USB to SATA

[sambat]

Can an external HDD that uses USB connectivity be connected to an internal SATA connection on the motherboard.
To be clear - the drive stays in the external case and a connection made from the internal SATA port to the USB connector on the external case.
If such a thing exists, is the drive still considered (by the operating system) an external device or is it now an internal device - for the purposes of installing and booting Windows?

[Noahtuck]

If the HDD in the case is SATA and you take it out of the case you can mount it in a desktop and connect it to the MB SATA port.

The only thing you may need, and I say "MAY" is some kind of adapter for the power of the HDD.
It depends on the HDD size.

Is it a large external HDD or a small pocket external HDD ?

I have taken SATA hdd's out of their cases before, the small ones, and they were just laptop sata HDD's, I just used a special tray to mount them in a desktop and connected them directly to the sata port on the MB and the power.

Once installed directly to the mobo it just shows up as any other HDD.

The more I read your post, the more confused I get!!!

What EXACTLY is it you want to do ??

[aedipuss]

in answer to the op's question. maybe. it depends on the age/bios of the computer.
http://pcsupport.about.com/od/tipstricks/ht/bootusbflash.htm

[sambat]

If the HDD in the case is SATA and you take it out of the case you can mount it in a desktop and connect it to the MB SATA port.

The only thing you may need, and I say "MAY" is some kind of adapter for the power of the HDD.
It depends on the HDD size.

Is it a large external HDD or a small pocket external HDD ?

I have taken SATA hdd's out of their cases before, the small ones, and they were just laptop sata HDD's, I just used a special tray to mount them in a desktop and connected them directly to the sata port on the MB and the power.

Once installed directly to the mobo it just shows up as any other HDD.

The more I read your post, the more confused I get!!!

What EXACTLY is it you want to do ??

The drive in the case is IDE.
I don't want to take it out of the case.
The case is powered externally.
I want to make a connection from the USB on the external case to the SATA connector inside the tower.
If such thingy/dongle/whatsit exists - I'll expand my question.

[smrpix]

So the real problem here is what? You've run out of USB ports?

--Oh, you want to run windows from an external drive.

[sambat]

in answer to the op's question. maybe. it depends on the age/bios of the computer.
http://pcsupport.about.com/od/tipstricks/ht/bootusbflash.htm

Yes, I can boot from a USB device, specifically a flash drive - but I'm asking about an external HDD.
Assuming the whatnot can be done 'is the drive now regarded as an internal device' - my reading indicates that:
Windows cannot be installed on an "external" drive.

[sambat]

So the real problem here is what? You've run out of USB ports?

No, it's can an external HDD connect from the USB hole on the case to a SATA hole on the motherboard.

[sambat]

I knew it would end in tears.

[smrpix]

Try googling sata to min b usb. having no luck with it here.

[sambat]

Similar, it would have to be internal SATA to USB.

And if it was available, is the drive now a defacto internal drive that Windows can be installed on.

[Joe The Dude]

Can an external HDD that uses USB connectivity be connected to an internal SATA connection on the motherboard.

Yes.
You can use a combination of USB and SATA and IDE Gender Changers, couplers, adapters and cables, to accomplish this.
However, I'm not sure if windows can be installed this way, or if Windows can boot using USB.

To be clear - the drive stays in the external case and a connection made from the internal SATA port to the USB connector on the external case.
If such a thing exists, is the drive still considered (by the operating system) an external device or is it now an internal device - for the purposes of installing and booting Windows?

Before ya go out and buy a bunch of USB and SATA and IDE Adapters and wiring, you could run a test on a HDD that already has Windows installed, and use a simple adapter on it that converts its SATA or IDE Connection to USB, and see if it can boot using USB.

[sambat]

Before ya go out and buy a bunch of USB and SATA and IDE Adapters and wiring, you could run a test on a HDD that already has Windows installed, and use a simple adapter on it that converts its SATA or IDE Connection to USB, and see if it can boot using USB.

Good idea, I shall try that tomorrow.

[nic2k4]

[Attachment 14156 - Click to enlarge]

ROTGLMFAO

What you're asking:

Plug a USB port into a SATA port on a MB.

Answer:

No such adapter exists.

Question:

Why must you use the drive inside it's external case?

Work around if it's a question of no IDE port available to connect it to:

Use a IDE-SATA converter http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=48_19&item_id=009291 or http://www.ebay.ca/itm/IDE-SATA-SATA-IDE-Adapter-Converter-Supports-Serial-ATA-100-133...item3f1d4661f4

Also, all drives connected through USB are marked as removable by Windows by default. The behaviour can be changed by modifying a registry key related to the way media is handled (I'll leave that to you to search for, lazy tonight).

[jagabo]

I don't know if such an adapter exists. But Windows can be installed on removable drives. I have a SATA drive in a hot swap bay with Windows 7 installed on it. Of course, it can't be hot swapped (I use the bay for booting different operating systems). But other drives in the same type of bay can be hot swapped. So if you were to find such an adapter you could install windows on the drive.

[sambat]

[Attachment 14156 - Click to enlarge]

ROTGLMFAO

What you're asking:

Plug a USB port into a SATA port on a MB.

Answer:

No such adapter exists.

Perhaps.
This link infers it does - they're just coy about spelling out where.

http://www.ehow.com/how_7273128_connect-drive-internal-sata-port.html

Why must you use the drive inside it's external case?

Because it was a pure bastard getting it in - and in, it shall stay.

[Noahtuck]

I hate reading drunken post's when I am drunk!!!

LMFAO!!!!

[sambat]

I don't know if such an adapter exists. But Windows can be installed on removable drives. I have a SATA drive in a hot swap bay with Windows 7 installed on it. Of course, it can't be hot swapped (I use the bay for booting different operating systems). But other drives in the same type of bay can be hot swapped. So if you were to find such an adapter you could install windows on the drive.

What I read is not so much the removeability - much of what I read is flat out denial that Windows can be installed on an external drive - but whether it's internal or external - and a SATA drive is listed as internal.
I have an esata drive that is listed as an internal drive, but it's operation is flaky (it operates perfectly over it's USB connection - but when connected as esata, it's a coin flip if it gets detected or not).

My tower is already a dogs breakfast of wires and drives and I don't want take drives out of cases in the first place and install them temporarily in the second case.
My intent is to reinstall minimal Windows in various configurations for backup purposes and I have various extenal drives I can use - but they're USB.

[sambat]

I hate reading drunken post's when I am drunk!!!

LMFAO!!!!

It truly is the curse of the working classe - but since I neither work nor drink (stalking, confining and butchering helpless victims being more in my line) - I know it don't apply to me.

[nic2k4]

Fair enough, shame to limit yourself to a miserable <480 Mbps transfer rate. Unfortunately, there's no such converter as you're seeking. BTW, ehow is not a reputable technical reference (they're an advertisment whore). If you need to find weird adapters or converters, look on ebay; if they make it, they do it in China and it will on ebay.

Here's something that would work for you http://www.ebay.ca/itm/USB-3-0-two-internal-Ports-20pin-header-PCI-E-express-card-adap...item4d0575a670 + that http://www.ebay.ca/itm/New-2-ports-USB-3-0-Type-Female-Port-HUB-Motherboard-20Pin-Head...item4608020f21. For that matter, doesn't your board have internal USB headers? All you really need is this http://www.ebay.ca/itm/2-Port-Dual-USB-2-0-Header-Rear-Panel-Bracket-Extension-Cable-P...item4aba02e704

[aedipuss]

hehe no simple cable/connector can hook usb to sata port. what you need is to open the drive case and use something like this powered pata to sata converter and then you can use a cable from the drive to the motherboard.

[nic2k4]

What I read is not so much the removeability - much of what I read is flat out denial that Windows can be installed on an external drive...

That's total BS, Windows only needs to think it's on the C drive; that can be accomplished through a boot loader or the BIOS (boot sequence).

I have an esata drive that is listed as an internal drive, but it's operation is flaky (it operates perfectly over it's USB connection - but when connected as esata, it's a coin flip if it gets detected or not).

Is this a Gigabyte board? Anyway, that only means your eSATA port is connected to a SATA controller that doesn't support hot swapping drives i.e. it will only detect a drive at boot time. Read your manual, it may be a question of loading the proper driver and or setting the controller to AHCI or RAID. SATA media is always treated as non removable (internal) by Windows, unless a driver says otherwise.

My intent is to reinstall minimal Windows in various configurations for backup purposes and I have various extenal drives I can use - but they're USB.

Then this is all you need http://www.ebay.ca/itm/2-Port-Dual-USB-2-0-Header-Rear-Panel-Bracket-Extension-Cable-P...458735&afsrc=1

Also available locally at any good computer store and not so good ones (Futureshop).

[Joe The Dude]

I'm pretty sure that he really only needs to buy the following two things, in order to accomplish his goal:

USB A/A Coupler:


and a USB to SATA Adapter:


Assuming that he can get a USB to SATA Adapter that can work backwards
(SATA Plug connected to MB, instead of directly to a HDD).
Ya might want to write the manufacturers of USB to SATA Adapters, and ask them if their products support that kind of a hookup, before ya buy.

[aedipuss]

I'm pretty sure that he really only needs to buy the following two things, in order to accomplish his goal:

USB A/A Coupler:

[Attachment 14160 - Click to enlarge]

and a USB to SATA Adapter:

[Attachment 14161 - Click to enlarge]

Assuming that he can get a USB to SATA Adapter that can work backwards
(SATA Plug connected to MB, instead of directly to a HDD).
Ya might want to write the manufacturers of USB to SATA Adapters, and ask them if their products support that kind of a hookup, before ya buy.

those are called usb to sata adapters BUT they only work in the other direction. they connect to the sata drive and plug into a usb port on the computer.

[Joe The Dude]

Those are called usb to sata adapters BUT they only work in the other direction. they connect to the sata drive and plug into a usb port on the computer.

I was afraid of that.
If users are restricted to preforming fresh installs of Windows on only IDE or SATA ports, then he'll have to either buy a new enclosure with eSATA, or play musical chairs with the HDDs already in his PC.

At least there's that registry edit, that ya'll mentioned earlier, that'll trick Windows into booting from usb, once it's installed.

Then again, there's also HDD cloning software to consider...

[sambat]

Before ya go out and buy a bunch of USB and SATA and IDE Adapters and wiring, you could run a test on a HDD that already has Windows installed, and use a simple adapter on it that converts its SATA or IDE Connection to USB, and see if it can boot using USB.

Good idea, I shall try that tomorrow.

Connected the C drive to an adapter and connected it to a USB port.
On boot it coughed and there was a message saying that there had been a hardware change then it tried to start Windows.
The BSOD appeared and that was that.
I guess it knew that the drive wasn't connected to the motherboard and didn't like it.

[Bjs]

Use an external enclosure with esata connection and the esata to sata cable (there is a difference)

And ... the HAL device driver was expecting another connection other than usb for which the os had been installed so the bsod is a genuine indicator for you to reinstall the os onto the external via usb then HAL wont complain.

[nic2k4]

On thinking about it, I guess you don't really want to put an external case inside your PC tower, you're only meaning you want Windows to think the drive is internal. So, you don't need that cable, there should be plenty of USB ports to hookup to on the back of the case.

You probably need to do an install to the USB drive for it to work. That means go in the BIOS and set the USB drive as the first boot drive (it will need to be plugged in at the time). Also, you should have an option for a boot menu when you start your PC (hit F9, F12 someting like that, look at the screen or check your manual); it's handy to select a drive to boot from without having to change connections.

Anyway, back to installing Windows, it might be preferable to disconnect all the internal drives before you start. You may also need to hit F6 to load a USB driver, check your driver CD (you'll know if Windows setup doesn't see the drive).

One complication is finding the drive in the boot menu (or the list in the BIOS). Depending on the BIOS and USB-IDE converter it can appear as a HDD, a USB ARMD or some other form of USB device. Note that not every type USB converter will work.

[sambat]

You probably need to do an install to the USB drive for it to work. .

Not possible it says..

[aedipuss]

http://www.intowindows.com/how-to-install-windows-7-to-usb-external-hard-drive-must-read/

[sambat]

Use an external enclosure with esata connection and the esata to sata cable (there is a difference)

And ... the HAL device driver was expecting another connection other than usb for which the os had been installed so the bsod is a genuine indicator for you to reinstall the os onto the external via usb then HAL wont complain.

I have a WD HDD that uses esata - It doesn't get detected at times.
I added an internal card (sata to esata) and the symptoms were the same.
The drive functions perfectly when using USB - In any case, I want to use the existing USB drives.