Inspiron 1720 hard drive addition

I finally have time to add space to my Inspiron 1720. It currently has a 160 GB hard drive and I was thinking of adding the following as a second hard drive:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136314

I am aware that installing a secondary hard drive needs different equipment than installing a primary hard drive,
so should this be everything I need to install the aforementioned hard drive?

Answers to these questions and any opinions about prices of the components, etc. will be appreciated.

 

This is a great harddrive. You can buy two to add up to dual 500GB for a 1TB setup.

Yes, you have purchased the Caddy, but do also check that you have this:
Code:XK231

 

All right thanks. You have a beastly 1720 according to your sig!

 

I added that same drive to my 1720 and it works great. But if you want space go for these WD 640GB X2 and your pushing 1.25 TB Then again it comes with a price
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136459

Also if you need a link for the equiptment to install the 2nd HDD check this
site. They sell everything you need to put in a 2nd HDD for just under $30. It's where I got my caddy and interposer. It comes with the Caddy, interposer and the screws required.

http://newmodeus.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=144

Edit: Didn't realize the link you had was to the same place I used

 

hey guys ... i did exactly the same thing you guys did but im running into a weird problem.

i bought the caddy from the site listed in this post and i a WD 360gb 7200 rpm hd from new egg. i followed the instructions that was on the caddy web site ( http://newmodeus.com/shop/index.php?main_page=page&id=6&chapter=0) including the formatting step at the bottom.

everything works fine except i cannot see drive 0 under disk management, or see the original HD under device manager, just the new WD HD

ive researched this problem but i come across problems relating a desktop, users having xp, or people not being able to see their C drive in My Computer, not under device manager or computer management. im having the opposite problem.

the computer works fine, my c drive is in My Computer, it boots normally.
why can i not see my original hard drive under device manager or disk management?! please help. what did i do wrong? any advice would be appreciated. thanks in advance

btw it shows disk 1 (my new WD 320gb hard drive) under disk management and the WD hard drive under device manager.

 

You need to reformat the new harddrive before Windows can use it. On your disk management window, right click on Disk 1 and select quick format.

EDIT: Oh, you have formatted it. Do make sure you have the latest BIOS installed and have you created a partition on it?

 

I don't have access to my 1720 right now (at work) but it should be in Control Panel/Hardware, You formatted it, so I'm not sure. I'll throw an extra HDD into my 1720 and see if I can replicate the issue. From there I will have a better idea to offer more specific advice. And take SomeFormOfHuman's advice. Install BIOS A09 (I think thats the latest)

 

Did you format as NTFS? Thats what my secondary drive is formated as. Also in Disk Management. Go to Control Panel, Administrative tools, Computer Management. In the left column click "Storage" then on disk 1 right click and either format, or if you've done so, change the drive letter. Mine is set to E: You might need to click add. Hope this helps, if not let me know why not and I'll try and replicate what your getting since I have an extra WD 320 7200 laying in my drawer.

 

i apologize if i wasnt clear. i did format the new WD drive (disk 1). it works fine. it shows up in my device manager and under disk storage. it shows up in My Computer. i have been using it since day one and already have 50 gigs used up! lol. like i mentioned i followed the hard drive installation guide AND the format and partition section at the bottom of the page that NEWMODEUS had a link to.

the problem doesnt concern the new WD 320 gb hd. the SMALL problem is with the original HD that has my OS on it.

under disk management, the original HD (drive 0) does not show up, nor does device manager show that i have two HDs in my computer, just my new WD HD

both HDs work fine (original and WD). i am able to access, copy paste, edit, OS runs fine off of original HD; pictures, movies, games, bigger files, are all stored in the WD HD.

is that a lil clearer? sorry if it doesnt make sense.
just a small annoyance ... i was just trying to see the original HD's specs in device manager and i noticed it wasnt there.

oh btw i did install the new A09 bios. i dont remember who but it was either one of you guys that gave me a link to it! thanks again!

 

i have been having lots of small wierd problems with my vista running properly too actually. like my system information does not show up, or when i check the properties of the "computer" desktop icon it says that my ram and processor is not available. windows update never can install anything anymore, nor can i get sp1 installed (even though i did install it, but it doesnt say that i have it). some programs crash before it even loads. the screen sizes changes randomly. the screen blinks black a couple of times during startup. lol i can go on, but you guys get the jist of it.

im just thinking of doing a factory restore and starting fresh.
now my question about that ... since i have the new WD HD, can i move the files from the original HD to the WD HD, restore the factory image on the original HD, and still be able to access the WD HD and my files without having to format? does THAT make sense? lol sorry if my question is a bit confusing

 

You should be able to just transfer your data to the extra drive. When the computer is restarted you shouldn't have to reformat the secondary HDD. Things like the O/S obviously can't be transfered over, and I'd reccommend reinstalling any programs rather then transfering them over. Just make a list of everything you'll need to reinstall and you should be good. I personally would do a clean install like you stated. Actually did it about a month ago on the Inspiron 1720. Only thing you might have to do is assign the secondary HDD a drive letter.

 

hehe "should be" .. sorry for laughing i guess i was looking for a straight yes or no answer. i mean i was going to transfer everything i wanna save (files, folders, pictures, docs, etc) to an external HD; i was just looking to see if there might be a shortcut.

i understand about the reinstalling part. ive done factory restores before. the only different thing this time would be the addition of the WD HD, therefore prompting the question: if i save my files in the new WD HD, do a clean install on the original HD, "assign the secondary HDD a drive letter" and access it, would the files still be there safe and sound in that hard drive? im assuming so because ill just be reloading the factory image on the original drive (unless i screw up and load the image on the WD HD huh). sorry for the redundancy. im just really hesitant on doing this restore and double checking some uncertainties. i guess either way i should backup my files on an external, its been a while since ive done a backup

 

Yes they will be there. But when I do that I always remove the secondary HDD just because I don't want to take any chances. It's easy, 6 screws.