Thread: Fitting the drives

The hard disk slots into a 3.5in bay, usually found near the bottom of the case. Slide it in and use four screws (two either side) to fix it in place. Screws with a thin lip and the finest thread are best for drive fittings. Some cases use guide rails bits of plastic that must be screwed to the hard disk before it is slid into the case without further screwing. Like the hard disk, the optical drive slides into the case and requires four screws to keep it in place. Again, plastic drive rails may be provided. Unlike the hard disk, though, the optical drive slides into a 5.25in bay typically located at the top of the computer. Attach separate Sata cables to the hard disk and the optical drive (or drives). The opposite ends of these cables should then be connected to the motherboard. Although Sata ports are often numbered on the motherboard 1 to 8, for example it doesn't matter which ports are used.