What would I need to run 2 pcs on 1 keyboard/mouse/monitor?

[Denvers Dawgs]

I'm getting a mew pc for xmas. My older pc is still working fine, but is just a little slower than I'd like. So I would like to use both pcs with 1 keyboard/mouse/monitor. I'm mainly going to use my old pc for storage. What would I need to do this.

Another question I have, is my old pc has 2 HDD and 2 dvddrives. Is it possible to take out one of the dvd drives and a 3rd HDD?

[JohnnyMalaria]

You need a "Keyboard/Mouse/Video Switch" - KVM switch.

http://www.kvm-switches-online.com/belkin.html

You should be able to take out the DVD drive and add a 3rd HDD. Most likely you have an ATA interface on the DVD drive. Just make sure you get an ATA hard drive (not a SATA).

[redwudz]

Also if you mean to put a hard drive in the slot that the DVD drive came out of, there are adapters for that as DVD drives are 5.25 wide and hard drives are 3.5 inches. But you probably mean you just need the spare ATA drive connector from the DVD drive.

[Denvers Dawgs]

good answers guys, next question: Where can I find an adapter for a 3.5 hard drive to fit into the 5.25 dvd drive slot? Newegg?

[Bodyslide]

Enjoy:
http://www.newegg.com/ProductSort/Subcategory.asp?Subcategory=43&name=Hard-Drive-Accessories

[Jim J]

If the old PC is going to be on your network, you could always install VNC on it. Remote control it with out a direct connection of a K/M/V

[Enygma]

If you're mainly using your old PC for storage, why not sell it and buy a 320GB hard drive... or bigger? You could even buy an external enclosure for it to make it portable. And a brand new hard drive will likely be faster and more reliable than the drives in your old PC.

[painkiller]

If you have a Best Buy in your area, you can get a 2 computer KVM from there.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?type=product&id=1067390694405

Has everything you need in the way of cables and switcher.
Real easy to use, I have a 4 PC version.

All you do is press the CTRL then SHIFT then ALT button (one right after the other) then the number 1 or 2 for whichever PC you want to see on the monitor. The keyboard & mouse then work on that PC.

[redwudz]

I just use a cheap metal adapter for mounting a 3.5" HD in a 5.25" slot like this one: http://www.pcconnection.com/ProductDetail?Sku=4869053
You can find them in other places, just do a Google search for '3.5 to 5.25 hard drive adapter bracket'.

[AlanHK]

good answers guys, next question: Where can I find an adapter for a 3.5 hard drive to fit into the 5.25 dvd drive slot? Newegg?

Wherever you get the hard disk. Ask for it, free, or maybe $1.