Installing 2nd HDD into Z240 SFF Workstation

[LGLDSR]

What is involved in getting to the second bay in the Z240 SFF to install a second 5.25" HDD with HP Caddy? I've gone through the HP Maintainence and Service Guide but it does not tell you how to lift up that frame.

Will this system even accept a second 5.25" HDD?

Thank you!

[REO51ST]

@LGLDSR

HP Z240 Small Form Factor Workstation - FRU Remove/Replace Videos

https://h20574.www2.hp.com/results.htm?SID=8354567&MEID=63FB4003-E36D-42D2-B9D7-F6E268ED68CA

HP Z240 Small Form Factor Workstation - Part Locator

https://h20574.www2.hp.com/results.htm?SID=8354567&MEID=6D64E96A-1E18-4E40-825A-C17351CB0289

REO

[LGLDSR]

Many thanks! However, it doesn't state if it accepts a second  5.25" Hard Dsik using the HP Caddy in the available bay.  Would you happen to know?

Again, many thanks!

[SDH]

To my knowledge there are no 5.25" hard disk drives anymore.  There are conventional 5.25" to 3.5" form factor adapters, and 3.5" to 2.5" adapters, and even 5.25" to 2.5" form factor adapters but your SFF version of the Z240 does not have a conventional 5.25" bay (it has the thin type).  The SATA power and SATA data cables that feed all the drive bays listed in  #2 below are conventional, and available for use.  That is an excellent workstation, and you can add to it pretty easily.

1.  You can do a google search for "Z240 SFF QuickSpecs" and download the latest for reference.  Your Service Guide has good info too.

2.  In the QuickSpecs for the Z240 Small Form Factor workstation it states:  "Expansion Bays: 1 shared internal/external 3.5" bay.  1 internal 3.5" bay.  1 internal 2.5" bay (for SSD only)."

3.  I'm assuming your "internal 3.5" bay" houses your current 3.5" hard drive.  You could choose to use a 3.5 to 2.5 form factor adapter to swap in a nice SSD where your current HDD is, and boot from that.  That would give you a better experience than running your operating system and programs from a HDD.

4.  The "shared internal/external 3.5" bay" can be used to house an internal documents 3.5" HDD of large capacity if you need.  This bay is intended to be used for a higher wattage device but it also would be happy with a lower wattage drive such as a SSD in a 3.5 to 2.5" adapter.  I personally now use a SSD as my "documents" drive, but I don't store videos or lots of images internally.

5.  The "internal 2.5" bay" for a SSD is there to add more fast storage using lower wattage compared to a large capacity 3.5" HDD.  The SSD side holes use a M3 metric smaller finer thread to add 4 black-screw "sliders" to add the SSD to that bay.  The 3.5" HDD sliders use 6-32 threads with silver-screws.  Those sliders for the drive sides usually are stored by HP screwed in behind the front bezel of the computer.

So, your Z240 SFF could simultaneously have a nice boot SSD via a 2.5" to 3.5" adapter (or your current 3.5" HDD) in the internal 3.5" bay, a high capacity documents 3.5" HDD in the "internal/external" 3.5" bay, and a 2.5" SSD without need of an adapter as a "scratch" drive in the internal 2.5" bay.  Plus, there is the thin optical drive already present. 

[LGLDSR]

My apologies, you are absolutely correct. What I meant to say was will the available bays accept a second HDD of the same size that the Z240 SFF ships with?

Thank you!

[ASusi]

I need to add either a 2.5 or 3.5 HD into my HP Z240 SFF.  Are all power cables and serial cables already installed or do I have to order additional ones?

If so, what are the part numbers.

Thanks

[ASusi]

what is the part number for teh brackets for the 2.5 and 3.5 HD's ?

[SDH]

HP often uses proprietary slider screws instead of the plastic "brackets" you're thinking of for these SFF workstations that don't have much free space.  In your Z240 you'll see below there is one slider plastic bracket being used, holding the original HDD.

Your Z240 SFF QuickSpecs tell you about the available expansion bays.  Read my post above and I'd recommend that you view all the videos in the link provided above by REO.... they will get you oriented, and are quick.  The HP link to spare parts goes to the Z240 tower version, but the videos are of the SFF.

HP specifically states you are only to put a SSD into the 2.5" expansion bay, not a HDD, likely due to heat issues and power draw issues.  You have the 2.5" expansion bay area, and the 3.5" expansion bay area.  An extra SATA power cable plug usually is sitting nearby to add an extension or splitter to.  You may need to buy a short SATA data cable with one or both ends having a right angle plug.  Find a quality one on eBay if needed, from HP,  Intel, Foxconn or Dell/Lenovo.  You'll need to open things up and take a look to see what you already have available.  Again, the videos show you how to open things up and if you watch them all you'll start getting a sense of what to do pretty quickly.  Also, download a copy of your Z240 Technical and Service manual, which will have info on both the SFF and tower forms, so you know which motherboard SATA port to add the new drive to.

Should you want to put a 2.5" form factor HDD or SSD into the 3.5" HDD expantion bay there is an excellent HP adapter to use that you can find easily on eBay via search for 654540-001.  When you buy these they virtually always send 4 short M.3 side screws to mount the 2.5" device to the adapter's 4 metal side tabs:

Inside your Z240 SFF (you can see this image when a moderator releases it):

The presenter's right thumb is just to our right from the single 3.5" HDD already present with its slider bracket tips shown, and wires coming to the HDD's rear.  His left hand is towards the rear of the Z240, on the power supply.  Looks like there is a free SATA power plug at the rear end of the HDD, available for use (it might need a short extension, but those are easy to get).  Behind his thumb is the thin bay for the thin optical drive, with power/data cables plugging through the metal frame, top right.

#1 is what I think is a black plastic release device for the 2.5" expansion bay that HP says to only put a SSD into, with the bay there just to the right of the #1.  #2 is the 3.5" In/Out expansion bay that you can put a 3.5" device in to that would project out to the front of the workstation (such as a multi-card reader), or adding an internal 3.5" drive into instead.  That is where you should add your new 3.5" HDD.

#3 is next to a set of 4 spare black M3 fine thread screws that screw into the sides of a 2.5" device (whether it is a SSD or a HDD).

#4 is next to a set of 4 spare blue/silver 6-32 English UNC threaded elastomeric isolation screws that you screw into the side of 3.5" devices such as the HDD you want to add.  The blue rubber keeps vibrations from being transmitted, and the silver metal is a sliding surface to add into metal slots built into the frame of the workstation.  The device locks in place once fully slid in, but can be removed via a latch somewhere.

A close up of those 6-32 threaded screws (UNC coarse thread), which are easy to find via searching eBay for "HP hard drive mounting screws":

There are similar HP M3 metric black plated screw isolation sliders for some HP metric threaded 2.5" devices, very hard to find, and we have posted here about those in the past.  The 654540-001 HP adapter noted above has 6-32 outside threads that the blue/silver slider screws fit into, so it is easy to use such an adapter if you ever wanted to put a SSD in the spot where the current HDD sits, and still be able to use your HP plastic slider drive bracket shown in the top picture above (from one of the videos).

In this day and age I'd recommend cloning over your current HDD to a nice fast SSD and use that SSD as your boot/applications drive.  If your current HDD has sufficient capacity I'd reformat it (after cloning) and use it in the I/O expansion bay as your "documents drive".

You can read up on the different SATA connectors on your motherboard, and it should be easy to find a SATA data cable that will work for you if it is not already present.  A good computer shop can help you with all this if it is not something you're up to at this point.......

[ASusi]

Thanks for the excellent and informative tutorial!

There are 3 Sata connectors on the motherboard, 2 are occupied, are the other 2 for the additional hard drive / SSD drive?

[ASusi]

Forgot to ask...

what are the settings in the BIOS when adding either a SATA HD or an SSD?