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Hard Drive installation 1

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rosemel

Technical User
Nov 26, 2005
2
US
Pentium4 2.2 GHZ Computer with WDC 120 Gbyte ATA 100 7200 RPM drive as the primary disk. Using windows XP with 1 Gbyte memory.
Can I install SATA/150 160 GB hard disk from Hitachi as a secondary drive? Do I need a different cable?
 
You can if your motherboard has SATA support (or, if not, you buy a SATA PCI card, or a SATA/PATA adapter). If it does have SATA support, it won't be a secondary drive in the same way as another IDE drive - but effectively the same. Are you intending using it just for storage or do you want to install an o/s on it?

SATA drives do have a different cable connector (much slimmer than IDE)
 
SATA and IDE are two completely different interfaces, so no, the SATA drive cannot be directly connected as the secondary drive.

If your motherboard supports SATA, then a SATA drive can be installed as long as you provide a SATA interface cable and power, either directly from the power supply or with an IDE to SATA power adapter.

If your motherboard doesn't support SATA, then you may look at SATA to IDE adapters. A quick search revealed this site, there are probably plenty more. I've no experience with these adapters:

 
I bought Computer from Gateway in 2002. The Mother board is 850 Lexington & P4-478 2.2 Ghz NW. I am not sure whether this mother board supports SATA drive.
rosemel
 
You can look on the motherboard and see if you can find the very small slots for sata right on the motherboard.
Also, you can google for a diagram or a motherboard with sata or some pics of a sata motherboard connector.
They are about as thick as your thumb and much thinner.


Good advice + great people = tek-tips
 
I should have said they are about as wide as your thumb but thinner the other way.


Good advice + great people = tek-tips
 
Garebo:
"thick as your thumb and much thinner"
Nap time? <grin>
 
rosemel
Your motherboard is an Intel 850 chipset based socket 478 with 533fsb, at this vintage it is extremely doubtful it would have SATA connections.
So the answer is NO! unless you buy a PCI to SATA controller card.
This sort of thing:

See this similar motherboard?

Martin

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