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Disk Drives and Media

Dell™ OptiPlex™ GX400 Service Manual

  Drive Location

  Removing the Floppy Drive

  Replacing the Floppy Drive

  Removing a CD, Zip, or Other External Drive

  Replacing a CD, Zip, or Other External Drive

  Removing a Hard Drive

  Replacing a Hard Drive

Drive Location

Drive Locations

Removing the Floppy Drive

CAUTION: Before you perform this procedure, see "Precautionary Measures."

NOTICE: Before disconnecting a device from the computer or removing a component from the system board, verify that the standby power light on the system board has turned off. To locate this light, see "System Board Components."

1. Turn off the computer and devices, disconnect them from their electrical outlets, wait at least 5 seconds, and then remove the computer cover.
   
   
2. Rotate the power supply away from the system board.
   
   
3. Remove the front panel.
   
   
4. Disconnect the DC power and interface cables from the back of the drive.
   
   
5. Press the green floppy-drive bracket release button and slide the drive assembly out of the chassis.
   
   

Removing the Floppy-Drive Bracket

6. Remove the mounting screw.
   
   
7. Rotate the left side of the floppy drive upward and lift it free from the drive bracket.
   
   

Removing the Floppy Drive from the Bracket

Replacing the Floppy Drive

1. Mount the floppy drive on the bracket:
   
   
   1. Lower the right side of the floppy drive onto the bracket, inserting the drive retention pins into the screw holes on the drive. See "Removing the Floppy Drive from the Bracket."
      
      
   2. Lower the left side of the floppy drive downward and secure it to the bracket with the screw you removed in step 6 of "Removing the Floppy Drive."
      
      
2. Slide the drive assembly into the chassis until the green floppy-drive bracket release button snaps securely into place. See "Removing the Floppy-Drive Bracket."
   
   
3. Connect the interface cable for the drive. To locate this connector, see "System Board Components."
   
   

NOTICE: To avoid possible damage, you must match the colored strip on the interface cable with pin 1 on both the drive and system board connectors.

4. Connect a DC power cable to the power input connector on the back of the drive.
   
   
5. Ensure that all cables are firmly connected. Fold cables out of the way to provide airflow for the fan and cooling vents.
   
   
6. Rotate the power supply back into position until the securing tab snaps into the release latch.
   
   
7. Replace the computer cover and restart the computer.
   
   
8. Run the Dell Diagnostics to verify that the drive is operating properly.
   
   

Removing a CD, Zip, or Other External Drive

CAUTION: Before you perform this procedure, see "Precautionary Measures."

NOTICE: Before disconnecting a device from the computer or removing a component from the system board, verify that the standby power light on the system board has turned off. To locate this light, see "System Board Components."

1. Turn off the computer and devices, disconnect them from their electrical outlets, wait at least 5 seconds, and then remove the computer cover.
   
   
2. Rotate the power supply away from the system board.
   
   
3. Remove the front panel.
   
   
4. Disconnect the DC power and interface cables from the back of the drive.
   
   
5. Remove the drive bracket from the chassis drive bay you want to use.
   
   

Squeeze together the metal bracket tabs that extend from each side of the drive bracket, and pull the bracket out of the bay.

Removing a Drive Bracket

6. Remove the drive from the bracket.
   
   

Turn the drive/bracket assembly upside down and remove the four screws that secure the drive to the bracket.

Removing the Drive from the Bracket

Replacing a CD, Zip, or Other External Drive

1. Attach the new drive to the drive bracket.
   
   

Turn the drive upside down, and fit the bracket on the drive so that the screw holes align. To ensure proper installation, all screw holes should be aligned and the tabs on the front of the bracket should be flush with the front of the drive (see "Removing the Drive from the Bracket").

To further ensure proper positioning of the drive in the chassis, insert and tighten all four screws in the order in which the holes are numbered (the holes are marked "1" through "4").

2. Slide the new drive/bracket assembly into the drive bay until both drive bracket tabs snap securely into place.
   
   

Installing the Drive Bracket

3. Connect the interface cable for the drive. See "Attaching Drive Cables."
   
   

NOTICE: To avoid possible damage, you must match the colored strip on the interface cable with pin 1 on both the drive and system board connectors.

1. If you are installing an EIDE device, ensure that the interface cable is properly connected to the EIDE connector on the system board.
   
   
2. If you are installing a SCSI device, ensure that the SCSI interface cable is properly connected to the interface connector on the SCSI controller board.
   
   

4. Connect a DC power cable to the power input connector on the back of the drive.
   
   

Attaching Drive Cables

5. Ensure that all cables are firmly connected. Fold cables out of the way to provide airflow for the fan and cooling vents.
   
   
6. If the chassis drive bay was previously empty, remove the corresponding insert from the front panel.
   
   

Hold the front panel with the outside facing you. Press the ends of the insert with your thumbs until the insert snaps free of the front panel.

7. Replace the front panel.
   
   
8. Rotate the power supply back into position until the securing tab snaps into the release latch.
   
   
9. Replace the computer cover and restart the computer.
   
   
10. If the drive you installed is a hard drive, enter system setup, and update the drive settings.
    
    

After you update the system settings, exit system setup and reboot the computer.

11. If the device you installed is a hard drive, partition and logically format the drive before proceeding to the next step.
    
    

See the operating system's documentation for instructions.

12. Test the drive to verify that it is operating properly.
    
    
    • If the drive you installed is a hard drive, run the Dell Diagnostics to test the drive.
      
      
    • For other types of drives, see the drive's documentation for information on testing the drive.
      
      
13. If the drive you installed is the primary hard drive, install the operating system on the drive.
    
    

See the operating system's documentation for instructions.

NOTE: Tape drives sold by Dell come with their own operating software and documentation. After you install a tape drive, refer to the documentation that came with the drive for instructions on installing and using the tape drive software.

Removing a Hard Drive

CAUTION: Before you perform this procedure, see "Precautionary Measures."

NOTICE: Before disconnecting a device from the computer or removing a component from the system board, verify that the standby power light on the system board has turned off. To locate this light, see "System Board Components."

1. Turn off the computer and devices, disconnect them from their electrical outlets, wait at least 5 seconds, and then remove the computer cover.
   
   
2. Rotate the power supply away from the system board.
   
   
3. Remove the front panel.
   
   
4. Disconnect the DC power and interface cables from the back of the drive.
   
   
5. Rotate the hard drive bracket out of the chassis using the metal tab. Grasp the hard drive bracket and pull it out of the chassis.
   
   

Removing the Hard-Drive Bracket

6. Remove the screw(s) that secures the drive in the bracket.
   
   
7. Remove the drive from the bracket
   
   

Removing a Hard Drive from the Bracket

Replacing a Hard Drive

1. Slide the drive into one of bracket bays, oriented so that the connectors on the back of the drive will face the interior of the chassis when the bracket is reinstalled. See "Removing a Hard Drive from the Bracket."
   
   

NOTE: Orient the drive in the bracket so that its bottom will face the left side of the chassis when the bracket is installed in the chassis.

2. Align the screw hole(s) of the drive and bracket, and secure the drive in the bracket using the screws that came with the upgrade kit.
   
   
3. Reinstall the hard-drive bracket in the chassis.
   
   

Insert the drive bracket into the chassis, and rotate the bracket until the tabs snap into place.

Installing the Hard-Drive Bracket

4. Connect the interface cable for the drive. See "Attaching Hard-Drive Cables."
   
   

NOTICE: To avoid possible damage, you must match the colored strip on the interface cable with pin 1 on both the drive and system board connectors.

1. If you are installing an EIDE device, ensure that the IDE interface cable is properly connected to the EIDE connector on the system board.
   
   
2. If you are installing a SCSI device, ensure that the SCSI interface cable is properly connected to the interface connector on the SCSI controller board.
   
   

5. Connect a DC power cable to the power input connector on the back of the drive.
   
   

Attaching Hard-Drive Cables

6. Ensure that all cables are firmly connected. Fold cables out of the way to provide airflow for the fan and cooling vents.
   
   
7. Ensure that the control panel cable is firmly connected to the system board.
   
   

The control panel contains the hard-drive activity light. To locate the control panel system board connector, see "System Board Components."

8. Replace the front panel.
   
   
9. Rotate the power supply back into position until the securing tab snaps into the release latch.
   
   
10. Replace the computer cover and restart the computer.
    
    
11. Enter system setup, and update the drive settings.
    
    

After you update the system settings, exit system setup and reboot the computer.

12. Partition and logically format the drive before proceeding to the next step.
    
    

See the operating system's documentation for instructions.

13. Run the Dell Diagnostics to test the drive.
    
    
14. If the hard drive you installed is the primary drive, install the operating system on the drive.
    
    

See the operating system's documentation for instructions.

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