How To Install A Second Hard Drive On Windows 10

Are you looking for the procedure for installing a second hard drive on Windows 10? Great! Whenever our computers run out of storage, we always look for an option to add a second hard drive. On this web page, we will show you how to install a second hard drive on Windows 10 laptop and desktop.

So, why wait? Continue reading this article and learn the procedure for installing a second hard drive in detail.

How To Install Second Hard Drive In Laptop? (Windows 10)

To install a second hard drive on your Windows 10 laptop, refer to the following instructions. In case you have a desktop, just go to the next section.

How To Install Second Hard Drive In Desktop? (Windows 10)

• Turn off your computer and disconnect the power cord.
• Remove your computer case using a screwdriver. The procedure entirely depends upon your desktop model, so refer to your computer's manual if required.
• Now, locate the hard drive bracket at the lower-right corner and take it out.
• Insert the hard drive into its slot and connect the necessary cables to the appropriate ends.
• Remount your computer's case and fasten the screws.
• That's it. You have installed your second hard drive on your Windows 10 desktop. Now, you should prepare your hard drive for further usage. The following instructions will guide you in that regard.

Prepare Hard Drive For Windows 10 Install (Additional Storage)

Inserting the hard drive into your computer is just a part of the installation. But to make it work, you should initialize your hard drive and create and format partitions. Here’s the procedure for doing the same.

• On your Windows 10 computer/laptop, open the Run box (Windows + R).
• Type diskmgmt.msc and click OK.
• When directed to the Disk Management section, right-click the newly installed hard drive and pick the Initialize Disk option.
• In the Initialize Disk dialog box, select the partition style for your hard drive; you can select either MBR (Master Boot Record) or GPT ( GUID Partition Table) and click OK.

Note: If your hard drive is less than 2 TB, select MBR. Conversely, for a hard drive with more than 2 TB capacity, GPT is the ideal partition style.

• Sometimes, it will automatically prompt you to initialize your disk. All you have to do is select your disk and the partition style.
• That's it; you have specified a partition style for your hard drive. Now, it's time to format it.
• To do this, navigate to the Disk Management section again, right-click on your unallocated hard drive, and choose the New Simple Volume option.
• Go ahead with the wizard and create a new partition.
• Now, right-click on the newly created partition and select Format. Specify your hard drive's name in the Volume label field. Set your File System as NTFS and leave the Allocation unit size field as Default. Now, deselect the Perform a quick format box and click OK.
• Once the formatting process is over, you will be ready and set to work with your newly installed hard drive.

You have seen how to install a second hard drive on Windows 10 laptop/desktop. Do you have any other queries? Don't hesitate to communicate with us. You can easily contact us using the call option.