Make room for more files

No matter how large the hard disk in a new computer might seem, it generally won’t take long to fill. It’s easy to amass thousands of photos or music tracks, and even a handful of video files or TV programmes can gobble up entire gigabytes of space.

Luckily adding more space is one of the easiest upgrades for a computer. Hard disks are now easier to fit than ever, so worry no longer if a bad experience a few years ago has put you off. There are also handy tools that can help when moving Windows from one disk to another.

Laptops are not quite as simple to upgrade but don’t rule them out completely – see Laptop Limitations below for more information. You’ll also find a complete video guide to adding a hard disk elsewhere on our website.

Getting started
Before we go any further, it’s important to note that this upgrade will mean opening the case of the computer. This may invalidate any warranty that came with the computer, so check before doing so.

If you’d rather keep the warranty intact than add more storage then the best alternative is an external USB hard disk. These are easy to install by just connecting a cable, although they do cost more and look less elegant. If you’re simply nervous about opening the case, don’t panic ­ – as long as you follow our instructions there is very little that can go wrong.

The first thing to think about when buying a new hard disk is what kind of connection it will use. There are only two to choose from and the choice is straightforward. The two connections are called parallel ATA and serial ATA (hereafter referred to as Pata and Sata). Both have separate plugs for power and data.

Pata hard disks are usually found in older computers. The data cable is very wide and normally flat, while the power connector is made of translucent or black plastic with four cables ­ red, yellow and two black cables. If you can see a very wide plug connected to the back of your existing hard disk, that disk is a Pata model.

Pata cables with three plugs can be used to connect two disks to a single socket on the computer’s motherboard.

Sata is newer and uses two thin cables for each disk ­– one for power, and one for data. These are easier to fit than Pata cables with small, narrow plugs. Each cable is only used to connect one disk at a time. This might seem like a step backwards but it makes installation easier as we will see.

Picking the right disk
Pata is gradually being phased out, so we would recommend using a Sata disk if possible. Look for Sata sockets on the motherboard if you can find one, next check to see if there’s a free Sata power plug connected to the power supply. These are thin, black and normally labelled. If you have none, adapters for normal motherboard power sockets can be picked up for around £3 online.