Add a 2.5″ SATA drive to a Dell XPS 400

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Note: The bold is the bottom line, the rest describes my situation.

My mom has this old (2003) Dell XPS 400 desktop computer that comes with a stock 80GB SATA (3.5″ presumably) hard drive. I happen to own an old portable hard drive (120GB). The portable hard drive started having some issues with it’s connection so I took it apart and attached it to a new SATA to USB adapter (it uses an external power supply for the hard drives power and the USB is used for the actual data transfer) and found that the drive itself is perfectly fine. So, since I no longer use this 120 I thought maybe (since I’m reformatting the Dell anyway) I’d add the 120 as a second drive (internal). What I need to know is how. What should I do to mount it and do I need to do anything special (adapters or anything) to attach it to the desktop. The desktop obviously enough won’t be moved around a lot so I wouldn’t mind a makeshift mount so long as I can connect and use it.

My plan for the drive once installed is to use it for DATA storage, primarily Music and some Video. This way I can use the faster 80GB hard drive for the OS and games/office/whatever other apps we (my family) decides to throw on the thing.

In case anyone’s wondering I’m installing Windows XP Professional, 32-bit to it and the original OS is Windows XP Media Center Edition, 32-bit. The computer has (I think) 3GB of ram now (might be 2.5) and a Pentium D processor (ancient I know). The old computer has been offline for quite a while and we’re trying to get internet again so I want to get rid of any existing viruses/ghost (it was a testbed computer for me and thus has a lot of obsolete data). I also figure that since my XP install disc has SP3 built in it should work a bit better overall (my general experience is that you get better results if the Service Pack is built in than if it’s added later).

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It is unlikely that the motherboard has SATA connectors. That is the first thing to check. If perchance it does have a SATA connector you’re going to need a driver because XP even with SP3 does not have SATA drivers.

Joe

--Joe

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One of my Dell 9150’s is similar to the 400.
Dell™ XPS™ 400 Specifications

There are four(4) 7-pin SATA connectors. I have three(3) internal HD’s. None of the HD’s are 2.5 inch. You will need a SATA cable. A spare power connector is probably already available inside. You can place the 120 in the spare HD bay or if your 2.5″ has a screw hole on the side, you can secure it to one of the empty 3.5″ floppy bays.

Do you have all of the software CD’s and license keys? If not, consider a cloning process.

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One of my Dell 9150’s is similar to the 400.
Dell™ XPS™ 400 Specifications

There are four(4) 7-pin SATA connectors. I have three(3) internal HD’s. None of the HD’s are 2.5 inch. You will need a SATA cable. A spare power connector is probably already available inside. You can place the 120 in the spare HD bay or if your 2.5″ has a screw hole on the side, you can secure it to one of the empty 3.5″ floppy bays.

Do you have all of the software CD’s and license keys? If not, consider a cloning process.

I should have all the CD’s and keys I need and I’m reformatting because the drive has a lot of extra junk on it that is best dealt with by a fresh install. Cloning would of course copy all the extra junk as well, also I’m adding the 120 as a second drive and reusing the existing 80 for the OS and programs.

By the way the other guy mentioned drivers, would I need to add anything to my XP install disc to get the existing 80GB SATA drive to work? I’m not using the same disc that came with the Dell but, rather a regular disc I got from MSDNAA.

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I should have all the CD’s and keys I need and I’m reformatting because the drive has a lot of extra junk on it that is best dealt with by a fresh install. Cloning would of course copy all the extra junk as well, also I’m adding the 120 as a second drive and reusing the existing 80 for the OS and programs.

By the way the other guy mentioned drivers, would I need to add anything to my XP install disc to get the existing 80GB SATA drive to work? I’m not using the same disc that came with the Dell but, rather a regular disc I got from MSDNAA.

You may want to take a look at …..
Drivers & Downloads for XPS/Dimension 400/9150

That page shows all Drivers/Downloads.

You can also enter your Service Tag to get updates for your system.

Be sure to read the driver installation instructions.

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You may want to take a look at …..
Drivers & Downloads for XPS/Dimension 400/9150

That page shows all Drivers/Downloads.

You can also enter your Service Tag to get updates for your system.

Be sure to read the driver installation instructions.

I’ve already found and gotten drivers from there but, I need to know if XP has the drivers needed to install. If the hard drive can’t be used by the base set of XP drivers then XP can’t be installed without slipstreaming the appropriate drivers for the hard drive.

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Let the spirit of McGyver nerd flow through you and out your fingers…or just clobber it together like I do with twisties and zip strips and call it a day!

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XP does NOT have SATA drivers. You need to add them.

Joe

--Joe

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XP does NOT have SATA drivers. You need to add them.

Joe

Thanks, do you know of a good guide or anything for actually doing this. Though I know the concept of Slipstreaming I’ve never actually done it myself.

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Here is one guide:

http://www.digitgeek.com/how-to-slipstream-sata-drivers-into-xp-cd/

Seems pretty simple to follow and you can find a few more detailed ones if you need to.

This one has a bit more detail:

http://www.wikihow.com/Slipstream-Your-Sata-Drivers-Into-a-Windows-Xp-Installation-Cd

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If you have the drivers on a CD or USB flash drive, you can add them during the XP install process. Can’t remember the dialog but you need to press a function key and then specify the location.

Joe

--Joe

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If you have the drivers on a CD or USB flash drive, you can add them during the XP install process. Can’t remember the dialog but you need to press a function key and then specify the location.

Joe

I’d rather slipstream it since USB may or may not work during boot and I don’t have a Floppy which is more guaranteed to work.

Rui Ribeiro thanks for the guide, looks good.

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I’d rather slipstream it since USB may or may not work during boot and I don’t have a Floppy which is more guaranteed to work.

Rui Ribeiro thanks for the guide, looks good.

Can’t see an edit button now so adding a reply instead.

I’ve got my SlipStreamed CD ready and it looks good but, due to an unfinished room causing a cramped space I haven’t been able to take a look inside the Dell to find out for sure what cables are in there or add the drive for that matter. Thanks for all the help though, if I need more help later on this I’ll reopen this thread otherwise I’ll update the OP once I’ve got things up and running.

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