Member Avatar for Leo G

Hi all,
I had some bad sectors on my Dell Inspiron 9400 which uses a Samsung 100GB HDD. I purchased a WD 250GB HDD and used the cloning program EZ Gig IV to transfer my data from one to the other. It worked but it has made the 250GB drive into a 100GB drive. I found out that the Dell has a HPA for the Media boot and the LBA-3 directs it there. I tried to use a program called HDAT2 and wrote the ISO to a CD-R and booted it up but I couldn't get the program to work. So I found another program that does it automatically but requires the HDD to be in the slave position which I cannot do in my laptop.

So my question is can I install my SATA 2.5" laptop into my desktop which also uses SATA drives. Or does the desktop use 12v instead of 5v. Last thing I want to do is fry the new HDD.

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Nice outcome: cleared the firmware-level limit and recloned, and was right that a 2.5" SATA laptop drive can be connected to a desktop SATA port — the data and 15‑pin power connectors are the same and a 2.5" drive will only draw the 5V rail, so it will not be “fried” by the desktop power. Below are a few clarifications and safe, practical checks that fill gaps not covered above.

HPA (Host Protected Area) is a firmware feature that reduces the drive's reported capacity; partition tools and Disk Management typically do not show it because it sits below the partition layer. A reliable way to confirm native vs current size is with a Linux live environment and hdparm. For example:

# show current/native max sectors (run as root)
hdparm -N /dev/sdX

If the first number is smaller than the second, an HPA is active. Restoring native size is a firmware operation and should only be performed after a verified backup.

Cloning notes: many cloning tools copy the visible partition layout but not the firmware limits; cloning from a drive with an active HPA can leave the target limited. Best practice is to restore the target drive to full native capacity before expanding partitions, or restore HPA on either drive first and then clone. Always keep a verified backup of important data before issuing firmware-level commands.

Final cautions: avoid ESD when handling drives, power down the desktop when connecting SATA cables, and be aware that some modern drives/USB adapters implement a 3.3V "power disable" feature — that can prevent spin-up on some adapters, but not an issue with standard desktop SATA cabling.

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Member Avatar for rch1231

Hello,

Two things:
You can use Partition Magic to re-size the partition on the drive to 250 GB.
Yes you can plug the laptop SATA into your desktop I do it all of the time. The power and cable pin-outs are the same.

Member Avatar for Leo G

Partition magic wouldn't touch it. It didn't see the HPA. I have solved it. I ended up using HDAT2 to set the drive back to it's native size and eliminate the HPA and then I recloned it and now I have the full 250GB with all my data on it.

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