I was about to purchase a new Hard Drive for my desktop (second hand), when I was told that there could be compatibility issues. My Main Board is an Asus P5LD2 with SATA connection. It has been checked with Ubuntu Live Test and is working fine. I have chosen the Hard Disk WD5000AAKX, from the Future Shop. Here is the link:-

http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/wd-wd-500gb-internal-hard-drive-wd5000aakx-blue-wd5000aakx/10198135.aspx?path=d9009c1c83847c69e277302c910dc0b7en02

This has the SATA connection. Except for that, I have no idea what else has to be checked before I purchase. Can you please help?That drive will work fine...who mentioned compatibility issues ? ?

Stay away from the GREEN Series WD HDD's...all others including Caviar's are fine.

PS because it's 2nd hand make sure to delete any existing partitions and re-create what you want and then run a full format before using...Good to hear from you again. It was the previous owner who told me that I have to check the compatibility with the chipset etc! With inadequate knowledge, how easily can one be misled.

"PS because it's 2nd hand make sure to delete any existing partitions and re-create what you want and then run a full format before using..."
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I will GO ahead and order this one but I need help to do the above - delete partitions.........recreate..........fu ll format...

Thank you for the quick reply!How much is it BTW if you dont mind me asking? ?
Reason being is Brand new is only 60 Bucks...is this from eBay ? ?It is 64.99 and is from the Future Shop (Canada). The link I posted above in the first posting, will get you there. Full details can be seen including a picture of it, on that Future Shop web page.

Thank youI personally WOULD buy new...
NEWEGG is now in Canada...check out their pricing.I will check NewEgg. Just for information, the ones in Future Shop are all new including the one I have in mind. They don't sell used thing. I checked NewEgg. They have the identical HDD - WD5000AAKX.  With postage, it will cost me $ 8.00 more than Future Shop. Further, 'return' will be easy because there is a Future Shop near me in Ottawa. I can take it there in case of any problems.

Anything better you can suggest?I'd say the $8.00 is worth it then...Thank you. Most likely, I will need your help when it arrives!

Best regards.patio, "I personally would buy new..."  i think you are unaware that as the O/P is advising Future Shop is a retail outlet in Canada (similar to Best Buy) and they ONLY sell new products. I'm not certain but i think they also do or did exists in the States. The O/P might want to check out the Tiger Direct (Canada)  online site as they might offer the product cheaper. However if the option exists to order it from the Tiger Direct online U.S. site it will be substantially cheaper i feel certain. However if shipped to Canada that might offset the savings unless the O/P has the ability to have it shipped to a U.S. location.truenorthWith all due RESPECT truenorth...i was only going on the fact he stated that it was a second hand HDD...which is exactly why i questioned the purchase in the 1st place...
See above.  While we all so far have the English language as our common tongue isn't it interesting how the same words can be read differently. When i read the 1st post " a new Hard Drive for my desktop (second hand)," i understood the computer not the intended HDD acquisition to be "second hand".truenorthYes ...i can see now how that would happen in this case...I received the Hard Disk - SATA - WD5000AAXX - Caviar Blue. It is brand new in the manufacturer's pakage. On the package is the following message. "Advanced format drives require additional installation steps. Please check your drive label to determine if your drive has the advanced format feature and follow the instructions there for installation" On the Hard Drive Label itself, there is nothing to say whether it is 'advanced format' or 'instructions for installation', as mentioned in the above message.

I expect to install Windows XP and possibly Ubuntu as well. The Main Board is ASUS P5LD2.

What should I do?

Thank you.