Need info on adding 2nd HD

I have a Dell Dimension B110 that I got for free last year. It is running WinXP SP3, fully updated.
Recently, I have noticed the Windows seems to be taking a long time (30 secs+) to shut down but thought little of it... until last night.
When I rebooted, it seemed to take a very long time. When it finally did, it went through the black "WindowsXP" startup page (with the blue progression bar near the bottom) & when it should of opened the User page (where you click on your user name), it opened a blue error screen that said "UNMOUNTABLE BOOT VOLUME". I figured the HD was toast.
I got out my laptop & did a little research. I put my restore disk in & did a chkdsk /r. It found a bad sector & repaired it. Was I ever relieved !
On to my question...
I would like to add a 2nd HD to this PC. It will be used mostly for a backup & for file storage. I have also given thought to a new, much larger one.
My current HD is a 80GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 80011, 7200 RPM, Ultra-ATA/100. [Im not sure what Ultra ATA means but the data cable is IDE]. It is currently filled to 91% capasity. How large a HD can I slave to it ? (I believe there is a slot on the motherboard for another HD anyway).
Or... should I get a new, larger HD ? If so, how large can I put on this pc ? It has a Dell motherboard. (I can give more more info on MB if needed).
Also, if I put in a new HD, is there anyway to "clone" all the files, including OS, to my new HD, including all the settings, etc ?
Please do not suggest buying a new computer. I can't afford a new one & I really dont want to try Vista.
Thank you for your time,
Lynx560

 

You can 'slave' any size HDD to your Seagate, but try and keep the 'slave' at 7200, UATA also. As for putting a newer, larger HDD in, well that depends on your budget! In other words, any size you can afford. Does your MB have any SATA ports on it? If so, and you decide to buy a larger HDD, SATA would be the way to go. If you decide to 'slave' the HDD you already have, you wouldn't have to use that other IDE port. Just 'slave' it to your 'master' with the same cable. Just make sure that your jumpers are set correctly. Hope that helps. If you have any more questions, just holler!!

 

Almost forgot, as for the cloning part. Well, I have no experience with that portion, so I think I need to let that up to someone better versed than I am. Sorry!!:-o

 

I did some checking here at MGs and found this http://www.majorgeeks.com/HDCopy_d1288.html Is this what you're hunting for? Like I said, I know little to nothing about HDD cloning, but I thought I'd at least try to find you some free programs here at MGs that may help you. Good luck, and let us know how you do!!

 

I have used this: http://majorgeeks.com/XXCLONE_d5534.html several times to clone a drive and boot from the new hard drive. Nice, expescially for the price.

 

Thank you both for your help !
Stubby; are you sure I can put any size HD on my dell MB ? I dont see any ports other than the two IDE ports on it. Would the SATA port be near the IDE ports ?.
The reason I'm asking is because I plan to purchase a new HD online & I'd hate to find out it wont work with my comp/MB. I'd really like to know for sure before I buy.
Here is the MB Properties as given by Everest:

Motherboard ID: <DMI>
Motherboard Name: Dell Dimension 1100/B110

Front Side Bus Properties
Bus Type Intel GTL+
Bus Width 64-bit
Real Clock 133 MHz (QDR)
Effective Clock 533 MHz
Bandwidth 4266 MB/s

Memory Bus Properties
Bus Type Dual DDR SDRAM
Bus Width 128-bit
DRAM:FSB Ratio 5:4
Real Clock 167 MHz (DDR)
Effective Clock 333 MHz
Bandwidth 5333 MB/s

Chipset Bus Properties
Bus Type Intel Hub Interface
Bus Width 8-bit
Real Clock 67 MHz (QDR)
Effective Clock 267 MHz
Bandwidth 267 MB/s

Motherboard Manufacturer
Company Name Dell Computer Corporation
Product Information http://www.dell.com
BIOS Download http://support.dell.com

More info here: http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim1100/en/SM/specs.htm#wp1076752

Fred_G.... that seems to be exactly what I was looking for !!! What I plan on doing now is to slave my new HD to my old one, clone from old to new, toss the old one & use the new, larger one.
I'll give it a try & let you know the results. (& yes... free is a very good price

I'd also like to read up on partitioninig in language a semi-geek can understand (I'd probably rank a E-4 or maybe Sgt here). What I really need to know is why partitions are nessesary. My HD was backed up on a partition but did no good since it wouldn't even boot :confused

Also info on how to set my BIOS for new HD

Thanks again to both of you ! If someone could let me know about the new HD size, I would be very appricative.
Lynx560

PS: Please dont ask me to call Dell Tech Support - the Morons want big bux since warranty has expired.

 

Just looking through your links. Dell says you can add one 1" IDE hard drive. A standard hard drive is 1" tall. You will need IDE, not SATA. You need to set the jumpers correctly on the drive, set the 2nd to slave, and the main to master, or both to cable select. Plug the last plug on the cable into the master drive. I doubt you will need to set it up in the BIOS, it should auto detect.

As far as partitions, you can use them if you want, I don't, I just let the drive be one large area. You may get some other opinions on that. I just do what is easy and works for me.

 

Well, Fred_G got it for you!! As for the SATA, you can forget that idea! I looked up you MB specs and it does NOT have any SATA ports. So the way Fred_G described is the way to go. When I mentioned the size of the HDD, I meant it's capacity, NOT the physical size of the drive itself. Sorry if I confused you on that point. Sometimes I may not explain myself too well:-o Hope I cleared that up for ya!!

 

Thanks for the help !

Actually; I did mean the capacity of a new HD. Will the MB run a 250GB (or even a 500GB) HD in your opinion ?
I do know how to set "master" & "slave" on the HDs. I've done it before on another comp, but they were both the same size (12GB) & brand (Seagate), so I wasnt worried about HD capacity or MB compatability on that comp.

I found some good info on partitioning here: http://partition.radified.com/


Awaiting our opinions
Lynx560

 

This is a good idea. Some DELLs only have one HD bay. So you may want to unplug the PC, touch the case with a screwdriver to get rid of static electricity and slide the cover off and take a look. If there is no second bay for a HD you will just clone the old drive from a temporary stable position and then run off the new HD. You will have no choice to keep the old HD as slave unless you buy a bracket to hold it.

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The latest Bios update was in Feb 2006 so I would think your PC would recognize a 500gb drive. FredG is better on mechanical info so take his advice on this.

 

Yes Lynx560, you should have no problems running a 500 gig HDD on your system. That should give more than enough space. I say that because I'm only running a 100 gig HDD and I can't even come close to filling it up!!:-D Good luck, and let us know how it goes!! BTW, Sach2 is right, your machine has space for only 1 HDD and if you want to keep the old one also, you will need to buy another bracket. Here's your machine http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim1100/en/SM/parts.htm#wp1088567 If you want the FULL docs, here they are http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim1100/en/SM/index.htm

 

I would like to thank all of you for your help & advice. I'll try a 500GB & clone my old HD to it. I'll let you know how it went.
Thanks again,
Lynx560