Harddrives - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

MahlerIsGod · 10-17-2003, 04:59 PM

Can anyone tell me what the difference between ATA Harddrives and SATA harddrives? I just bought a Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 160GB drive. I think its a SATA drive. Does that matter? Will it run OK with my setup:
Dell 8300
P4 2.6 HT
256 RAM
40GB Seagate Baracuda?
What can I expect? Thanks for any help or suggestions.

AxByC · 10-17-2003, 05:04 PM

well sata is a serial interface and ata is a parallel. Sata is only found on new motherdoards. although you can buy a serial ata card. sata is the new standard offering greater speeds for the future. ide ata is going to be phased out.

the two connectors on the bottom are sata ports. the 2 yellow ports are ide ATA. they can be any color. but are usually white.

thumper69 · 10-17-2003, 05:13 PM

think of it this way. just like when computers went from EISA to PCI, hard drives are going from a parallel/ribbon cable(IDE) connection to a serial cable connection. You benefit from this though. It takes up less space and it's faster

MahlerIsGod · 10-17-2003, 05:34 PM

The reason I ask is that I installed the new drive and now things are weird. I had everything stored on an external drive and now I am trying to transfer things back on the internal drive: pics, videos, etc. and for some reason when I try to copy things from the external drive to the internal at some point it just stops. It looks like the transfer gets stuck on a specific pic and stops and my system freezes and I have to restart. What's up with that? What can I do fix that? Is it even fixable? Thanks

oberon · 10-19-2003, 08:05 AM

Did you have to install a SATA card? Are you using a different cable to hook up your new drive than the old one?

SATA uses narrow red cables. You can't connect a SATA drive to the same kind of connector you could older parallel ATA drives. Not without a converter, anyway.

Maxtor DiamondMax Plus drives can be either SATA or PATA, which is why I ask...

Either way, I doubt this would be related to your problem. What is your "external drive" and what is your "internal drive"??

MahlerIsGod · 10-19-2003, 11:16 AM

Thank you for that description. That kind've clarifies the type of drives that I have. I have ATA drives. Both the external and the new internal harddrive are Maxtor. I am starting to think that there is something physically wrong with the external drive and that's why I have was having trouble transfering things. But now I know at least what the difference between an ATA and SATA drives are. Thanks

GoldenOuroboros · 11-10-2003, 02:52 AM

Can you run a ATA and a SATA at the same time?

Thanks

oberon · 11-10-2003, 06:40 AM

Yes, you can. Not to the same hard drive, but two different drives to separate connectors on the motherboard or on a PCI card.

10-17-2003, 04:59 PM	#1 (permalink)
MahlerIsGod At The Globe Showing Will How Its Done Location: London/Elysium	Harddrives Can anyone tell me what the difference between ATA Harddrives and SATA harddrives? I just bought a Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 160GB drive. I think its a SATA drive. Does that matter? Will it run OK with my setup: Dell 8300 P4 2.6 HT 256 RAM 40GB Seagate Baracuda? What can I expect? Thanks for any help or suggestions. __________________ "But a work of art is a conscious human effort that has to do with communication. It is that or its nothing. When an accident is applauded as a work of art, when a cult grows up around the deliciousness of inadvertent beauty, we are in the presence of the greatest decadence the West has known in its history."

10-17-2003, 05:04 PM	#2 (permalink)
AxByC Insane	well sata is a serial interface and ata is a parallel. Sata is only found on new motherdoards. although you can buy a serial ata card. sata is the new standard offering greater speeds for the future. ide ata is going to be phased out. the two connectors on the bottom are sata ports. the 2 yellow ports are ide ATA. they can be any color. but are usually white. __________________ Not all drugs are good. Some of them are great. -Bill Hicks Last edited by AxByC; 10-17-2003 at 05:06 PM..

10-17-2003, 05:13 PM	#3 (permalink)
thumper69 Tilted Location: Texas	think of it this way. just like when computers went from EISA to PCI, hard drives are going from a parallel/ribbon cable(IDE) connection to a serial cable connection. You benefit from this though. It takes up less space and it's faster __________________ Ohh Yeah Baby All Night Long! (' . ^) Look at Kirby---> <(' . '<)

10-17-2003, 05:34 PM	#4 (permalink)
MahlerIsGod At The Globe Showing Will How Its Done Location: London/Elysium	The reason I ask is that I installed the new drive and now things are weird. I had everything stored on an external drive and now I am trying to transfer things back on the internal drive: pics, videos, etc. and for some reason when I try to copy things from the external drive to the internal at some point it just stops. It looks like the transfer gets stuck on a specific pic and stops and my system freezes and I have to restart. What's up with that? What can I do fix that? Is it even fixable? Thanks __________________ "But a work of art is a conscious human effort that has to do with communication. It is that or its nothing. When an accident is applauded as a work of art, when a cult grows up around the deliciousness of inadvertent beauty, we are in the presence of the greatest decadence the West has known in its history."

10-19-2003, 08:05 AM	#5 (permalink)
oberon Quadrature Amplitude Modulator Location: Denver	Did you have to install a SATA card? Are you using a different cable to hook up your new drive than the old one? SATA uses narrow red cables. You can't connect a SATA drive to the same kind of connector you could older parallel ATA drives. Not without a converter, anyway. Maxtor DiamondMax Plus drives can be either SATA or PATA, which is why I ask... Either way, I doubt this would be related to your problem. What is your "external drive" and what is your "internal drive"?? __________________ "There are finer fish in the sea than have ever been caught." -- Irish proverb

10-19-2003, 11:16 AM	#6 (permalink)
MahlerIsGod At The Globe Showing Will How Its Done Location: London/Elysium	Thank you for that description. That kind've clarifies the type of drives that I have. I have ATA drives. Both the external and the new internal harddrive are Maxtor. I am starting to think that there is something physically wrong with the external drive and that's why I have was having trouble transfering things. But now I know at least what the difference between an ATA and SATA drives are. Thanks __________________ "But a work of art is a conscious human effort that has to do with communication. It is that or its nothing. When an accident is applauded as a work of art, when a cult grows up around the deliciousness of inadvertent beauty, we are in the presence of the greatest decadence the West has known in its history."

11-10-2003, 02:52 AM	#7 (permalink)
GoldenOuroboros The Cheshire Grin... Location: An Aussie Outback	Can you run a ATA and a SATA at the same time? Thanks __________________ Can you see me grin grin grrriiiiinnnning?!

11-10-2003, 06:40 AM	#8 (permalink)
oberon Quadrature Amplitude Modulator Location: Denver	Yes, you can. Not to the same hard drive, but two different drives to separate connectors on the motherboard or on a PCI card. __________________ "There are finer fish in the sea than have ever been caught." -- Irish proverb