Step 2: Document cable connections

Make a note of your system's current cable connections before unplugging anything. Snapping a photo or two for reference is a good idea.

Make sure to document your PC's current IDE-cable connections. Power down your system and open the chassis. Most PCs can accommodate two optical drives on either of two ATA/IDE channels, with one drive acting as master and the other as slave. (The ATA/IDE channels are the hardware interfaces on a system's motherboard for connecting CD, DVD, and hard drives.) Follow the ribbon cables that lead to your hard drive and your optical drive to determine how the drives are connected.

Your system's boot drive probably occupies the master position on the primary ATA channel. Your optical drive may act as slave on the same channel or occupy the master position on the secondary ATA channel. If the hard drive and the optical drive share the primary channel, one ribbon cable will connect the two; otherwise you'll see separate ribbon cables running to each, as with both our test systems.

Your new drive should work fine as the master or the slave on either channel. If your configuration allows, set the newer drive as master on the secondary ATA channel to ensure optimal performance.