Install and format hard drive

How to install, and format a hard drive in Ubuntu (10.04 Lucid Lynx)
'''These instructions are intended to show someone how to install a hard drive and then put a file system on it using the Ubuntu Disk Utility. They were written using the latest long term support release (currently 10.04 Lucid Lynx). '''

Contents:
1. Installing a primary drive into a system
 * a. Determining whether you can install IDE or SATA
 * b. Installing an IDE drive
 * c. Installing a SATA drive

2. Installing a secondary drive for storage purposes
 * a. IDE
 * b. SATA

3. A note about BIOS settings

4. External Hard Drives

5. Formatting a drive

Section 1: Installing a primary drive into a system
A machine where there is no hard drive installed and you will be preparing this hard drive for installation.

If you do not already have a hard drive installed on your computer, you'll want to be sure of what kind of hard drive you can install. There are two main types of hard drives, IDE and SATA. Some computers will support both, and some will support only one type. If you are not sure how to determine this, you'll want to go to Section 1-a. If you know you can install an IDE hard drive go to Section 1-b. If you know you want to install a SATA drive go to Section 1-c.

Section 1-a: Determining whether you can install an IDE or SATA drive when there is no hard drive installed.
The easiest way to find this information out is to open up the computer and take a look at the motherboard. You'll want to look for the IDE connectors, which are usually blue or black (but can be any color) and are two rows of 20 pins.

Even if you do find these, you'll want to double check and see if you can find any SATA connectors as well, some motherboards have both! SATA connectors are l shaped flat connectors. They are usually black or red (but can be any color).

If you have both IDE and SATA it's up to you which type you install. SATA drives are newer than IDE, and generally have a large amount of storage space. They're also a bit more efficent than IDE, and easier to set up. That being said, if you don't need too much space, it's possible to find IDE drives for relatively cheap.

Next you'll want to make sure you're ready to install a drive into the computer. You need to have a place to put the drive, and a way to secure it inside the machine. Your computer should have a metal cage in which the hard drive can be installed. It's in a different spot on each machine, so if you're having troubles finding it the best thing to do is go to the manufacturer's web page, and try to find a manual for the computer.

Once you know where the hard drive goes, you'll need to figure out how you can place it in the cage securely. It's very important that the drive doesn't just sit freely within the cage, because shocks to the drive from being knocked around can damage it irreparably. Some computers use rails to secure the hard drive in place which vary from machine to machine. Others use screws. If you can't figure out how to secure the drive in place, it's best to look at the manufacturer's web page for more information. Or try searching online.

If you want to install an IDE drive read Section 1-b.

If you want to install a SATA drive read Section 1-c.