Normally I would not do a write up like this considering “How tos” for everything are pretty much covered on the Alienware Support Site, but I wrote this anyway cuz I was bored.
I know there’s a bunch of places to find this info but I bet there are a lot of people out there that think making upgrades to your notebooks is difficult. Here is a guide on how to install a 2nd hard drive in your Alienware Area-51 m5750 or m5790 model.
A couple of years ago I got this sweet tool set from CyberGuys for $19 and its worked out perfectly in situations like this. Even comes with a soldering iron.
So After the amazing Support from Alienware (and James) as documented in this thread, where a rep saw my post on these forums about needing the 2nd hard drive caddy, I received the caddy in a tiny bag. The bag contains the '2nd hard drive kit' which includes a caddy, a few screws and the sata adapter and cable that connect the hard drive to the mother board.
I bought a Hitachi Travelstar 5K250 off newegg for $186 on August 29th 2007. It currently sells for $153 now.
Step 1: The first step to install is flipping the notebook onto it’s face. Make sure you have a softcloth for the LCD screen to rest on, or you will scratch your lid. In my case, I need to really make sure my lid won’t get scratched because of my Smooth Creations pain job.
Step 2: The 2nd step is removing the battery. This can be done very easily by holding the battery switch and pulling it out. Also make sure the laptop is not connected via the AC adapter.
Step 3: Locate the back panel and remove all 9 screws.
Step 4: Remove the back panel like so.
Step 5: Locate where the 2nd hard dive rests. In this case, there is an area to the left that is unoccupied by any other components.
Here is another shot of the lid removed. I also removed the 1st hard drive panel so you can get an idea for where all the components are located.
Step 6: Attach the caddy to the hard drive. The caddy that comes with the 2nd hard drive kit needs to be screwed into the hard drive with four screws.
Step 7: Locate both the SATA adapter and cable and connect the cable into the yellowish connector.
Step 8: Once the connection is in place, connect the adapter into the hard drive.
Step 9: Place the hard drive, with the attached adapter and cable into the correct hard drive bay like so.
Step 10: Locate the screw holes on the hard drive caddy.
Step 11: Screw down the hard drive caddy
Step 12: Make the final connection of the cable in to the motherboard connector. Here is an overall view of the upgrade.
Step 13: Replace the back panel
Step 14:: Boot the computer
Step 15: Go into Computer Management by entering Control Panel or right clicking on My Computer and clicking on Manage.
Step 16: Right click on your newly installed hard drive and click activate. Then click format. It will take a few minutes before you can use your hard drive. Congratulations. You’re done.
If you need any questions or would like to fix any mistakes I made in this guide, please e-mail me at Dukefrukem[at]notebookforums.com.
-Steve
I know there’s a bunch of places to find this info but I bet there are a lot of people out there that think making upgrades to your notebooks is difficult. Here is a guide on how to install a 2nd hard drive in your Alienware Area-51 m5750 or m5790 model.
A couple of years ago I got this sweet tool set from CyberGuys for $19 and its worked out perfectly in situations like this. Even comes with a soldering iron.
So After the amazing Support from Alienware (and James) as documented in this thread, where a rep saw my post on these forums about needing the 2nd hard drive caddy, I received the caddy in a tiny bag. The bag contains the '2nd hard drive kit' which includes a caddy, a few screws and the sata adapter and cable that connect the hard drive to the mother board.
I bought a Hitachi Travelstar 5K250 off newegg for $186 on August 29th 2007. It currently sells for $153 now.
Installing a 2nd Hard Drive in the Alienware Area-51 m5750 Guide
Step 1: The first step to install is flipping the notebook onto it’s face. Make sure you have a softcloth for the LCD screen to rest on, or you will scratch your lid. In my case, I need to really make sure my lid won’t get scratched because of my Smooth Creations pain job.
Step 2: The 2nd step is removing the battery. This can be done very easily by holding the battery switch and pulling it out. Also make sure the laptop is not connected via the AC adapter.
Step 3: Locate the back panel and remove all 9 screws.
Step 4: Remove the back panel like so.
Step 5: Locate where the 2nd hard dive rests. In this case, there is an area to the left that is unoccupied by any other components.
Here is another shot of the lid removed. I also removed the 1st hard drive panel so you can get an idea for where all the components are located.
Step 6: Attach the caddy to the hard drive. The caddy that comes with the 2nd hard drive kit needs to be screwed into the hard drive with four screws.
Step 7: Locate both the SATA adapter and cable and connect the cable into the yellowish connector.
Step 8: Once the connection is in place, connect the adapter into the hard drive.
Step 9: Place the hard drive, with the attached adapter and cable into the correct hard drive bay like so.
Step 10: Locate the screw holes on the hard drive caddy.
Step 11: Screw down the hard drive caddy
Step 12: Make the final connection of the cable in to the motherboard connector. Here is an overall view of the upgrade.
Step 13: Replace the back panel
Step 14:: Boot the computer
Step 15: Go into Computer Management by entering Control Panel or right clicking on My Computer and clicking on Manage.
Step 16: Right click on your newly installed hard drive and click activate. Then click format. It will take a few minutes before you can use your hard drive. Congratulations. You’re done.
If you need any questions or would like to fix any mistakes I made in this guide, please e-mail me at Dukefrukem[at]notebookforums.com.
-Steve
