Western Digital Internal Hard Drive
 

I'm planning on ordering one of these hard drives from Newegg, though I have a few questions about it before I place my order.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136074
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136073

Because it is OEM, what cables would I need to buy to be able to connect it to my computer and do I need any installation cds? Plus where can I find instructions on how to set it up.

Also, I want to use this as an External Hard Drive so I can bring it around with me. What kind of case do you recommend I should buy for it that will allow me to use it as a plug and play (I think that's the right term?)

Thanks

You'll need SATA cables, for one thing. And your motherboard must also be SATA compatible (common, but it's best to make sure).

Finally, you'll probably need a program like PartitionMagic or something similar to format them, since the Windows formatting tool only works up to 120 GB.

You need a SATA cable: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812104150

Do you know for certain that your motherboard supports SATA? Since it seems like you've never done anything like this, I'd rather not see you buy something you can't use.

Installing is pretty straightforward. Usually it'll be a matter of finding a free bay, screwing it in, plugging in the power connector, then plugging in the SATA connector to the motherboard and the drive. Assuming you're still booting Windows from your current hard drive, you may run into some boot problems, but it's not likely. Assuming the computer boots up as usual, your operating system will install the drive and assign it a drive letter--no effort on your part.

To use it as an external drive, this is what you're looking for: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...23&name=3.5%22

Are there any free programs that I can use to format the drive? And I'm not sure if my computer supports SATA. I'm using a Dell Dimension 4600 and running Windows XP Home Edition. How would I go about finding out if it supports SATA?

Griffin: When was this? I've formatted 400GB Partitions in XP before.

I think SP1 fixed the problem. You would only have noticed if, like me, you refused to install it at the time. XD

Baconharvester, it looks like that model has the right stuff. You could always go into Device Manager and see if there's a SATA device listed (should be under IDE Controllers), just to be sure.

Hmm under the IDE directory it lists:
Intel(R) 82801EB Ultra ATA Storage Controllers
Primary IDE Channel
Secondary IDE Channel

Does that mean my computer doesn't support SATA since it just says ATA?

Hmm...that's what it looks like. Well, take a peak inside anyway. Check out this page. You can see the serial ATA connectors at the top right corner of the second diagram. If you can find them on the actual motherboard, you're in good shape. Otherwise, just get a regular old PATA drive. It's no biggie.

This was when I installed XP on my new computer (which... admittedly, is vanilla, with no service packs included). So pardon me if my info's a bit off =\

IIRC the formatting tool in the installation routine in XP is limited. The GUI-supported formatting tool you can use when Win is set up should support up to the maximum NTFS/FAT32 size.

Alright I see the SATA connectors on my system board. Does this mean i have to remove the side casing on my computer every time I want to hook up the hard drive if I want to use it externally?

No, the enclosures connect via USB. The drive itself will be connected via sata inside the enclosure, but it will have a usb cord to actually connect it to the pc. So no worries there.

For an enclosure, check for a few things:
1. Size of enclosure (You have 3.5)
2. Fan (If it's on all the time, get the fan. You don't want that thing to overheat)
3. Transfer Mode (USB or Firewire. Firewire is faster, but it adds cost)
4. Power (It'll have an adapter. You'll have to plug it in, no doubt)

Aside from those considerations, they're pretty much all the same. Pick one that doesn't look like ass, relatively cheap, and has decent reviews on newegg or pricegrabber.

I've never heard of a hard drive overheating. They run hot, for sure, but it doesn't affect performance. Aluminum casing is more than enough to dissipate heat. Though if you get one of those transparent plastic ones, just make sure it has some ventilation holes (not that you can find one without them).

I'm not calling you out, it's just that 95% of enclosures are aluminum and don't have fans, so there's no reason to go looking for something different.