The Poweredge 1900 server that I ordered is finally in. Fun times ahead! I generally like Dell hardware, but there is one thing I dislike about their service: their ridiculous prices for extensions. Example: the server comes with a single SATA 250GB HDD. Adding a 2nd disc costs double or triple the price if it is purchased seperately. That is why I purchased a 2nd 1TB SATA HDD somewhere else and built it in the server myself. This turned out to be a very simple task, nevertheless I'll explain how to do it, since I could not find a guide for it somewhere else on the net.

Without further delay, here are the detailed steps:

1. For your safety, unplug the power chord.
2. Unlock the side lock of the machine, pull the lever and slide the entire side of.
3. Peek in from the side, looking at the front of the server. This is where the discs are located. Disconnect the SATA plugs (see illustration) of any factory-installed discs.
4. Unlock the front Dell panel of the machine and remove it.
5. A square front panel, attached with four screws is visible. Unscrew and remove this panel as well.
6. Pull the disc container entirely out of the server.
7. Insert your new disc in the next available slot in the container. It should be a tight fit. Secure your new disc with screws on the side.
8. Push back the disc container until it clicks. Screw back the square panel and reattach and lock the Dell panel.
9. Move back to the side of the server, and (re)connect the factory-installed disc and your own disc using the available SATA connectors. These connectors are numbered, starting from 0. Use them in sequence.
10. Reattach the side panel of the server and lock it.
11. Connect the power chord and start the machine, hit F2 during boot to enter the setup menu.
12. Go to the hard disc section of the menu. Most likely it has not yet detected your new disc. Change the value from "off" to "automatic". Save your changes and reboot once more. Hit F2 again to open the setup screen again.
13. Your newly used SATA port should now say "harddisk", open the entry to check its capacity.
14. Done.

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