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Installing Drives

Dell™ PowerEdge™ 400SC Systems Installation and Troubleshooting Guide

  General Installation Guidelines

  Front-Panel Inserts

  Hard Drives

  Installing a SCSI Controller Card

  Diskette Drive

  5.25-Inch Optical and Tape Drives



The drive bays in your system provide space for up to two IDE, SATA (when available), or SCSI hard drives, two 5.25-inch drives, and a diskette drive. See Figure 7-1.

Figure 7-1. Drive Locations Inside the System


General Installation Guidelines

IDE Drive Installation Guidelines

When you connect two IDE devices to a single IDE interface cable and configure them for the Cable Select setting, the device attached to the last connector on the interface cable is the primary (master) or boot device (drive 0), and the device attached to the middle connector on the interface cable is the secondary (slave) device (drive 1). See the drive documentation in your upgrade kit for information on configuring drives for the Cable Select setting.

Because Cable Select is the default setting, you do not need to set any additional drives as a primary or secondary drive.

SCSI Installation Guidelines

Although SCSI drives are installed in essentially the same way as other drives, their configuration requirements are different. To install and configure a SCSI drive, follow the guidelines in the following subsections.

NOTE: SCSI devices installed by Dell are configured correctly during the manufacturing process. You do not need to set the SCSI ID for these drives.

SCSI Interface Cables

SCSI interface connectors are keyed for correct insertion. Keying ensures that the pin-1 wire in the cable connects to pin 1 in the connectors on both ends. When you disconnect an interface cable, take care to grasp the cable connector, rather than the cable itself, to avoid stress on the cable.

SCSI ID Numbers

Each drive attached to a SCSI controller must have a unique SCSI ID number from 0 to 15.

NOTE: There is no requirement that SCSI ID numbers be assigned sequentially or that drives be attached to the interface cable in order by ID number.

SCSI Device Termination

SCSI logic requires that termination be enabled for the two drives at opposite ends of the SCSI chain and disabled for all drives in between. For internal SCSI drives, termination is configured automatically. See the documentation provided with any optional SCSI drive you purchase for information on disabling termination.

System Setup Program

After you install a SCSI hard drive, Primary Drive 0 and Primary Drive 1 should be set to None in the System Setup program if no IDE hard drives are installed. If you have any IDE devices on the second IDE channel, such as a CD or tape drive, Secondary Drive 0 and/or Secondary Drive 1 should be set to Auto.

Configuring the Boot Drive

The drive or device from which the system boots is determined by the boot order specified in the System Setup program. See "Using the System Setup Program" in your User's Guide. To boot the system from a hard drive or drive array, the drive(s) must be connected to the appropriate controller:


Front-Panel Inserts

If you are installing a new TBU drive, optical drive, or other 5.25-inch drive, remove the front-panel inserts to allow external access to the drive. To gain access to the front-panel insert, you might need to remove a device.

  1. Open the system. See "Opening the System" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

  2. If applicable, remove a device. See the appropriate removal procedure.

  3. Squeeze the insert tabs until it pops free of the front-panel cover. See Figure 7-2.

Figure 7-2. Removing Front-Panel Inserts


Hard Drives

Your system contains up to two IDE, SATA (when available), or SCSI non-hot-plug hard drives. If your system contains SCSI hard drives, they must be connected to an optional SCSI controller card.

The basic steps for removing and installing IDE, SATA, and SCSI hard drives are the same.

Removing a Hard Drive

CAUTION: See your System Information Guide for complete information about safety precautions, working inside the computer, and protecting against electrostatic discharge.
  1. Open the system. See "Opening the System" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

  2. Disconnect the power and interface cables from the hard drive. See Figure 7-3 and Figure 7-4.

  3. Press in on the tabs on each side of the drive and slide the drive up and out of the drive bay.

Figure 7-3. Removing or Installing an IDE or SCSI Hard Drive

Figure 7-4. Removing or Installing a SATA Hard Drive

Installing a Hard Drive

CAUTION: See your System Information Guide for complete information about safety precautions, working inside the computer, and protecting against electrostatic discharge.
  1. Open the system. See "Opening the System" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

  2. Unpack the hard drive, and prepare it for installation.

  3. Check the documentation for the drive to verify that it is configured for your system.

  4. If the hard drive does not have the drive rails attached, attach the drive rails to the new drive by aligning the screw holes on the drive with the screw holes on the drive rails and then inserting and tightening all four screws (two screws on each rail). See Figure 7-5.

Figure 7-5. Installing Drive Rails

  1. If you are installing a second IDE hard drive, remove the first hard drive from the upper bay and reinstall it in the lower bay.

You must move the first IDE hard drive so you can easily connect the interface cable to the second drive in step 8.

  1. Slide the new drive into the upper bay until the tabs on the rails securely click into position.

  2. Connect the power cable to the drive. See Figure 7-3 and Figure 7-4.

  3. Connect the interface cable to the drive:

If you are installing a second IDE drive, locate the middle connector on the interface cable that is attached to your first hard drive and attach that connector to the second hard drive.

See Figure A-3 for the location of the drive interface connectors on the system board.

  1. Close the system. See "Closing the System" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

  2. Enter the System Setup program, and update the appropriate Primary Drive option (0 or 1).

  3. Exit the System Setup program, and reboot the system.

  4. Partition and logically format your drive before you go to the next step.

See the documentation for your operating system for instructions.

  1. Test the hard drive by running the system diagnostics. See "Running the System Diagnostics."

  2. If the drive you just installed is the primary drive, install your operating system on the hard drive.


Installing a SCSI Controller Card

See "Installing an Expansion Card" in "Installing System Components" for instructions about installing the card and routing the cables.


Diskette Drive

The system includes a standard diskette drive.

Removing the Diskette Drive

CAUTION: See your System Information Guide for complete information about safety precautions, working inside the computer, and protecting against electrostatic discharge.
  1. Open the system. See "Opening the System" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

  2. Disconnect the power and interface cables from the diskette drive. See Figure 7-6.

  3. Press in on the tabs on each side of the drive and slide the drive up and out of the drive bay.

Figure 7-6. Removing or Installing a Diskette Drive

Installing a Diskette Drive

CAUTION: See your System Information Guide for complete information about safety precautions, working inside the computer, and protecting against electrostatic discharge.
  1. Open the system. See "Opening the System" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

  2. Unpack the replacement diskette drive, and prepare it for installation.

  3. Check the documentation for the drive to verify that it is configured for your system.

  4. If your new diskette drive does not have the drive rails attached, attach the drive rails to the new drive by aligning the screw holes on the drive with the screw holes on the drive rails and then inserting and tightening all four screws (two screws on each rail). See Figure 7-5.

  5. Slide the drive into the diskette-drive bay until the tabs on the rails securely click into position.

  6. Connect the power cable to the drive. See Figure 7-6.

  7. Connect the interface cable to the drive. See Figure 7-6.

See Figure A-3 for the location of the diskette-drive interface connector on the system board.

  1. Close the system. See "Closing the System" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

  2. Test the diskette drive by running the system diagnostics. See "Running the System Diagnostics."


5.25-Inch Optical and Tape Drives

You can install an additional 5.25-inch drive of your choice in the second 5.25-inch drive bay. See Figure 7-1. If you are installing a tape backup unit (TBU), it must be installed in the second bay.

Installing a 5.25-Inch Drive

CAUTION: See your System Information Guide for complete information about safety precautions, working inside the computer, and protecting against electrostatic discharge.
  1. Unpack the drive and prepare the drive for installation.

For instructions, see the documentation that accompanied the drive. Also, see "IDE Drive Installation Guidelines" for information on configuring the drive.

  1. If the drive does not have the drive rails attached, attach the drive rails to the new drive by aligning the screw holes on the drive with the screw holes on the drive rails and then inserting and tightening all four screws (two screws on each rail). See Figure 7-5.

  2. Turn off the system, including any attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet.

  3. Remove the front-panel insert for the empty drive bay. See "Front-Panel Inserts."

  4. Slide the drive into the drive bay until the tabs on the rails securely click into position.

  5. Connect the power cable to the drive. See Figure 7-7.

Figure 7-7. Installing a 5.25-Inch Drive

  1. Connect the interface cable from the drive to the SEC_IDE connector on the system board. See Figure 7-7 and Figure A-3.

  2. If you are installing a CD, DVD, or DVD/CD-RW combination drive, connect the audio cable from the drive to the CD_IN connector on the system board. See Figure 7-7 and Figure A-3.

  3. Close the system. See "Closing the System" in "Troubleshooting Your System."

  4. Test the drive by running the system diagnostics. See "Running the System Diagnostics."


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