Do you find that you’re often running out of hard disk space on your computer or laptop?

If this is an issue, it might be a good idea to think about installing a second drive. While external hard drives are great for portability and backing up data, they are slower than internal drives.

The first thing you need to be aware of is that not all systems have the capability to install a second hard disk drive; full-size desktop towers are generally fine, but all-in-one machines are usually limited. Before attempting to set up a second drive, make sure you backup your data in case anything goes wrong.

When you’re ready to install the drive, unplug your machine from the mains, and get rid of any residual power by pressing the on button. Remove the screws on the side of the tower and the side should come away easily. Generally, the side that is removable is the opposite side to where the USB ports are.

In the tower there will be a metal cage holding the hard drive, and attached to the hard drive will be the power and interface leads, either SATA or IDE. You will also find a spare power connector for your second hard disk drive, and you’ll need to identify a spare interface port on the motherboard. Take care to make sure that your hard drive has the same interface – SATA or IDE.

Upon turning your machine back on, you may be required to access the BIOS to tell your computer which hard drive to boot from – make sure you select the old one. Check the cables are connected correctly if the drive isn’t displaying in the BIOS. To confirm that everything is set up correctly, once your machine has booted, open the device manager to check for the new drive, and using Disk Management, partition and format the drive to be ready for use.