Installing Drives 7-1Chapter 7Installing DrivesYour Dell computer has three drive bays for installingthe following types of drives (see Figure 7-1):• The externally accessible drive bays at the front ofthe computer consist of one 3.5-inch drive bay (dedi-cated to a 3.5-inch diskette drive) and one 5.25-inchbay that can hold one half-height, 5.25-inchdevice—typically a tape drive or CD-ROM drive.• The hard-disk drive bay (located to the left of theexternally accessible drive bays) can hold a 3.5-inchenhanced integrated drive electronics (EIDE) hard-disk drive.The next two sections contain information that you willneed in several of the installation procedures describedlater in the chapter. The remaining sections of thischapter cover each type of drive installation.NOTE: In all of the following procedures, left and rightrefer to your left and right as you face the front of the computer.Figure 7-1. Drive LocationsRemoving and ReplacingFront-Panel InsertsEmpty drive bays contain a front-panel insert to protectthe inside of the computer from dust particles and ensureproper airflow within the computer. Before you install adrive in an empty drive bay, you must first remove thefront-panel insert.To remove the insert covering the 5.25-inch bay, followthese steps:1. Turn off the system, including any attachedperipherals, and disconnect all the alternatingcurrent (AC) power cables from their powersources.2. Remove the computer cover as instructed in“Removing the Computer Cover” in Chapter 5.3. Lay the computer cover upside down on a flatwork surface, with the front of the cover facingtoward you.4. With your thumbs, press in each end of the insertuntil it snaps free of the cover (see Figure 7-2).externally accessibledrive baysfront ofcomputerhard-disk drive bay (internal)
