Can I install a SDD hard drive?

J

James1098

New Member
Can I install a SSD hard drive?

I don't know a heck of alot about computers. Not only that, I have earned the nickname 'Voltar' after a couple of spectacular electrical failures, so poking around at a motherboard may not be totally in my best interest.

But these things have never stopped me before, and I have been led to believe that installing a SSD drive that runs the OS and programs (leaving the original HD for storage) is a nice performance upgrade.

So ....

My machine as it sits:

Processor Intel® Core™ i7-860 Processor1 2.8GHz with Turbo Boost2 Technology up to 3.46GHz (8MB Smart Cache)6
Operating System Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit)7
Memory 8GB DDR3 Dual-Channel 1333MHz Memory (4 x 2048MB)8
Memory Capacity 4 DDR3 Slots Total (0 Slots Available)
Hard Drive 1TB SATA hard drive (Green Product - variable RPM)4
Video ATI Radeon™ HD5770 Graphics card with 1GB of Discrete Video Memory8
Optical Drive 16X DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti Drive
Power Supply 500W Power Supply
Application Software Microsoft® Works & Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2007 (60-day complimentary trial period)3
Audio High Definition Audio with 5.1 Audio Support
Available Expansion Slots Available: 0 - PCI-E x16, 2 - PCI-E x1, 1 - PCI
Chassis High performance, black glossy design with trendy red accents and lighting effects
Dimensions (Box) 12" (H) x 20" (W) x 24" (D) or 304.8mm (H) x 508mm (W) x 609.6mm (D)
Dimensions (System) 17.7" (H) x 7.5" (W) x 19" (D) or 449mm (H) x 191mm (W) x 482mm (D)
External Ports (10) USB 2.0 (4 Front, 6 Rear), HDMI™, (2) PS/2, (2) DVI, (3) Audio, (1) High Definition Headphone Jack, (1) High Definition Microphone Jack
Keyboard Multimedia Keyboard
Media Card Reader Multi-in-One Digital Media Card Reader with PhotoFrame Button5
Motherboard Systemboard with Intel® H57 Express Chipset
Mouse Optical Mouse
Network 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 port)
Security Software Norton™ Internet Security 2009 (60-day trial)9
Warranty 1 Year Parts and Labor Limited Warranty with Toll-Free Tech Support10
Weight 31 lbs. (14.1 kg) system unit only / Approximately 38 lbs. (17.2 kg.) box

I'm pretty sure this is my motherboard:

http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=48855

I have been inside a case before, but only to do real simple things like install memory.

I know nothing about manipulating operating systems. Again, you can generally assume I have zero knowledge about the internal workings of a computer.

Someone posted this on another forum I frequent (that has nothing to do with computers):

Many SSD kits come with cloning software that can handle this in a more painless way. Not quite as good as starting with a clean slate but still really easy. Easy as plug in the SSD, run the cloning program unplug the old HD kinda easy. Kingston has a good little kit that does that with theirs I've used before and many others have it as well.

I hate to pay people to do stuff I can do myself (even if it's a little over my head), but I also hate to pay people to fix something that I screwed up because I took on a project that was WAY over my head.

So can I do this?
 
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Yes, it's kind of hard to screw up installing an SSD. Just open your case, connect a SATA cable to the SSD and motherboard and connect a SATA power cable from your power supply. Don't force them in as they only go in 1 way. Next either mount it in your case with screws or just use velcro and stick it somewhere.
 
diduknowthat said:
Yes, it's kind of hard to screw up installing an SSD. Just open your case, connect a SATA cable to the SSD and motherboard and connect a SATA power cable from your power supply. Don't force them in as they only go in 1 way. Next either mount it in your case with screws or just use velcro and stick it somewhere.
Click to expand...

Sounds simple. Does it mount in one of the expansion bays in the front
of the machine or in one of these:

"Available Expansion Slots Available: 0 - PCI-E x16, 2 - PCI-E x1, 1 - PCI "


So I turn the machine back on after this. What can I expect by way of other
setup issue?

Formatting? Moving the OS to the new drive? Does the "cloning" I mentioned in the quote in my OP take care of this?

Many SSD kits come with cloning software that can handle this in a more painless way. Not quite as good as starting with a clean slate but still really easy. Easy as plug in the SSD, run the cloning program unplug the old HD kinda easy. Kingston has a good little kit that does that with theirs I've used before and many others have it as well.


The actual mounting and plugging should be simple, I guess, and it doesn't
scare me too much.

I'm far more concerned that when I turn the machine back on I'll find out
I should never have attempted this.
 
expansion slots are for cards. he's talking about the expansion bays, like where your dvd rom drive and your other harddrive are. Here's the deal in an easy to understand way.

1) turn off pc and unplug power cable
2) Either A) connect an unused power cable and sata cable or
B) didsconnect the ones from your current HD and place them in the SSD
3)Plug in power cable and turn on pc.
4)if you did A)windows should boot normally from your other HD
or B)it'll say something like no media disk found
for A) you'll should use a simple cloning program (which i no nothing about because I always)
B) install a clean copy of windows

depending on which you do we can all help you with either
 
Troncoso said:
expansion slots are for cards. he's talking about the expansion bays, like where your dvd rom drive and your other harddrive are. Here's the deal in an easy to understand way.

1) turn off pc and unplug power cable
2) Either A) connect an unused power cable and sata cable or
B) didsconnect the ones from your current HD and place them in the SSD
3)Plug in power cable and turn on pc.
4)if you did A)windows should boot normally from your other HD
or B)it'll say something like no media disk found
for A) you'll should use a simple cloning program (which i no nothing about because I always)
B) install a clean copy of windows

depending on which you do we can all help you with either
Click to expand...

Skip to 3:54. That's when I start to get nervous.

I saw this and thought, how would I have known this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox6DHlPQI-w&NR=1&feature=fvwp
 
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Troncoso said:
link is wrong. What's the problem?
Click to expand...


Stand by. Trying to embed. (he's going into the BIOS)

Forget the embed .... can't get it to work.

At 3:54 in the vid he starts to go in a direction that I wouldn't have known to do.
 
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James1098 said:
Skip to 3:54. That's when I start to get nervous.

I saw this and thought, how would I have known this?

[YT]Ox6DHlPQI-w&NR[/YT]
Click to expand...

fixed the link.

You should have been given a recovery disc, or have a copy of windows. If you have neither, you will have to borrow one off someone, buy one, or just copy your current hard drive over directly, but that will waste a hell of alot of precious space on your SSD

Assuming you have a windows install disc, before you start, boot into windows, and right click computer, then click properties At the bottom of the window it will say windows activation, and have your product key there. Make a note of it if you don't have a sticker on your case, or on your windows 7 box should you have a retail copy, with the code on.

With that done, take the side off your computer, plug in a SATA cable into the motherboard and the other end into the SSD, and plug in a SATA power cable from your power supply, then put the hard drive in one of the hard drive bays (the rack towards the front of the computer).

The thing in the video is the BIOS, which holds all of the information about booting up your system. There is only 1 (possibly 2) things you may have to do in there, and that is set your SSD to the main drive, so it boots from that, rather than your current hard drive.

The possible thing, is to set it so that your CD/DVD drive is the first thing that the computer looks there first, before the hard drive. You want this so you can install windows again, rather than it booting straight to your current install.

At start up it will say somewhere on screen press <button> for setup. You want to hold this button down until your BIOS comes up. to move around in the BIOS you use the arrow keys, and use the enter key to select something, and esc key to exit something. You will have several subheadings. You will want to go across to boot. It will have an option there called boot device priority. Go into that and set your DVD drive to the top, and hard drive second.

Under the same heading, or there is a possibility it is another as BIOSes differ, there will be an option to change the priority of your hard drives. Set your SSD to the top.

So long as you don't change anything but those 2 values (boot device priority and hard drive priority) you won't cause any damage at all.

With that done, put your windows disc into the drive, let it boot up and follow the on screen instructions :)

As a side note, your 1TB drive will now be your storage drive, so it would probably be a good idea to back up any important data from that drive, and format it so that space isn't being used by the windows install on there, and so your system doesn't potentially get confused by which instance of windows to boot to
 
Haha. no worries. Nothing will break or fall apart if you didn't do these. The boot device priority is necessary so that the cd boots first. If you don't do that then you'll just get a message that says no media is on disk or something.

the other thing he does in the bios is not necessary at all. It is advised, but not necessary. Either way, just do as he did in the bios and you'll be good to go. Also, do make sure you unplug your other harddrive, i didn't think about the boot settings when I threw down my step by step

man he got to it first.
 
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Ok, it's getting clearer.

Clear enough to keep me from getting sweaty? No.

Clear enough to go buy subject SSD and continue my research? Yes.

All posters in this thread please forward to me your home address and telephone number. This is just in case I have to call you (at any hour of the day or night) or come over with my machine under my arm mumbling something about turning it into a not very effective boat anchor.

I keed, I keed.

Thanks guys. Look for this thread if it pops up again as I continue the project.
 
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