Installing Hard Drive on Compaq 5304

[Ben Bucher]

My Compaq 5304 has only 4.3 GB of memory and desperately needs a new Hard Drive. I'm currently thinking of putting in a Maxtor 60 GB but I'm wondering if anyone else has tried to do something similiar and experienced problems in doing so. Any feedback would be appreciated. I am particularly worried that the computer will be unable to recognize the hard drive in BIOS.

[JohnWRuffo]

Ben:

Lets get these number correct...

Your reference to a 5304 is a Smart Array 5304 controller?
And you have a 4.3GB SCSI Hard drive.

It would help to know what type and model of system this is in (i.e., ProLiant, Prosignia, etc.)?

In any case, if you want to install a 60Gb HDD, my hope is you are just rounding up/down the size of the disk, or are you referring to an IDE drive? If you intend to install an IDE drive, you will not be attaching it to a Smart Array controller. Additionally, the bios in your system, if it is a server, may not support IDE hard disks.

Let us get some more info from you and we can help.

let us know?
-john

[Ben Bucher]

Sorry, I guess I didnt provide much detail at all. It is a Compaq Presario 5304, 188 MB RAM, Cyrix MII 366 MHZ processor (VERY SLOW), 4.3 GB Hard Drive. It's about 5 years old. Not surprisingly the hard drive is almost completely full and rather than buying a new computer I would like to try installing an internal hard drive, probably a 40 GB or 60 GB one. I checked the internet and found out that the hard drive interface is DMA/ATA-33 (Ultra). Has anyone tried this on a Compaq Presario 5304 or similiar model, and if so, how did things work out? Is this even possible? Thanks in advance.

Ben

[JohnWRuffo]

Ben:

Compaq never sold a larger drive for this system than the 4.3Gb you have. (Yikes) And, they have never made a bios update available for this box either. I have read another post that said they had trouble installing even a 10GB drive in this PC.
Take a look at this post: http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=558629

That said, I cannot tell you what the bios will support as far as size. 10Gb may be pushing it and that is sad. You may only be able to install another 4Gb drive in this.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?product=93186&cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en&docname=c00006864

[Jenny Urey · Accepted solution]

Hiya
The Compaq 5304 is an old system and it is dependant on the version of the BIOS whether it will read 60Gb of data. Try it.. if it doesn't work than I recommend you purchasing an Ultra ATA controller. This overcomes the BIOS and controls any limitations. Promise Technology manufacture these or try Dataworlduk.com
Don't forget to back up your data first before replacing your HDD!!!
Have fun!

[Jenny Urey]

... and on a nother note.... Compaq / HP don't offer anything higher or suggest higher drives as they were not available at the time of manufacture of the PC. :0)

[DJ_19]

I DO KNOW THAT YOU CAN INSTALL A SECOND DRIVE OF A MUCH LARGER SIZE INTO A 5304P BUT IT HAS TO BE THE SLAVE AND THERE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO STORE MOST OF YOUR PROGRAMS. IVE INSTALLED A 120GB WESTERN DIGITAL IN MINE RUNS FINE FOR NOW I MOVED SOME STUFF AROUND AND IM GOOD TO GO. I AM GOING TO TRY TO IN A NEW MASTER 80GB I DO BELIVE THAT IT COULD BE DONE

[Mary Kalinosky]

DJ,
Could you please tell me exactly how you installed your second hard drive of 120GB? I have a Compaq 7360 with a 13GB hard drive and am trying to install a second hard drive, which I believe is 40GB. When I installed the second drive, the computer would not recognize the operating system on any drive (Windows 98). When I unplugged the original hard drive, I was able to boot with a floppy, but could only format 2GB of the new drive and could not install the operating system because Compaq's QuickRestore CD would not work. Then I plugged them both back in and the computer still would not recognize the operating system on any drive. I did get an update of ROM BIOS from Compaq, but it didn't make any difference. Any clues?

Thanks,
Mary

[Ben Bucher]

Ok, so it sounds like I can add a second hard drive to it and that the BIOS will recognize the drive. Now, do I need any of the start up CDs that came with my Compaq when I bought it? I have none of them. I bought the computer in '99 and since then have managed to lose all the disks that it came with. Am I screwed???

[flex_1]

i have the same machine. i was able to install a 30 gb hd as a slave. rite now i am working on a friends computer who has the exact same comp. and i for the life of me can't quite rember how i did it. i might have used a "softpaq" patch that i found for this second drive limitation. i have the restore disc along with an enhancement cd more softpaqs on it. but the workaround i prob. found on the internet but im also thinking i might have used an harddrive utility to overcome/bypass the bios, or i might have used a workaround/patch from microsoft. I am searching all my discs for the patch/workaround. So yes u can put in another drive as a slave.! will git back here when i find the solution.

[Ben Bucher]

So it can be done. Great!!! Flex, thanks for your comments re putting in a new hard drive. When you figure out how you did it, please post!

[flex_1]

ok, i have used the softpaqs but a lot of them didnt even work. Ben the bios will limit u to ur 4.3 gig hd as well as to a slave. but heres the trick if u use a Maxtor hd as a slave (30 gig hd, i know that size works, try bigger?)use Maxblast 3.6 utility
git from website u'll need a good floppy disk. this utility will install its own "bios" (EZ Drive) so that ur hd can be regonized u can also use it to format & partion ur Hd. the same is true for other brand name hard drives Seagate & Western Digital. Western digital has something called backweb which shows up as spyware which i do not like but is safe. i prefer maxtor diamond max plus hd! they also have another utility called Powermax which u should git if u git a Maxtor,its for diagonistics which u'll need if u have to return ur maxtor hd. So Give it a go!