I own a HP pavilion 4540. I want a larger hard drive, but I don't want
to go to the trouble and risk of migrating my stuff over and
reinstalling Win2K. Does this particular computer come with a port or
something where I can plug in a second hard drive? If so, what do I
need to look for when buying a new hard drive to make sure it's
compatible?

Hi Gremlin,

These days almost every PC comes with two flat-ribbon IDE cables, each
of which can connect to two devices - internal hard drives or CD/DVD
drives and burners.

Here is the official HP specs for the USA version of your machine:
http://h20015.www2.hp.com/en/document.jhtml?reg=&cc=us&prodId=hppavilion11077&lc=en&docName=bph04945#P37_584

It doesn't mention the IDE cables, so it is reasonable to presume they
are standard. If you have not added anything since you purchased it,
it should have one 8GB hard drive, and one CD ROM drive, and two IDE
connections free.

HP sell a new 40GB hard drive which is designated for your machine,
but it is rather expensive:
http://partsurfer.hp.com/cgi-bin/spi/main?sel_flg=partlist&model=D7425A&HP_model=&modname=Pavilion+4540&template=secondary&plist_sval=Drives+and+Cables&plist_styp=catagory&dealer_id=&keysel=%3F&catsel=Drives+and+Cables&ptypsel=%3F&strsrch=

Any regular IDE PC hard drive will connect to your computer. It is
quite a simple operation, and any reputable PC dealer would only
charge a nominal fee to install it.

Just watch out for the acronym SCSI (pronounced "scuzzy") in the specs
of hard drives. SCSI drives far less common, and quite a bit more
expensive. They will not work on your machine without a special
adaptor. Unless you are planning on some heavy-duty video editing, you
are unlikely to need a SCSI drive.

The other type of hard drive is an external USB drive. Although they
are easier to install and vaguely portable, they cost more and are
much, much slower.

If it is convenient for you, I suggest visiting a local dealer:

1. Ask them to backup your current hard drive (do this yourself as
well, if possible).
2. Buy a hard drive from them, with the proviso that they install it
for free or very cheap. I definitely wouldn't pay more than $30 - for
a pro it is only a 10 minute operation.
3. Explain that you wish to keep you original drive, and use the new
drive as your secondary drive.

Quality between the leading hard drive manufacturers doesn't vary
much. Look for length of warranty, and perhaps how loud the drive is.

Search strategy: I Browsed http://www.hp.com

Best wishes,
robertskelton-ga