CAUTION: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer. For additional safety best practices information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance.
CAUTION: To guard against electrical shock, always unplug your computer from the electrical outlet before removing the cover.
About the Drives in Your Computer
Your computer supports a combination of these devices:
Up to four 3.5-inch SATA hard drives
Up to three SATA 5.25-inch optical drives (with a maximum of two 3.5-inch SATA hard drives installed at the same time)
One optional Floppy Drive or optional Media Card Reader (FlexBay)
1
drive bay
2
optional optical drive
3
optional drive
4
optional FlexBay (Floppy Drive or Media Card Reader)
5
3.5-inch SATA drive bays (4)
Recommended Drive Cable Connections
Connect serial ATA hard drives to connectors labeled "SATA0," "SATA1," "SATA2," or "SATA3" on the system board.
Connect serial ATA CD or DVD drives to connectors labeled "SATA4" or "SATA5" on the system board.
Connecting Drive Cables
When you install a drive, you connect two cables—a DC power cable and a data cable—to the back of the drive.
1
power cable
2
data connector
Drive Interface Connectors
The drive cable connectors are keyed for correct insertion. Properly align the cable connector key on the cable and the drive before connecting.
1
interface cable
2
interface connector
Connecting and Disconnecting Drive Cables
When connecting and disconnecting a serial ATA data cable, disconnect the cable using the pull-tab.
The serial ATA interface connectors are keyed for correct insertion; that is, a notch or a missing pin on one connector matches a tab or a filled-in hole on the other connector.
Hard Drives
CAUTION: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer. For additional safety best practices information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance.
CAUTION: To guard against electrical shock, always unplug your computer from the electrical outlet before removing the cover.
NOTICE: To avoid damage to the drive, do not set it on a hard surface. Instead, set the drive on a surface, such as a foam pad, that will sufficiently cushion it.
NOTICE: If you are replacing a hard drive that contains data you want to keep, back up your files before you begin this procedure.
Check the documentation for the drive to verify that it is configured for your computer.
Disconnect the power and data cables from the drive.
Disconnect the data cable from the system board.
1
screws (2)
2
hard drive
3
slot
4
screws (2)
5
power cable
6
serial ATA data cable
Remove the two screws securing the hard drive to the left side of the drive
cage.
Slide the drive out of the slot away from the front of the computer.
If removing this drive changes the drive configuration, then make changes
to the system setup accordingly. When you restart your computer, enter
system setup (see Entering System Setup), then go to the "Drives" section
of the system setup and under Drive 0 through 3, set the Drive to the
correct configuration.
CAUTION: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer. For additional safety best practices information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance.
CAUTION: To guard against electrical shock, always unplug your computer from the electrical outlet before removing the cover.
If you are installing a new floppy drive rather than replacing a drive,
remove the break-away metal plate from the FlexBay (see Removing the
FlexBay Break-Away Metal Plate).
Gently slide the floppy drive into place in the FlexBay from the front of
the computer.
Align the screw holes in the floppy drive with the screw slots on the left
side of the FlexBay slot.
Tighten the two screws to secure the floppy drive.
Attach the power and data cables to the floppy drive.
Connect the other end of the data cable to the connector labeled
"FLOPPY" on the system board (see System Board Components).
1
screws (2)
2
optional floppy drive
3
power cable
4
data cable
Check all cable connections, and fold cables out of the way to avoid
blocking airflow between the fan and cooling vents.
See the documentation that came with the drive for instructions on
installing any software required for drive operation.
Enter system setup and select the appropriate Diskette Drive option (see
Entering System Setup).
Verify that your computer works correctly by running the Dell Diagnostics.
See your Setup and Quick Reference Guide for help with Dell Diagnostics.
Removing the FlexBay Break-Away Metal Plate
1
break-away metal plate
Align the tip of a Phillips screwdriver with the slot on the break-away metal plate and rotate the screwdriver outwards to break and remove the metal plate.
Removing the Drive Panel Insert
Release the drive panel insert by pushing out the left side of the insert from the chassis.
1
drive panel insert (optional)
Replacing the Drive Panel Insert
Align the drive panel insert along the edges drive bay slot.
Push in on the drive panel insert until it locks into place.
NOTE: To comply with FCC regulations, it is recommended that you replace the drive panel insert whenever the floppy drive is removed from the computer.
Media Card Reader
CAUTION: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer. For additional safety best practices information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance.
CAUTION: To guard against electrical shock, always unplug your computer from the electrical outlet before removing the cover.
Disconnect the FlexBay USB cable from the back of the Media Card
Reader and from the internal USB connector on the system board (see
System Board Components).
Remove the two screws securing the Media Card Reader.
Slide the Media Card Reader out through the front of the computer.
If you are installing a new Media Card Reader rather than replacing a
Media Card Reader, remove the break-away metal plate from the FlexBay
(see Removing the FlexBay Break-Away Metal Plate).
Remove the Media Card Reader from its packaging.
Gently slide the Media Card Reader into the FlexBay slot through the
front of the computer.
Align the screw holes in the Media Card Reader with the screw slots in the
FlexBay.
Install the two screws to secure the Media Card Reader.
NOTE: Ensure that the Media Card Reader is installed before the FlexBay cable is connected.
Connect the FlexBay USB cable to the back of the Media Card Reader and
to the internal USB connector on the system board (see System Board
Components).
CAUTION: Before working inside your computer, read the safety information that shipped with your computer. For additional safety best practices information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at www.dell.com/regulatory_compliance.
CAUTION: To guard against electrical shock, always unplug your computer from the electrical outlet before removing the cover.
See the documentation that came with the drive for instructions on
installing any software required for drive operation.
Enter system setup and select the appropriate Drive option (see Entering
System Setup).
Verify that your computer works correctly by running the Dell Diagnostics.
See your Setup and Quick Reference Guide for help running Dell
Diagnostics.
Removing the Optical Panel Insert
Release the optical panel insert by pushing it out of the chassis.
1
optical panel insert (optional)
Replacing the Optical Panel Insert
Align the optical panel insert with the empty bay opening.
Install two screws to secure the optical panel insert in place.
CAUTION: To comply with FCC regulations, it is recommended that you replace the optical panel insert whenever the optical disc is removed from the computer.
