Parts for Dell PC?

[tokyojoe]

I want to add a 2nd HDD and a FDD to a Dell Dimension 2400 PC purchased not long ago here in Japan. I called Dell Support but they won`t sell me the parts or recommend a 3rd party vendor. Does anyone know of any companies in Japan that sell compatible parts?

[Maths Dude]

I'd say take out your HDD and take it to a shop to see what type is the same. I am no expert however. An alternative is an external HDD or FDD, but they cost more. FDD's are finished anyway. If your machine has USB ports just get a USB pen drive. For 10 bucks you can get a 16MB pendrive. Better than a crap floppy IMHO.

[FG Lurker]

I want to add a 2nd HDD and a FDD to a Dell Dimension 2400 PC purchased not long ago here in Japan. I called Dell Support but they won`t sell me the parts or recommend a 3rd party vendor. Does anyone know of any companies in Japan that sell compatible parts?

What kind of case is it?

If it is one of Dell's smaller cases then there is probably no room to add anything inside. You will have to buy external -- USB2 or Firewire for the HDD and a USB FDD.

Firewire is will give you better performance for the HDD, but USB2 will already be included with the PC and is therefore easier.

As for what to buy, just about anything will work without trouble. Be sure to get a 7200rpm HDD though, the costs are the same these days and the performance is better.

If you can give a few more details on the exact case you have I can probably be a bit more helpful.

Oh, and be thankful that Dell wouldn't sell you parts... You'd have ended up paying far more for them than buying them from a 3rd party!!

[tokyojoe]

The case is a mini tower design, standard width.
http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,115403,pg,2,00.asp

OK, USB pen drive is a good solution for the FDD. As for the HDD, there is an open 5inch bay space beneath the CDROM drive. However, it doesn`t fit standard mounting brackets. It has slats on the side that you just slide a 5 inch device into. The primary HDD is mounted vertically behind the front panel. I did come across one vendor in the US that sells a custom bracket that mounts a 2nd drive behind the first.

http://www.issue-resolved.com/

[Ketou]

Oh, and be thankful that Dell wouldn't sell you parts... You'd have ended up paying far more for them than buying them from a 3rd party!!

That's for sure.
Dell are great for people new to pcs, but when it comes to making a box to suit your own needs, they suck big time.

Try kakaku for online shopping and check the sticky at the top of Tokyo Tech.

[Neo-Rio]

I want to add a 2nd HDD and a FDD to a Dell Dimension 2400 PC purchased not long ago here in Japan. I called Dell Support but they won`t sell me the parts or recommend a 3rd party vendor. Does anyone know of any companies in Japan that sell compatible parts?

Dell PCs are proabably the worst to upgrade because they contain non-standard motherboards and power supplies. The Hard drives they use are standard though, but the insides of their cases may not even have any room or slot for a second drive, and the power supply may not have a spare molex power plug for it...
The only way you'll find out for sure is by cracking the case open.

The easiest route is to add a second external drive via a USB port or firewire port. Firewire will be much faster than USB (if you have a firewire port), and you can add a floppy drive via USB as well. I have no idea why you'd want to use floppy drives these days (unless you have legacy equipment) because USB flash memory is a much better way to go.

Most decent PC parts stores will stock external drive cases. Should be no problem to get one. If you find you have space and power to stick a drive in internally, you should have no problems getting an IDE drive mechanism. Laox usually has both internal and external drives for sale. Drive mechs are cheapest in Akihabara PC DIY places though.