I engaged "Dave's Computer" to build a new custom build Windows 11 computer as replacement for the Windows 10 machine. I presented my thoughts and needs to Dave about the new unit and he asked some basic questions as to my needs and want for the new unit. We touched on cost for the unit and I left...
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Second Hard Drive Installation · Dave's Computers, Somerville NJ
Second Hard Drive and SSD Installation in New Jersey
A desktop that's down to its last few gigabytes, a games library that won't fit, or a photo collection that has outgrown its drive: the fix is a second drive inside the tower, not a tangle of external ones. I add hard drives and SSDs to Dell, HP, Lenovo and custom-built desktops at my Somerville, NJ shop, set up in Windows with your files moved if you want them moved. It's part of my PC upgrade service for New Jersey, and the shop is drop-off, no appointment needed.
⭐ 4.8 Stars · 430+ Google Reviews
🏆 On the Bench Since 2011
📍 Somerville, NJ · Drop-Off Shop
🔧 $75 / $149 Diagnostic, Credited Toward Repair
📞 Call (908) 428-9558
🚗 Directions to the Shop
When a Second Drive Is the Right Upgrade
Not every full drive needs a bigger drive. Some need a second one.
There are two ways to give a desktop more room. You can replace the main drive with a bigger one and move Windows across, which is my SSD upgrade service. Or you can leave the main drive exactly as it is and add a second drive beside it. The second route is the right one more often than people expect.
It fits when Windows and your programs are happy where they are, and what's filling the drive is the stuff: years of photos and home video, a games library that grows with every release, camera footage, a music collection. Moving that onto its own drive frees the main one, keeps Windows fast, and costs less than a bigger main drive. It's also the right answer for the New Jersey customer with three external drives hanging off the back of the tower who would like them to be one drive inside it.
Not sure which one you need? The diagnostic answers it. I look at what's filling the drive and what the tower has room for, and quote the option that fits. Sometimes that's both, done in the same visit.
A drive that's already clicking, slowing down or throwing errors is a different conversation: see my hard drive repair service. If the main drive is failing, the data comes off first, before any new drive goes in.
How the Service Works
Drop off, diagnose, one flat quote, install and set up.
1
Drop off the tower
Bring the desktop and its power cord to 75 N Bridge St in Somerville, NJ. No appointment. Drop-off takes a few minutes and you leave with a ticket and a phone number.
2
Diagnostic
I confirm what has failed and check the parts around it. The diagnostic is $75 for a Dell, HP, Lenovo or other major-brand desktop and $149 for a custom-built or boutique PC, credited toward the work when you approve it.
3
One flat quote
You get one number for the drive and its installation, parts and labor together, before any work starts. Parts are supplied by the shop with a manufacturer warranty. Nothing beyond the diagnostic is charged until you say yes.
Setting the drive up in Windows and moving your photo, video, music or game libraries onto it is included if you want it done.
4
Repair and test
The work is done to the manufacturer's service documentation for your model, then the tower is tested on the bench before you're called for pickup.
What Second Drive Installation Costs
One diagnostic fee, one flat quote, and you approve it before anything else is charged.
| Item | What you pay | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic, standard desktop | $75 | Dell, HP, Lenovo, office and family towers. Credited toward the repair when you approve the work. |
| Diagnostic, custom-built or boutique PC | $149 | Custom builds, boutique prebuilts and gaming towers. Credited the same way. |
| The repair | Quoted flat after the diagnostic | Parts and labor in one number, no hourly billing. Parts supplied by the shop with a manufacturer warranty. |
| Storage add-on with nothing else wrong | Quoted as an upgrade | Tell me at the counter that you're only adding a drive and I'll quote drive, mounting and labor as one number. |
| Moving your libraries | Included | Photos, video, music and games moved and Windows pointed at the new drive, if you want it done. |
| Turnaround | Most repairs 24-48 hours | Same-day rush available. A part that has to be ordered adds a day or two; I'll give you the date up front. |
| Warranty | 30-90 days on labor | On most repairs. |
$75 diagnostic for a Dell, HP, Lenovo or other major-brand desktop, $149 for a custom-built or boutique PC, credited toward the work when you approve it. Figures as of this writing. Drive prices move with the market; the quote you approve is the number you pay. How the quote step works: quote after diagnosis.
Why NJ Customers Bring Their Towers to Somerville
A local shop, one technician, flat pricing.
Dave's Computers is a one-technician shop in downtown Somerville, New Jersey, on the bench since 2011. I do the work myself, in the shop, and nothing is shipped out. Customers come from Bridgewater, Hillsborough, Bound Brook, Piscataway, Flemington, Princeton and across Somerset, Hunterdon, Middlesex and Mercer counties for second hard drive and SSD installation because the pricing is flat, the diagnostic is credited toward the repair, and the tower comes back tested.
✓ Your files aren't touched. Your existing drive isn't touched except to copy files off it if you ask. The tower goes home with everything on it exactly as it came in.
If your desktop is out of room, or your files are scattered across external drives, bring the tower to Somerville. $75 diagnostic for a Dell, HP, Lenovo or other major-brand desktop, $149 for a custom-built or boutique PC, credited toward the work when you approve it.
📞 Call (908) 428-9558Drop-off shop at 75 N Bridge St, Somerville NJ · Mon-Fri 10-5, Sat 9-2
Directions to Dave's Computers in Somerville, NJ
Downtown Somerville, one block off Main Street, behind Bank of America.
Dave's Computers, 75 N Bridge St, Somerville, NJ 08876Drop-off shop, Mon-Fri 10-5 and Sat 9-2. Street and municipal-lot parking around Main Street.
Directions to the ShopFrom Bridgewater
3 miles · about 10 minutes
Route 22 or Route 202/206 to the Somerville Circle, then Route 28 east (West Main Street) into downtown. Left onto N Bridge St.
Open in Google MapsFrom Hillsborough
5 miles · about 12 minutes
Route 206 north into Somerville, right onto West Main Street, then left onto N Bridge St.
Open in Google MapsFrom Bound Brook
4 miles · about 12 minutes
Route 28 west straight into downtown Somerville. Right onto N Bridge St.
Open in Google MapsFrom Piscataway
10 miles · about 20 minutes
I-287 north to Exit 17 (Route 202/206 south), then Route 28 east into downtown Somerville.
Open in Google MapsFrom Flemington
15 miles · about 25 minutes
Route 202 north to the Somerville Circle, then Route 28 east into downtown. Left onto N Bridge St.
Open in Google MapsFrom Princeton
18 miles · about 30 minutes
Route 206 north through Montgomery and Hillsborough into Somerville. Right onto West Main Street, then left onto N Bridge St.
Open in Google MapsTimes are typical drives outside rush hour. Call 908-428-9558 before a long drive if you want to confirm I'm at the counter.
Google Reviews
What Customers Say on Google
Live from the Dave's Computers Google listing. Tap any review to read it on Google Maps.
4.8
★★★★★★★★★★Based on 434 Google reviews
I have been going to Dave's Computers for years because he always fixes my problems. I also use his anti-virus and it is as good as any, if not better, than others that I would have to pay much more for. If you're having problems, go to Dave's. He doesn't break the bank and he solves the problems.
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Over the last decade or so, whenever I had a computer problem, I went to Dave. I recently had a very worrisome crash; the system failed to boot up. (I hadn't needed to use him for about 3 years.) I paid the "rush fee" on Saturday when dropping the machine off with the weekend agent. By Monday...
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"As a Broker of over 40 years in New Jersey I rely on my computer help", which is the artery to my success and business. Thank goodness Dave's is here for me with the messes I get into with scammers, land grabbers and just uneccesary things that I pick up. The most effective virus program have ever...
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I had previously tried to build my own PC to no success. Even though right now it is really tough to get a PC built due to the price increases with RAM’s, GPU’s and other parts because of AI, I still really wanted to get one for myself. I came across Dave’s Computers online and went in for a...
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Second Hard Drive Installation: Questions From NJ Customers
What people ask at the counter before handing over the tower.
What's the difference between this and your SSD upgrade?
The SSD upgrade replaces your main drive with a faster one and moves Windows onto it. This service leaves your main drive alone and adds a second drive beside it for space. Plenty of towers get both, and the diagnostic tells you which fits.
How much does a second hard drive installation cost in NJ?
The diagnostic is $75 for a Dell, HP, Lenovo or other major-brand desktop and $149 for a custom-built or boutique PC, credited toward the work when you approve it. The installation is quoted flat, drive, mounting hardware and labor in one number. If you're only adding storage with nothing wrong, tell me at the counter and I'll quote it as an upgrade.
Does my desktop have room for another drive?
Almost every tower does. Very small desktops sometimes have only one spot, and I'll tell you at the counter if yours is one of them and what the options are.
Should the second drive be a hard drive or an SSD?
It depends on what goes on it. A large hard drive is the least expensive way to hold terabytes of photos and video you open occasionally. An SSD is the right choice for games and anything you work on every day. I'll match the drive to what you're storing.
Can you move my photos and games onto the new drive?
Yes. Setting the drive up in Windows and moving your photo, video or game libraries onto it, with Windows pointed at the new location, is part of the service if you want it.
Is a second internal drive a backup?
No. A second drive inside the same tower is lost to the same surge, flood or ransomware as the first. It's extra room. A backup is a separate copy, and my backup setup service covers that; the two are often done in the same visit.
Bring the Full Tower to Somerville, New Jersey
Bring the tower and its cord to 75 N Bridge St. The diagnostic is $75 for a Dell, HP, Lenovo or other major-brand desktop or $149 for a custom-built or boutique PC, credited toward the work when you approve it, and it's the first step of my PC upgrade service for New Jersey.
📞 (908) 428-9558Mon-Fri 10am-5pm · Sat 9am-2pm · 75 N Bridge St, Somerville NJ · Drop-Offs Welcome