Lenovo 3000 and Valueline / Essential Desktops

[#1]

I need to install a second 3.5" hard drive in my 3000 K100 Desktop.  Unfortunately I dragged my feet and called technical support just after my one-year warranty ended. 

Is there 1) Any way to mount the hard drive without one of those plastic caddies or (preferably) 2) a place I can buy one or two of those plastic caddies?

I have been searching everywhere on the internet and cannot find where to buy these or even an alternative.

Thanks,

Message Edited by cbeals on 02-11-2009 11:51 AM

[#2]

Let me broaden the question.  Has anyone added a second 3.5" HDD to their Lenovo 300 Desktop?  Is so, how?

[#3]

Please - can anyone let me know how to mount a second hard drive in a Lenovo 3000 Desktop.

[#4]

cbeals, welcome to the forum,

please have a look at this thread from eng223, it would appear you need mounting rails.

Hope this helps

[#5]

Andy -

Thank you for the response - I do indeed need the blue mounting rails.  My computer is just out of warranty (by about a month).  I called customer support and they said they couldn't generally help because the computer was out of warranty.  I had seen the post you referenced and mentioned that and that the drive mounting rails part was not available to purchase online.  The customer support representative (who was quite pleasant) said they would refer it to their supervisor and, if Lenovo was willing to help and provide the mounting rails, I would receive a call in a few days.  I heard nothing from them, so I assume they are not willing to provide the part.

Do you know of any other mounting solution or know of another method to buy the mounting rails that are specific to the Lenovo desktops?

[#6]

I believe that the FRU you require is 41R6064.

Maybe you could try calling the boulder parts center at 1-800-388-7080 to see if you have more luck. :dunno:

[#7]

Get it from here:

http://www.itxchange.com/shop/desktop-parts/new/Lenovo-Drive-Tray-5-25-to-3-5-Bracket_25P0094-02.htm...

[#8]

I ordered the part from the ITX link and it came last night so I went and bought my new drive...
When I opened the part, it wasn't correct.

This link is to IBM FRU 25P0094-02 which is a metal 5.25 frame that lets you mount a 3.5 drive in it. and extends to add an IBM faceplate.
http://www.itxchange.com/shop/desktop-parts/new/Lenovo-Drive-Tray-5-25-to-3-5-Bracket_25P0094-02.htm...
It "MIGHT" work in the CD/DVD slot, but not in the case bottom where the drive should be.

So, this morning I called Lenovo to ask about getting the correct part. Since I am now out of warranty, I was told I would have to buy/pay for the caddy... I didn't think that would be a problem, so I said I can understand that. When I was told it will cost me just over $60, I had to take pause and think about it. I know parts can be expensive, but this seems like "Pentagon" pricing.

Does anyone have the correct part number through ITX or another source that is more reasonable? This piece of plastic is costing almost as much as the new drive.

[#9]

I don't know if you've found your answer yet, but I just stumbled upon this thread while looking for a caddy for my hdd as well. Right now I have my second drive using the purple caddy, and the Primary Drive screwed into the metal bracket that holds your drives in.

If you open up your case and looking at it w/ the font to your right, the left side of the metal box has several holes drilled into it to match a hard drive's screw holes.  Using some basic HDD or Optical drive screws you can mount your second drive there without having to buy another caddy.

I called into Lenovo support today... 2 months out of warranty Hooray!  Asked the rep about the caddy and he said it is about $50, so I decided to go for screws instead.

Also, same applies for my second Optical Drive. I just threw a screw into the side of it and it is holding quite well w/o that plate.

If I find somewhere that sells the purple piece relatively cheap, I'll let you know.

[#10]

I have a Lenovo 3000 k100 that I am installing a second SATA hard drive.

I found the blue drive rails on eBay at --

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270468028776&viewitem=&sspagename=ADME%3AB%3AEOIB...

You will also need 90 degree SATA power and data cables.  Also on eBay at --

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270463824414&viewitem=&sspagename=ADME%3AB%3AEOIB...

I have the rails, but the SATA connectors hit the cover without the 90 degree angle. I ordered the new cables just today.