system with a standard ATA interface by installing an SATA adapter card (see Figure 12.1). If the system has an SATA host adapter built in to the motherboard, no additional card is necessary.

Figure 12.1. You can install a combo SATA/ATA host adapter (top) or a pure SATA host adapter (bottom) to enable you to install SATA drives into a computer that has standard ATA host adapters.

SCSI drives, however, usually require a host adapter card you must install in a bus slot like any other card. A few motherboards have integrated SCSI adapters, but these are rare. Configuring a SCSI host adapter card involves setting the various system resources the adapter requires. As with most expansion cards, a SCSI host adapter requires some combination of the following system resources:

• Boot ROM address (optional)

• Interrupt request (IRQ)

• Direct Memory Access (DMA) channel

• I/O port address

Not all adapters use every one of these resources, but some might use them all. In most cases with modern plug-and-play adapters and systems, the BIOS and your operating system automatically configure these resources. The computer sets the required hardware resource settings to values that do not conflict with other devices in the computer.

See "Plug and Play BIOS," p. 464.

Note

A detailed list of PnP device IDs is included in the Technical Reference section of the disc included with this book.

If your hardware or operating system does not support Plug and Play, you must manually configure the adapter to use the appropriate resources. Some adapters provide software that enables you to reconfigure or change the hardware resources, whereas others might use jumpers or DIP switches on the adapter card.

See "System Resources," p. 381.

The ATA interface driver is part of the standard PC BIOS, which enables booting from an ATA drive. Systems that include SATA interfaces on the motherboard also incorporate support for SATA into the BIOS. The BIOS provides the device driver functionality the system needs to access the drive before any files can be loaded from disk. However, a SCSI interface driver is not part of the standard PC BIOS, so most SCSI host adapters have their own onboard ROM BIOS that enables SCSI drives to function as bootable devices.

Note

Although standard ATA drivers are provided with Windows, this interface is typically built in to the motherboard chipset South Bridge or I/O Controller Hub (ICH) component, and it usually requires that specific chipset drivers be loaded. If you are using a motherboard that is newer than your operating system version (for example, a board purchased new after 2002 that is used with Windows XP), be sure you install the chipset drivers that came with your motherboard immediately after installing Windows. If the board is older than the OS, the chipset drivers will most likely be present on the OS installation CD; however, it is still a good idea to update to the latest chipset drivers immediately after the OS installation.

Use of the SCSI BIOS is usually optional. If you are not booting from a SCSI drive, you can leave the BIOS on the card disabled and merely install the appropriate device driver to access the SCSI devices. Most host adapters have switches, jumpers, or configuration software you can use to enable or disable SCSI BIOS support.

In addition to providing boot functionality, the SCSI BIOS can provide many other functions, including any or all of the following:

• Low-level formatting

• Drive-type (parameter) control

• Host adapter configuration

• SCSI diagnostics

• Support for nonstandard I/O port addresses and interrupts

If the adapter's onboard BIOS is enabled, it uses specific memory address space in the upper memory area (UMA). The UMA is the top 384KB in the first megabyte of system memory. It is divided into three areas of two 64KB segments each, with the first and last areas being used by the video adapter circuits and the motherboard BIOS, respectively. Segments C000h and D000h are reserved for use by adapter ROMs, such as those found on disk controllers or SCSI host adapters.

Note

You must ensure that any adapters using space in these segments of the UMA (upper memory area) do not overlap with another adapter that uses this space. No two adapters can share this memory space. Most adapters have software, jumpers, or switches that can adjust the configuration of the board and change the addresses it uses to prevent conflict.

Physical Installation

The procedure for the physical installation of a hard disk drive is much the same as that for installing any other type of drive. You must have the correct screws, brackets, and faceplates for the specific drive and system before you can install the drive.

Some computer cases require plastic or metal rails that are secured to the sides of a hard disk drive so it can slide into the proper place in the system (see Figure 12.2). Other case designs have drive bays that directly accept the drive via screws through the side supports and no other hardware is necessary, whereas others use a cage arrangement where you first install the drives into a cage and then slide the cage into the case (see Figure 12.3). If your case uses rails or a cage, these are usually included with the case. With the proper mounting mechanism supplied via the case, all you need is the bare drive to install.

Figure 12.2. A typical 3 1/2" hard disk with mounting rails for a 3 1/2" drive bay.

Figure 12.3. A typical hard disk mounted in a removable drive cage.

Because parallel ATA, SCSI, and SATA drives use different cables, be sure you have the proper cable for both your drive and controller/host adapter. For example, to run ATA-66 or faster modes (through ATA-133), you need a special 80-conductor cable that supports the CS feature. This cable is also recommended even if you are running Ultra-ATA/33, and it works for all slower modes as well. To determine whether your cable has 40 or 80 conductors, simply count the ridges on the ribbon cableeach ridge contains a conductor (wire). Another indication is that the 80-conductor cable typically has the motherboard connector end color-coded blue, and the master and slave drive connectors color-coded black and gray, respectively.

If you need additional drive-mounting hardware not included with either your case or the drive, several companies that specialize in drive-mounting brackets, cables, and other hardware accessories are listed in the Vendor List (on the accompanying disc). If you intend to install a 3 1/2" hard drive in a 5 1/4" drive bay, you need yet another type of mounting bracket (as shown in Figure 12.4). Many 3 1/2" hard drives come with these brackets, or one might be supplied with your case or chassis.

Figure 12.4. A typical bracket used to mount a 3 1/2" drive in a 5 1/4" drive bay. The bracket is screwed to the drive and then mounted in the bay by using screws or rails, as determined by the case.

Note

You should also note the length of the drive cable itself when you plan to add a hard disk drive. It can be very annoying to assemble everything you think you'll need to install a drive and then find that the drive cable is not long enough to reach the new drive location. You can either try to reposition the drive to a location closer to the interface connector on the host adapter or motherboard or just get a longer cable. ATA cables are limited to 18" in overall length according to the standard; shorter is fine, but longer ones can cause signal integrity problems. This is most important if your drive is going to use the faster ATA-33 through ATA-133 modes. Using a cable that is too long causes timing errors and signal degradation, possibly corrupting the data on your drive. I see many 24"36" cable assemblies being sold or used in systems; you are asking for trouble if you violate the 18" maximum-length specification.

Different faceplate, or bezel, options are also available. Make sure you have the correct bezel for your application. Some systems, for example, do not need a bezel; if a bezel exists on the drive, you must remove it.

Caution

Be sure you use only the screws that come with your new drive. Many drives come with special short-length screws that may have the same size thread as other screws you might use in your system, but that should not be interchanged. If you use screws that are too long, they might protrude too far into the drive casing and cause problems.

The step-by-step procedures for installing an ATA hard drive are as follows:

1.	Check your computer for an unused ATA/IDE connector. Typical Pentium-class and newer PCs have two ATA/IDE connectors, allowing for up to four ATA/IDE devices. You might need an additional cable if both master and slave connectors are used on the primary cable and you are adding a third device. Tip Usually it is best for performance to keep devices that will be simultaneously active, such as hard drives and optical drives, on separate cables.
2.	Double-check the pin configuration and cable type. The colored (normally red or red-flecked) stripe on one edge of the cable goes to pin 1 of the hard drive's data connector. Most cables and drive connectors are keyed to prevent improper (backward) installation, but many are not. Keying can be done via missing and plugged pins, a ridge on one side of the connector, or both. One tip to note is that pin 1 on the drive connector is almost always oriented nearest to the power connector. Tip Newer ATA drives that operate in the faster Ultra-DMA modes (ATA-66 through ATA-133) require a special 80-conductor cable, whereas lesser drives can use a 40-conductor cable. Note that you can always use the superior 80-conductor cable for slower drives, so normally that is all I recommend purchasing. SCSI drives use either 50-pin or 68-pin (wide) cables.
3.	Configure the drive jumpers. If the drive is ATA/IDE and you are using a cable that supports CS, you must set the CS jumper on any drives connected to that cable. Otherwise, you must set the drives on the cable as either master or slave. Note that some older drives also required a slave-present jumper be set if the drive was configured as a master with a slave drive on the same cable. You'll find more detail on the drive configuration procedures later in this chapter.
4.	Slide the drive carefully into a drive bay of the correct size. Most hard drivesexcept for a few very high-capacity SCSI drives meant for servers and the now-discontinued Quantum Bigfoot seriesare 3 1/2" wide and 1" high. If you have no 3 1/2" drive bays left for your hard disk, attach a drive-adapter kit to the sides of the drive to make it wide enough to fit into a 5 1/4" wide drive bay (refer to Figure 12.4). Some case designs require you to attach rails to the side of the hard drive. If so, attach them to the drive using the screws supplied with either the case or the drive. Be sure the screws aren't too long; if you bottom the screws in the drive, you can damage it. Then, slide the drive into the bay in the case until the rails latch into place. Note You can find more visual step-by-step instructions for installing a hard drive in Chapter 20, "Building or Upgrading Systems."
5.	Attach the data cable connector to the back of the drive, unless you are adding the drive and cable at the same time. In that case, attach the cable to the drive before you slide it into the drive bay and fasten it into place (step 2).
6.	Attach the appropriate power connector to the drive. Most hard drives use the larger, or "Molex," four-wire power connector. If necessary, purchase a Y-splitter cable (see Figure 12.5) to create two power connectors from one (many computers have fewer power connectors than drive bays). Figure 12.5. Power cord splitter and connector.
7.	Turn on the computer and listen for the new hard disk to spin up. Even though today's drives are very quiet compared to early hard disks, you should usually still be able to hear a faint hum as the new hard disk starts to run. Failing that, you can often sense a hard drive spin up by touch. If you don't hear anything from the drive, double-check the data and power cables.
8.	Restart the computer and access the BIOS setup screens to configure the new hard disk. If your BIOS has an autodetect or auto type setting, I recommend you use it because it will configure the parameters automatically using optimal settings. For ATA hard drives above 528MB (504MiB), you also must set logical block address (LBA) translation to access the drive's full capacity. If autodetect was selected, LBA translation should already be set correctly. Many systems have a Peripherals Configuration screen, which also enables you to set transfer speeds for maximum drive performance, but again these should be configured automatically if you enabled autodetect. If your BIOS can't autodetect your drive, see the documentation that came with the drive for the correct settings. Most drives have the CHS parameters as well as jumper setting information displayed on a sticker attached to the drive, and all modern BIOSs support autodetect, as well. Save the BIOS configuration and exit the BIOS Setup screen to continue. See the section "System Configuration," later in this chapter, for more information on this step because it can be complicated.
9.	With your operating system boot CD or floppy in the appropriate drive, restart the computer. If you intend to install the operating system, Windows 98 or later will automatically guide you through the partitioning and formatting process during the operating system installation. If you want, you can partition and format the drive before installing the OS, by using the operating system's disk partitioning software. If you use Windows 9x or Me, FDISK can be found on the operating system start disk, such as the Windows startup disk. Simply insert the startup disk in the floppy drive, boot from it, and type the FDISK command at the A: prompt. Windows 2000 and XP use the DISKPART command or the Disk Management utility.

See "ATA Standards," p. 552.

Physical Installation Issues for SATA Drives

The step-by-step procedure for installing an SATA hard drive differs from the ATA drive installation as follows:

1.	Check your computer for an unused SATA connector. Even though some new computers and motherboards have one or two SATA connectors, you might need to install a separate SATA host adapter card on many systems. If you need to install a separate SATA host adapter, consult its manual for physical and driver installation instructions.
2.	Connect the SATA data cable to the SATA host adapter. SATA data cables can be combined with the SATA power cable or be separate. If the SATA data cable is separate from the SATA power cable, either end of the cable can be used for the drive or host adapter (see Figure 12.6). Figure 12.6. SATA data and power cables can be separate (top) or be combined into a single molded assembly (bottom).
3.	Slide the drive carefully into a drive bay of the correct size, as in step 4 of the ATA host adapter installation in the previous section.
4.	Attach the SATA data cable connector to the back of the drive, unless you are adding the drive and cable at the same time. In that case, attach the cable to the drive before you slide it into the drive bay and fasten it into place.
5.	Attach the appropriate power connector to the drive. Because most power supplies don't have an SATA power connector, you might need to purchase a Molex 12V-to-SATA power converter cable if one was not provided with your drive. This converter connects to a standard 4-pin Molex power connector into an SATA power connector.

From this point, the remainder of the installation is the same as with a standard ATA drive.

Physical Installation Issues for SCSI Drives

The step-by-step procedure for installing a SCSI hard drive differs from the ATA drive installation as follows:

1.	Check your computer for a SCSI host adapter card unless your computer has a SCSI host adapter on the motherboard. If the SCSI host adapter already has a ribbon cable connected to it, verify that an empty connector is available. If the SCSI host adapter doesn't have a ribbon cable connected to it, you must attach a ribbon cable with the correct pinout to the host adapter.
2.	Verify that the SCSI drive has been configured to use a unique SCSI device ID number. Generally, this is done by adjusting jumpers on the rear of the drive.
3.	Configure the terminator jumpers correctly, according to whether the drive is the only internal drive (termination on) or is being added to a cable after an existing drive (termination on for the new drive and termination off for the existing drive).
4.	Slide the drive carefully into a drive bay of the correct size, as in step 4 of the ATA host adapter installation.
5.	Attach the SCSI data cable connector to the back of the drive, unless you are adding the drive and cable at the same time. In that case, attach the cable to the drive before you slide it into the drive bay and fasten it into place.
6.	Attach the appropriate power connector to the drive, as in step 6 of the ATA host adapter installation.
7.	Turn on the computer and listen to the drive, as in step 7 of the ATA host adapter installation.
8.	After the computer starts, start the SCSI host adapter drive configuration utility and configure your host adapter and drive. See the SCSI host adapter manual for details.
9.	Run your operating system's disk preparation program, as described in step 9 of the ATA host adapter installation.

System Configuration

After your drive is physically installed, you must provide the computer with basic information about the drive so the system can access and boot from it. How you set and store this information depends on the type of drive and system you have. Standard ATA setup procedures apply for most hard disks (including SATA drives) except SCSI drives. SCSI drives usually follow a custom setup procedure that varies depending on the host adapter you are using. If you have a SCSI drive, follow the instructions included with the host adapter to configure the drive.

Automatic Drive Detection

For ATA drives, virtually all new BIOS versions in today's PCs have automatic parameter detection (autodetect). The BIOS sends a special Identify Drive command to all the devices connected to the ATA interface during the system startup sequence; the drives are intelligent enough to respond with the correct parameters. The BIOS then automatically enters the parameter information returned by the drive. This procedure eliminates errors or confusion in parameter selection.

Manual Drive Parameters

If you are dealing with a motherboard that does not support autodetect, you must enter the appropriate drive information in the system BIOS manually. The BIOS has a selection of preconfigured drive types, but these are woefully outdated in most cases, providing support only for drives holding a few hundred megabytes or less. In nearly every case, you must select the user-defined drive type and provide values for the following settings:

• Cylinders

• Heads

• Sectors per track

The values you use for these settings should be provided in the documentation for the hard disk drive, but they also might be printed on the drive itself. It's a good idea to check for these settings and write them down because they might not be visible after you've installed the drive. You also should maintain a copy of these settings in case your system BIOS loses its data due to a battery failure. One of the best places to store this information is inside the computer itself. Taping a note with vital settings such as these to the inside of the case can be a lifesaver.

In the event that you are unable to determine the correct settings for your hard drive from either the drive case or the Technical Reference, utility programs are available on the Internet that can query the drive for this information.

Depending on the maker and version of your system BIOS, you might have to configure other settings as well, such as which transfer mode to use and whether the BIOS should use logical block addressing.

See "ATA Drive Capacity Limitations," p. 579.