Adding additional hard disk drives

Hey, I want to add additional hard drives to my mac and have got a couple of questions?
How many SATA ports are on the G5 Quad motherboard?
If I need to get a RAID card or similar which ones are recommended?
Thanks.

There is support for two internal SATA drives. If you only have one now then you can add one more and Apple makes the upgrade process painless.
If you want to add more drives than that you need to buy a third party bracket and a PCI-Express SATA card.

Similar Messages

Adding a Old PC hard disk drive as a external drive to my MBP

So around 5 years ago i got the WD-160JB hard disk drive. I want to see all the things i did back then.
I want to be able to connect this WD-160JB drive as a external hard drive to my mac.
What i am wondering is if you can somehow have a cable or something which links the USB from the MBP to the hard disk.
Suggestions?
Thanks. Matt

You need a disk enclosure or a docking station. Consider the Thermaltake Docking Station that fits both laptop (2.5") and desktop drives (3.5"). This is great for upgrading your harddrive and moving everything over easily with the Disk Utilities.
Best Buy has them if you need it soon. And Best Buy will now price match Amazon! They don't advertise it, but Amazon is taking too much business away so they had to do something. You have to ask. Amazon is already programmed into their registers for price matching.
Thermaltake - SATA Hard Drive Docking Station with eSATA and USB Connection
Best Buy: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Thermaltake+-+SATA+Hard+Drive+Docking+Station+with+e SATA+and+USB+Connection/8990443.p?id=1218007083869&skuId=8990443&st=thermaltake% 20drive%20dock&cp=1&lp=1
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-BlacX-eSATA-Docking-Station/dp/B001A4HAFS/ref= sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1336338247&sr=8-10

HT1175 How do you back up additional hard disks to time capsule? Which disks etc. to you choose?

How do you back up additional hard disks to time capsule? Which disks etc. to you choose?

I can read your question a number of ways.
If you mean a disk plugged into your computer you wish to include in Time Machine backup.. just make sure it is HFS+ formatted and remove it from the exclusion list in the TM preferences.
If you mean a disk plugged into your TC for backup,
You can plug a USB disk into a Time Capsule as long as it is compatible.. and the disk is formatted HFS+, ie Mac OS extended Journaled.
You need a USB powered hub if you want to use multiple hard disks and even one might still need a hub.
Not all external drives are recogised but for example the Touro Deskpro works fine.
You can buy them up to 4TB.. how much added space do you want.
Also notice that USB 2 on a TC or AE is slow.. I mean half the speed of the same disk plugged into your computer so consider if speed is relevant to you.
You cannot use TM to backup network disks.. again I am not 100% sure what the question means.

Comparison of SSD with hard disk drives

Attribute or characteristic
Solid-state drive
Hard disk drive
Spin-up time
Instantaneous.
May take several seconds. With a large number of drives, spin-up may need to be staggered to limit total power drawn.
Random access time[45]
About 0.1 ms - many times faster than HDDs because data is accessed directly from the flash memory
Ranges from 5–10 ms due to the need to move the heads and wait for the data to rotate under the read/write head
Read latency time[46]
Generally low because the data can be read directly from any location; In applications where hard disk seeks are the limiting factor, this results in faster boot and application launch times (see Amdahl's law).[47]
Generally high since the mechanical components require additional time to get aligned
Consistent read performance[48]
Read performance does not change based on where data is stored on an SSD
If data is written in a fragmented way, reading back the data will have varying response times
Defragmentation
SSDs do not benefit from defragmentation because there is little benefit to reading data sequentially and any defragmentation process adds additional writes on the NAND flash that already have a limited cycle life.[49][50]
HDDs may require defragmentation after continued operations or erasing and writing data, especially involving large files or where the disk space becomes low. [51]
Acoustic levels
SSDs have no moving parts and make no sound
HDDs have moving parts (heads, spindle motor) and have varying levels of sound depending upon model
Mechanical reliability
A lack of moving parts virtually eliminates mechanical breakdowns
HDDs have many moving parts that are all subject to failure over time
Susceptibility toenvironmental factors[47][52][53]
No flying heads or rotating platters to fail as a result of shock, altitude, or vibration
The flying heads and rotating platters are generally susceptible to shock, altitude, and vibration
Magneticsusceptibility[citation needed]
No impact on flash memory
Magnets or magnetic surges can alter data on the media
Weight and size[52]
The weight of flash memory and the circuit board material are very light compared to HDDs
Higher performing HDDs require heavier components than laptop HDDs that are light, but not as light as SSDs
Parallel operation[citation needed]
Some flash controllers can have multiple flash chips reading and writing different data simultaneously
HDDs have multiple heads (one per platter) but they are connected, and share one positioning motor.
Write longevity
Solid state drives that use flash memory have a limited number of writes over the life of the drive.[54][55][56][57] SSDs based on DRAM do not have a limited number of writes.
Magnetic media do not have a limited number of writes.
Software encryption limitations
NAND flash memory cannot be overwritten, but has to be rewritten to previously erased blocks. If a software encryption program encrypts data already on the SSD, the overwritten data is still unsecured, unencrypted, and accessible (drive-based hardware encryption does not have this problem). Also data cannot be securely erased by overwriting the original file without special "Secure Erase" procedures built into the drive.[58]
HDDs can overwrite data directly on the drive in any particular sector.
Cost
As of October 2010, NAND flash SSDs cost about (US)$1.40–2.00 per GB
As of October 2010, HDDs cost about (US)$0.10/GB for 3.5 in and $0.20/GB for 2.5 in drives
Storage capacity
As of October 2010, SSDs come in different sizes up to 2TB but are typically 512GB or less[59]
As of October 2010, HDDs are typically 2-3TB or less
Read/write performance symmetry
Less expensive SSDs typically have write speeds significantly lower than their read speeds. Higher performing SSDs and those from particular manufacturers have a balanced read and write speed.[citation needed]
HDDs generally have symmetrical read and write speeds
Free block availability andTRIM
SSD write performance is significantly impacted by the availability of free, programmable blocks. Previously written data blocks that are no longer in use can be reclaimed by TRIM; however, even with TRIM, fewer free, programmable blocks translates into reduced performance.[25][60][61]
HDDs are not affected by free blocks or the operation (or lack) of the TRIM command
Power consumption
High performance flash-based SSDs generally require 1/2 to 1/3 the power of HDDs; High performance DRAM SSDs generally require as much power as HDDs and consume power when the rest of the system is shut down.[62][63]
High performance HDDs generally require between 12-18 watts; drives designed for notebook computers are typically 2 watts.

I wish I could get my head round the SSD vs HDD with a NLE rig. My builder is trying to persuade me to use a Toshiba 256Gb THNSNC256GBSJ for OS and programs, and it is only NZ$20 more expensive than the 450Gb 10k rpm VelociRaptor I was originally planing to use for the OS. That sounds suspiciously cheap to me, and I am concerned about the finite writes to SSD - mainly because I don't really understand it.
The rest of the new build is
3930K
Gigabyte X79-UD5
8 x DDR3 1600
Coolermaster with 750W PSU
Geforce GTX570
I plan to transfer the drives from my current system as a starting point, and reassess after giving it some use. That means
Either the above SSD or 450Gb 10k Raptor for OS (new drives)
300Gb 10k rpm Raptor (currently used for OS in old box)
150Gb 7k4 rpm Raptor (reserved for Photoshop Scratch in old box)
2 x 1Tb WD Blacks (data drives)
2 x 1Tb WD USB3 externals
I don't know how I would configure the drives in the new box, but have seen Harm's table and will try to follow his advice. It's a dreadful thing to admit, but I don't have a backup strategy, and the above drives are well over half full. Well over! And I am only just getting serious about video, (the rest is mainly CR2 files from my Canon 1Ds3 and 1D4)
I know it must be like banging your head against the wall, but should I avoid that SSD and go with the 450G Raptor? I have read a comment that the WD Blacks don't work well as Raid0. Is that BS or true?
I am about to give the go-ahead so need to confirm the spec.

How can I optimize my hard disk drive usage and performance in Windows 8 or Windows 7?

QuestionHow can I optimize my hard disk drive usage and performance in Windows 8 or Windows 7?
AnswerThere are a few simple steps you can take to ensure your hard disk drive is used optimally.
Use Toshiba HDD Protection
Many Toshiba laptops come with a program called Toshiba HDD Protection pre-installed. This program helps to protect your hard disk drive from being damaged due to falls or impacts. By default, it should already be enabled. You might be tempted to lower the detection levels in this application, but doing so could cause your hard disk drive to be damaged. Remember that while the application can reduce the chance of damage, you should still avoid allowing the laptop to fall or suffer rapid impacts.
For more information on this utility, see the following article:
TOSHIBA HDD Protection
Optimize the drive
Windows 8 and Windows 7 optimize hard disk drives automatically through a process called defragmentation. Unless you've disabled this, you don't need to do anything. If you have disabled this and want to run the process, you can still do so.
In Windows 8, search for "Defrag" at the Windows Start screen and select "Defragment and optimize your drives."
In Windows 7, search for "Defrag" in the Start Menu's search field and select "Disk defragmenter."
You can use this tool to optimize your hard disk drives, allowing Windows to find needed files faster.
Remove items from startup
Some applications run automatically when Windows starts. This can add additional functionality, but it also decreases the performance of your computer. Sometimes you might want to disable certain programs from starting automatically.
In Windows 8, search for "Task Manager" at the Start screen. Select the "Startup" tab. Select an application you'd like to disable from starting automatically and then click the "Disable" button in the lower-right.
In Windows 7, type "msconfig" in the Start Menu's search field and press ENTER. Uncheck the boxes next to applications you'd like to disable from starting automatically.
You should be sure of the purpose of an application before disabling it from starting automatically. Some applications might be important. If in doubt, you might consider searching on the Web to discover more information about a program. Remember that if you find that you disabled something vital, you can always re-enable it.
For more information, please see the following video:

QuestionHow can I optimize my hard disk drive usage and performance in Windows 8 or Windows 7?
AnswerThere are a few simple steps you can take to ensure your hard disk drive is used optimally.
Use Toshiba HDD Protection
Many Toshiba laptops come with a program called Toshiba HDD Protection pre-installed. This program helps to protect your hard disk drive from being damaged due to falls or impacts. By default, it should already be enabled. You might be tempted to lower the detection levels in this application, but doing so could cause your hard disk drive to be damaged. Remember that while the application can reduce the chance of damage, you should still avoid allowing the laptop to fall or suffer rapid impacts.
For more information on this utility, see the following article:
TOSHIBA HDD Protection
Optimize the drive
Windows 8 and Windows 7 optimize hard disk drives automatically through a process called defragmentation. Unless you've disabled this, you don't need to do anything. If you have disabled this and want to run the process, you can still do so.
In Windows 8, search for "Defrag" at the Windows Start screen and select "Defragment and optimize your drives."
In Windows 7, search for "Defrag" in the Start Menu's search field and select "Disk defragmenter."
You can use this tool to optimize your hard disk drives, allowing Windows to find needed files faster.
Remove items from startup
Some applications run automatically when Windows starts. This can add additional functionality, but it also decreases the performance of your computer. Sometimes you might want to disable certain programs from starting automatically.
In Windows 8, search for "Task Manager" at the Start screen. Select the "Startup" tab. Select an application you'd like to disable from starting automatically and then click the "Disable" button in the lower-right.
In Windows 7, type "msconfig" in the Start Menu's search field and press ENTER. Uncheck the boxes next to applications you'd like to disable from starting automatically.
You should be sure of the purpose of an application before disabling it from starting automatically. Some applications might be important. If in doubt, you might consider searching on the Web to discover more information about a program. Remember that if you find that you disabled something vital, you can always re-enable it.
For more information, please see the following video:

Can I upgrade MacBook Pro hard disk drive next year?

Hi there! I'm new to the Apple Support Communities!
I am going to buy a new 13" MacBook Pro, 2.5GHz. I am going to buy the base model, with a 500GB 5400 RPM hard disk drive. Right now, I can't afford a 256GB solid-state drive, but I'll have enough for one by later next year. So, I will have done some stuff on my Mac by the time I can upgrade it. I know how to install the drive itself, but how do I transfer my information?
Here are the issues:
1) I don't know how I would make it so I could boot from an external USB.
2) And I don't know how to get all my personal information from one drive to the other.
For "2", I think I could back up my Mac to a hard drive with Time Machine, and then restore from a backup. But Time Machine couldn't back up the whole OS, right? And what would the procedure be anyway? Just turn it on when I'm done the upgrade?
If someone who has done this before could provide step-by-step instructions, I would really appreciate it!
Thanks,
Solid-State Me 

Yes you can replace the hard drive at any time. Purchase a replacement drive from any store you like - newegg or mcetech are good stores (among many others) - and when you purchase the new drive, also purchase a drive enclosure. Then download a program called "super duper" and follow the instructions to use that software. When your drive arrives, put the new drive in the enclosure, plug it in to your computer and run "super duper" with the option to "make the drive bootable" and let it finish. What it's doing is copying your drive onto the new drive. Once the copy is finished, you can shut down your computer, remove the drive, install the new one, and put the original drive into the enclosure. Now you have an external hard drive that is repurposed instead of throwing it away. Keep that drive intact for a few weeks without erasing or adding data to be sure you are happy with the new drive and how it performs. After that, use the drive to store files, backup the internal, transfer stuff, whatever.

Arch: Install to & run from External USB Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

I wanted to play with ArchLinux 2009.02, but replacing the existing Debian-Lenny on the laptop's HDD wasn't an option. So I experimented with installing Arch on an external USB Hard Disk Drive.
I have tried to make this "newbie-friendly", so I hope the more experienced will forgive the detail.
Materials:
Three year old Dell Inspiron 6000
CPU = 2.0 GHz Pentium
RAM = 2.0 GB
Internal HDD = 80 GB
Internal CD/DVD R/RW
External USB HDD = Freecom FHD-2 Pro 80 GB
Archlinux 2009.02 install CD
Steps to install:
1. I put the Archlinux install CD in the drive and connected the external 80 GB HDD in the USB port.
2. When the Dell laptop was booted, I pressed F2 to enter the BIOS setup. I edited the boot sequence to the following:
Internal CD/DVD
External USB device
Internal HDD
On the Dell, you can also press F12 to select the preferred boot device for that boot.
3. I started the laptop and the Archlinux installation menu came up and I proceeded with installation following the "Official Arch Linux Install Guide" and the "Beginners Guide".
4. Used km to change to UK keyboard layout and then began the installer script (/arch/setup). I was installing from the core CD so I skipped the network steps.
5. HDD preparation.
This was fairly straightforward with two cautions:
(a) Make very sure that the external HDD (sdb) is selected for the operations.
(b) Remember to set the Bootable Flag for the first (/) partition on the HDD.
I chose 20 GB for /, 2 GB for swap and the remainder for /home.
6. The package selection and installation was fairly straightforward.
7. Configuration of System
This was section was straightforward with one warning:
USB had to be added to the HOOKS in the /etc/mkinitcpio.conf file!
I found this to be essential for my external USB HDD to function as a bootable device. Otherwise I got the same sorts of errors relating to unrecognisable file system types that other people have reported in the forum.
The relevant line from the end of the edited /etc/mkinitcpio.conf file is below:
HOOKS="base udev autodetect pata scsi sata usb filesystems"
8. Installation of GRUB was the other point where caution and/or correction was necessary.
When it asked where GRUB should be installed, I had to select sdb (my external USB HDD) and not any of the particular partitions on sdb. If the root partition sdb1 was selected then the laptop won't boot from the external USB HDD.
The GRUB /boot/grub/menu.lst as written by the installation routine specifies hd(1,0) which doesn't work when you try to reboot from the external USB HDD. When you boot Arch from the external USB HDD, as far as Arch is concerned - at that point in time - the external USB HDD is the first drive in the system. To fix this:
(a) When the Arch boot menu comes up, press e to edit the grub entries.
(b) Change the first line to hd(0,0)
(c) To the end of the kernel line add rootdelay=8
(d) Press b to boot the system with these temporary corrections.
(e) Once your Arch system has booted, edit the /boot/grub/menu.lst to make the above changes permanent.
The relevant portion of my /boot/grub/menu.lst looks like the following:
# (0) Arch Linux
title Arch Linux
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz26 root=/dev/disk/by-uuid/... ro rootdelay=8
initrd /boot/kernel26.img
# (1) Arch Linux
title Arch Linux Fallback
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz26 root=/dev/disk/by-uuid/... ro rootdelay=8
initrd /boot/kernel26-fallback.img
9. The laptop happily and consistently boots Arch Linux from the external USB HDD when it's plugged in before startup/booting.
Running Arch from the external USB HDD seems as quick as running Debian from the internal HDD.
So if there is a performance penalty associated with using an external USB HDD, my wife and I haven't noticed.
In summary, the three essential points to address during installation to an external USB HDD are:
Remember to set the bootable flag for the first partition.
Add USB to the HOOKS for /etc/mkinitcpio.conf file.
Correct the /etc/grub/menu.lst file.
I hope this is helpful.
Ted

Hi Rookie,
As you say, it is worth remembering the rootfstype= option for the kernel line just in case someone still has problems with GRUB after making all the other changes.
I was working with the most recent Arch 2009.2 release.
I only got messages about unrecognisable file system type when I tried booting with the "stock" or "as-installed" GRUB (before I edited /boot/grub/menu.lst). After editing /boot/grub/menu.lst to identify the drive correctly and add rootdelay, GRUB was able to do the rest and everything worked OK without any error messages.
Best wishes,
Ted

Replacing hard disk drive

hi,
i need to replace the hard disk drive inside my powerbook 12-inch (g4)... any suggestions on where i can get a good deal on a replacement hard drive? also, a good step by step guide on how to replace the hard disk drive
thanks!
matt

Matthew:
Indicating your location in your Public Profile makes it easier for those who respond to your queries. In addition, identifying your computr by processor speed will also be helpful.
Your computer will support a 2.5" Parallel ATA/IDE Hard Disk Drive. Here is a list of available drives. Use the filters in the sidebar to screen for capacity and manufacturer etc. then select and compare drives, or select the drive you like and Compare prices.
cornelius

Hard disk drive is full

hi to all experts,
i have ides ecc 6.0 installed on my 250 gb hard disk drive, it is full and it has only 13 mb free space available, how to delete unwanted data

Hi,
first stop sap.
if you already add new HDD then as temporary workaround remove virtual memory assign to your D drive if you have two partition and assign virtaul memory to new HDD.
and on future add data file for tablespace on this newly added HDD.
you can also move redo log file on different partition
1. Create new redo logfile groups in the new location.
alter database add logfile group 3 'filename','filename' size 100m;
2. Alter system switch logfile till the the new one is current and the old one is no longer active.
3. Alter system drop logfile group 1;
4 Delete old redo log file.
regards,
kaushal

Hard disk drive in CD-RW case

I received a seagate 20Gb hard disk drive from a friend which had been working in his PC which I hought I could connect in to my iMac in an old external cd writer casing. When I power it up though, the mac can't find the drive. Is this because the CD writer casing is not compatible with hard drives or is it possibly something else?
Cheers
Derek

Settings for master, slave, and cable select are changed by re-positioning the small plastic jumper(s) on the drive. Because the exact configuration of the jumpers varies from one brand to another, you should check the hard drive's manufacturer's web site for specific information.
An additional problem may concern the external case and the bridge chipset used in it. Was this a USB 1.1 CD-RW device? I once had an old Sony Spressa USB 1.1 CD-RW drive and installed a Zip drive in the case, after the CD-RW failed. Even with Iomega's Zip USB driver installed (with the Apple USB Support drivers), the Zip drive would choke when attempting to read anything but a small file on a disk. Attempts to write to a Zip disk, triggered a couple of error messages referring to missing (but necessary) "software." Essentially, the errors pertained to firmware in the ATAPI-to-USB bridge that didn't support the use of a "mass storage device," because it was programmed for an optical removable media device.

How to see my IPAD hardware configuration ( Like Hard disk drive , processor and camera pixels )

How to see my IPAD hardware configuration ( Like Hard disk drive , processor and camera pixels )

Yeah. It is called System Status.
Check out this application on the App Store:
System Status - device activity monitor (battery level, disk usage, file stats, CPU load, network details, memory info, process list, work time, charge monitoring, connection overview, routing table, os data, hw report, console log, netstat information)
Techet
Category: Utilities
Updated: Oct 27, 2011
687 Ratings
iTunes for Mac and Windows
Please note that you have not been added to any email lists.
Copyright © 2012 Apple Inc. All rights reserved
Sent from my iPad

Adding more hard disk

I am relatively new to Essbase and am maintaining a new Essbase server which has very limited hard disk. If we add additional hard disk, is there a special configuration that I need to do ?

Add the harddisk and work it out for your operating system to recognize it. For Essbase you will need to decide what you want to put on this drive, the large .pag files or smaller .ind files or both. Also from one database or all databases.The settings you will need to set are in the App Manager > Database > Settings > Storage. Important to know is that it will only work when you delete the data and import it again. Further, the online help is there too...yours,TheNerd.

Just bought a Lenovo 3000 N200 without a hard disk drive, need software

I just bought a Lenovo 3000 N200 Type 0769-BLG assembly date 07/09 from e-bay, it looks brand new but it had a fault, it was dead, perhaps a faulty motherboard and the hard disk drive had been removed. Assuming I can get the fault fixed, where can I get the Lenovo software that came with the original hard disk drive, I would prefer a free source, if that is possible, perhaps some kind person has put all of the CD's on to a DVD that I can borrow or buy a copy of. I was an IBM employee for 30 years before retiring 15 years ago. Dan McLean in Scotland, UK.

Call customer service directly to get a quick solution for this.
IPnaSh
First Spanish Community Guru - Colaborador ad honorem

I can't copy my itunes library to an external hard disk drive!!

this is my first time at the forum and i dont find a better way to ask, i want to copy my itunes library to an external hard disk drive for have a back up, but when i try to copy it it appears this message "the item "itunes music" has 1 or more items that are in use and cannot be modified", i dont know why, then i search for help in apple support and this article http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1751, but i do what it says and i still having my problem, i can't copy my music, that message keep's appearing and it dont let me copy my music.

forget it i discover my problem, this message gives u 2 option stop or continue i just click continue and it get copied, i think this is normal but like this is my fisrt time i dot this i get confused, i think i still used to windows, i cant believe because i have a ear with this computer. well anything is a good experience.

Satellite M30X - high hard disk drive utilization

After login in Windows XP (SP2), my toshiba laptop is very slow. The hard disk drive light is continuously on for 5 minutes. I've looked at the task manager, but CPU utilization is low and RAM usage is low. There is no program that seems to use a lot of CPU or RAM.
I've actually turned off the paging file to see if the problems due to intensive use of the paging file on the HDD, but problem persists. The model of the laptop is Satellite M30X-113.
I don't know if it's related, but this problem arose around the time that I've taken out a 256 MB RAM module and installed a 512 MB one (making the total ram memory 1024 MB).

Hi
> I don't know if it's related, but this problem arose around the time that I've taken out a 256 MB RAM module and installed a 512 MB one (making the total ram memory 1024 MB).
If this issue has begun after installation of the new memory module then I would say that the new memory module is responsible for this issue.
You could also try to put back the 256MB module to check if the issue still persist.
This would be the easiest way for checking

Adding additional hard disk drives

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for