Required Equipment

• Some items you'll need
  
  Installing a 3½ inch floppy drive requires the following equipment:
  --- The 3½ inch floppy drive itself
  --- 2 to 4 fastening screws and a Philips screwdriver)
  --- 34-pin floppy data cable
  --- Small drive power connector (from PC power supply)
  --- 34-pin data port (on motherboard)
  
  

Preparation

• Example of a 3½ floppy drive bay opening
  
  Shut down the PC, but leave it plugged in. Open the side panel to expose the internal drives, motherboard and power connectors. Lean the PC over so that it comes to rest on the largest side, with the opened side facing upward. If the drive bay opening for the 3½ inch floppy drive is covered, find a long tool and push it out from inside the case. If there is a metal plate within the case, pry it loose.
  
  

Hook It Up

• One example of a floppy drive with data cable connected
  
  Connect the data cable to the drive before connecting to the port on the motherboard. Two important things about the data cable: It has a few strands twisted near one end and there is a red stripe along one edge. Looking down at the back of the drive, the red stripe should be on the left-hand side (pin 1) and on the end of the cable with the twist.
  
  

Slide It In

• Close-up of the power connector and pins
  
  Slide the floppy drive into the case from the outside. To make this easier, thread the data cable into the drive bay ahead of the drive, pulling gently from the inside as the drive enters the opening. Once inserted, connect the data cable to the motherboard port and connect the small 4-hole power connector. The power connector will only fit on one way and slide on with a "click" once it's in place. When all connections are made, line-up the holes on the side of the drive and fasten the floppy drive into the case with the tiny screws.
  
  

Turn It On

• Typical BIOS Setup screen
  
  If the PC has never before had a floppy drive installed, you may need to change settings in the BIOS to enable it. In most BIOS Setup programs, look under "Standard Settings."
  Most drives should be set as: 1.44M, 3.5 in
  If you have a non-standard floppy drive, search for the model number on the Web. There is probably more information about it there.