Member Avatar for NJDfan1711

I bought a Western Digital 120GB EIDE HardDrive but returned it because it was making too much noise. They shipped me back a 160GB HD at no extra charge...but what they didn't tell me is that it's not IDE or EIDE, it's Serial ATA ....and I dunno how to hook that up to my PC. Apparently it doens't work the same as Master/Slave, but I don't even know what plug goes into it. I have an Asus A7N8X mobo if that helps. I also currently have a 40GB Maxtor IDE HardDrive installed in my PC and intend to keep it there hopefully with this new 160GB drive.


Anyone know how to hook one of these up?

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A few practical points that fill in details not covered above.

SATA uses two thin, keyed connectors: a 7‑pin data cable and a 15‑pin power plug (L‑shaped key). Physically hook the drive in with the SATA data cable to a motherboard SATA header (or to a PCI SATA controller card if the board has none), and connect a SATA power lead from the PSU. If the PSU lacks a SATA power connector, use a Molex‑to‑SATA adapter. Mount the drive, ground yourself, and power up to confirm the BIOS sees it. SATA is point‑to‑point (no master/slave), so it coexists with your IDE drive without jumper changes.

If the board doesn’t expose SATA headers, there are three common options: install a PCI SATA controller (pick one that advertises BIOS/boot support if you plan to boot from that drive), use a USB‑to‑SATA adapter or external enclosure for data access only, or use an IDE↔SATA adapter (these can be hit‑or‑miss for booting). As mentioned, add‑on cards exist; choose a controller from a known vendor and check whether its BIOS supports booting.

BIOS/OS notes: after connecting, enter BIOS to set boot priority. For older OS installs (Windows XP era), some controllers require drivers during setup (press F6) or using a slipstreamed installer. If a fresh OS install is not planned, clone the IDE drive to the SATA drive with imaging tools and then change boot order.

Troubleshooting tips and cautions: confirm the drive spins (power issue if it doesn’t), try another SATA cable/port, update the motherboard BIOS if detection is flaky, and check the drive’s label for any jumper settings (some drives have a jumper to limit transfer rate). Work with the PC powered off and unplugged when connecting power/data cables. As noted, board variants differ, so consult the motherboard manual to locate headers and supported modes.

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Member Avatar for Zachery

If you don't see an SATA hookup on your motherboard, your not going to be able to, I've seen very vew SATA cards as well, most with only a single slot.

Member Avatar for DMR

If you don't see an SATA hookup on your motherboard...

Yeah, the "Deluxe" version of the A7N8X has SATA, but the straight-up A7N8X doesn't.

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