Sata wires for connecting the hard drive. How to connect a hard drive to a computer? Hard drive program

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The other day they brought me a problematic PC, suffering from brakes, freezes and other glitches. Its far from young motherboard has only an IDE interface, so the new terabyte SATA-HDD was connected using a specially purchased SATA PCI controller (on a VIA VT6421 chip). System log Windows events was full of messages about disk operation errors, which apparently was the cause of the problems.

Checking the HDD (SMART, surface, file system), replacing the SATA cable did not correct the situation. With the old IDE disk, the computer used to work stably, the BIOS was in motherboard the latter was sewn up, so suspicion fell on the operation of the SATA controller. Moreover, in the magazine Windows errors his name sometimes also “blushed.” But experiments with the controller did not bring much success - neither updating the drivers nor moving it to another PCI slot helped. Is it true, HDD it seemed to behave better when connected to another SATA port of the controller, but even here another “ambush” awaited - with a DVD drive connected through the second SATA port, the controller for some reason stubbornly refused to boot the system from the HDD. In general, either the controller itself was very crooked, or it was simply not “friendly” with this motherboard or hard drive. By the way, reviews about controllers on these chips on the Internet are not flattering -

The solution was to replace the controller with a similar one, and preferably on a different chip, so as not to encounter the same problems. This is, of course, if you do not resort to a radical and troublesome method - replacing the motherboard. In our stores, among the inexpensive options, they mainly offered products based on the same VT6421... And then I saw this thing on sale - costing only about 400 rubles, I became interested and decided to try it. As a result, the SATA HDD connected to the IDE connector through this “cunning piece of hardware” was seen by the BIOS as if it were an IDE drive and started working without any errors. The HDD activity LED on the system unit happily began to fulfill its duties, from which it had previously been relieved by the “good” PCI controller. I left the DVD drive connected as it was, via the SATA controller on the VIA chip, because... There were no problems reading or writing CDs.

The converter is quite compact, receives energy through the FDD power connector (an additional adapter is included in the kit), has a data transfer indicator, and does not require any drivers. In addition, due to its bidirectionality, it also allows you to use an IDE drive via a SATA interface. In the case when you need to connect one device and there is no need for RAID arrays, this is a pretty good economical alternative to PCI controllers.

Often unstable work computer is associated with a deficiency free space on your hard drive. To solve this problem, you can remove unnecessary files, but if there are none, you need to install it on your PC additional HDD. This article provides instructions for connecting a second drive and describes some pitfalls that a user can expect when performing this operation.

Motherboard support

So how to connect second hard disk to computer? "SATA or IDE ports are soldered to system board" - the first question that should be answered before installing the HDD. You need to find out what model of motherboard is installed in the system unit. This can be done by installing the AIDA64 program on your computer. This utility shows full information about the computer. On the left side of the main application window, just click on the text “Motherboard” to find out the model. After this, you need to find the documentation for the motherboard and find out which connection ports for drives are installed on it: SATA or IDE.

If you cannot find the documentation, you will need to study the hardware of the computer yourself. To do this, you need to remove the left cover of the system unit, having first unscrewed the mounting bolts on its back side. Hard drives are located in the front of the PC case in special pockets. Pay attention to the cable that goes from the motherboard to the HDD. If it is wide, it means the drive connection interface is IDE; if it is narrow, it means SATA.

After visual inspection Still have doubts about what type of connection is used on the motherboard? In this case, disconnect the cables from the drive and pay attention to their cut. If there is a slot in the shape of the letter "G" in the connector. If the IDE connector will look like a rectangle with two rows of holes.

Pay attention to the area of the motherboard where the cable from the drive goes. Are all ports busy? If there are no free ports, connect a hard drive in the classic way will not work. Also take a look at the cable itself, if the interface HDD connections- IDE. Usually it has two connectors for drives, and one of them may be free.

Before connecting a second hard drive to your computer, see if there are free pockets in the equipment case for installing drives. If they are not there, the hard drive can be placed on the bottom of the system unit, but this is unsafe for the equipment. When moving computer hard the disk will dangle, and there is a possibility that it will damage the PC components or fail itself.

Selecting a hard drive

Before you can connect a second hard drive to your computer, you must first purchase it. After determining the connection interface, you can begin selecting a drive. Remember that they are best suited for a computer hard disks size 3.5 inches. Smaller samples are designed for installation in laptops. Although, if you find a 2.5-inch form factor HDD that matches the parameters, you can install it in a special adapter case and use it in a desktop PC.

Also determine which one you will need. If only documents will be stored on it, it is enough to purchase a HDD with a capacity of 320 GB. If you plan to store films high definition And computer games, it is better to choose a hard drive with a capacity of at least 1 TB.

It makes sense to pay attention to the characteristics of the speed of reading and writing data. There is only one rule: more is better. Although, if the computer is used only for work in office applications, it makes no sense to overpay for this feature.

Correct jumper position

Users whose motherboard only has IDE ports must make jumper adjustments. How to connect a second hard drive to a computer, where to put the jumper? So, if only one HDD is connected to the cable, the jumper must be set to the Master position, and the drive itself must be connected to the outermost connector of the cable. If two drives are connected to one wire, then the jumper on the additional hard drive should be in the slave position, and it should be connected to the connector that is located at a distance from the edge of the cable. There is no need to install jumpers on a SATA drive, since a separate cable is used for each drive.

How to connect a second hard drive to a computer?

Order HDD installations for drives with any interface is the same. Regardless of type hard drive To install it, follow the following actions:

Turn off the power system unit.
Unscrew the bolts holding the left housing cover and remove it. This usually involves pulling it back.
Place the drive in the pocket of the system unit. At correct installation the slots for screws at the place where the hard drive is mounted and the holes on the HDD will coincide.
Tighten the mounting screws.
Before connecting the second hard drive to the computer, pay attention to connecting the cables to the first one. Connect the wires to the additional drive in the same way as to the main one.
Replace the case cover and turn on the computer.

BIOS setup

After a second hard drive is connected to the computer, several changes should be made to the BIOS, since sometimes the first boot device the newly installed HDD is assigned. This results in the OS being unable to boot. To configure "BIOS":

Turn on the computer by pressing the power button.
As soon as the screen lights up, immediately start pressing the DEL or F8 key. Used on different motherboards different buttons to enter the utility BIOS settings. To figure out which key to press, watch the messages on the screen or read the instructions that came with your motherboard.
After entering the BIOS, go to the Boot tab.
Use the arrows to select and press "ENTER".
In the menu that opens, move the cursor to the First Drive item, press ENTER and select the hard drive on which the system is installed. If you are not sure which HDD should be selected, set the switch to a random position.
Return to the previous menu by pressing ESC.
Here, move to the First Boot Device line and press "ENTER". Sometimes, to see it, you need to move to the Boot Devices Priority submenu.
Select from the drop-down menu Hard Drive. Sometimes the full name of the hard drive will be displayed instead of this message.
Press F10 to save your changes, then press ESC to exit the setup utility and restart your computer.

If after these manipulations the PC does not boot, return to step 5 and select another drive.

External hard drive

How can I connect a second hard drive to my computer if the SATA and IDE ports on the motherboard are busy? In this case the best option will be used external storage. Typically, such devices are connected to a USB port. Less often - to FireWire. In the first case, the drive can be installed on any PC, in the second - only on one equipped with a special port. Main advantage external HDD- portability. It can be easily connected and disconnected without turning off or disassembling the computer. However, such devices usually work slower than those installed in a PC case.

Operating system settings

What system settings should be made after the second hard drive is connected to the computer on WIndows 7? SATA or IDE - drives that are often not detected by the system in file manager after installation.

To display the new HDD in Explorer, follow these steps:

In the Start menu search bar, type "Manage."
Click on the item with the text “Computer Management”.
On the left side of the snap-in window, select Disk Management.
Click right click on the drive that is not displayed in Explorer. You can find out which HDD you should work with by comparing the indicated volume with the real one and examining the partition labels.
In the expanded list of actions, click on “Create a simple volume”, then specify file system and cluster size, then click OK.
After completing the operation, right-click on the HDD again, and select “Change drive letter” from the menu.
In the window that opens, click on the “Add” button and specify the desired letter.

SATA (English: Serial ATA) - serial interface data exchange with information storage devices. SATA is a development of the parallel interface, which after the advent of SATA was renamed PATA (Parallel ATA). - data cable connector. Hard drive data cable connector -

Description SATA

SATA uses a 7-pin connector instead of PATA's 40-pin connector. The SATA cable has a smaller area, due to which the resistance to air blowing through the computer components is reduced, and wiring inside the system unit is simplified.

Due to its shape, the SATA cable is more resistant to multiple connections. The SATA power cord is also designed to accommodate multiple connections. The SATA power connector supplies 3 supply voltages: +12 V, +5 V and +3.3 V; however modern devices can operate without +3.3 V voltage, which makes it possible to use a passive adapter from a standard IDE to SATA power connector. A number of SATA devices come with two power connectors: SATA and Molex.

The SATA standard abandoned the traditional PATA connection of two devices per cable; each device is assigned a separate cable, which eliminates the problem of the impossibility of simultaneous operation of devices located on the same cable (and the resulting delays), reduces possible problems during assembly (there is no problem of conflict between Slave/Master devices for SATA), eliminates the possibility of errors when using non-terminated PATA cables.

The SATA standard supports the command queuing function (NCQ, starting with SATA Revision 2.x).

The SATA standard does not provide for hot-swapping of the active device (used by the Operating System) (up to SATA Revision 3.x), additionally connected drives must be disconnected gradually - power, cable, and connected in the reverse order - cable, power.

SATA connectors

SATA devices use two connectors: 7-pin (data bus connection) and 15-pin (power connection). The SATA standard provides the ability to use a standard 4-pin Molex connector instead of a 15-pin power connector. Using both types of power connectors at the same time may damage the device.

The SATA interface has two data transfer channels, from controller to device and from device to controller. LVDS technology is used to transmit the signal; the wires of each pair are shielded twisted pairs.

There is also a 13-pin combined SATA connector used in servers, mobile and portable devices for slim CD/DVD drives. Devices are connected using a SATA Slimline ALL-in-One Cable. It consists of a combined connector of a 7-pin connector for connecting the data bus and a 6-pin connector for connecting the device’s power supply. In addition, to connect to these devices, servers use a special adapter.

Using http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/SATA

The most interesting comments on the colors of the SATA power connector cable:

RU2012:"Adapters are available to convert a 4-pin Molex connector to a SATA power connector. However, since 4-pin Molex connectors do not provide 3.3 V, these adapters only provide 5 V and 12 V power and leave the 3.3 V lines disabled. This does not allow the use of such adapters with drives that require 3.3 V power - orange wire.

Recognizing this, hard drive manufacturers have largely left support for the 3.3V orange power cable option in their storage devices - power lines are not used in most devices.

HOWEVER, WITHOUT 3.3V POWER (orange wire), the SATA DEVICE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO HOT PLUG THE DISK..." - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_ATA

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Technologies are improving, including computer technology. Sometimes the purchase of a new component ends with problems installing it into the system unit. Now many people are interested in how to connect SATA drive. Many do not know what to do correctly, whether to make it internal or external. This applies not only to newcomers to computer science, but also to those who have known and worked with them for a long time. Of course, installing a program is easier than understanding the computer technology itself. Don't let this scare you, because a detailed algorithm of actions and pointers on the system unit will help you cope with this problem.

Installing the drive externally

For beginners, it is important to know the sequence of how to connect SATA to avoid difficulties that you may encounter. First of all, you should be aware that you need to start working with the computer turned off. If the disk is installed inside the computer, it will heat up and not feel very comfortable, especially if the connector is small and there will be no ventilation at all. This connection method is suitable if it is used extremely rarely. In order to connect it externally, you will need a cable. Cable is not cheap, but it's worth it. And if you rummage through your stash well, you can pick something up at home. Each device is connected to its own connector, so you don’t have to worry about which side to connect the cable to the motherboard and which to the device. What's great about SATA is that you don't need to select special connectors, especially in new computers. If you have new hard disk, it must be formatted. To do this, turn off old hard disk and start formatting. Then we connect the old hard drive again and create everything again logical drives, formatting them again.

Installing the hard drive inside

Usually discs are already sold with suitable cables. But if you need to install it inside, we will tell you how to connect SATA. If your computer lasts no more than two years, then there will be no problems with its connection. Because new technologies do not stand still, and when creating a new computer model, all new devices are taken into account.

You need to install the hard drive so that there is a small space at the top and bottom for better ventilation. This is done so that it does not heat up. Next will be the sequence, as with the cable. It is not necessary to remove the video card, since it is located higher than the place where you will need to connect the hard drive. It can be attached using screws. Selecting the required connector from four existing ones. We will not rush to connect the data SATA, because it will interfere with us. We will do everything with careful consistency. Here you will notice that there is a loose cable coming from the power supply. You need to connect it to the connector on the hard drive. Finally we got to connecting the data cable. We connect it with one side to the motherboard, and the other, respectively, to the hard drive. If you have new computer, then there should be a new SATA connector. Otherwise, it's old, Molex. But if a SATA connector is not provided, do not despair and use an adapter. There are enough of them now. All! Close the lid and start the computer.

In order to check whether the device is there and whether we have connected it correctly, we need to go into the BIOS. To install the operating system, you will need to change boot priorities from the hard drive to the drive on the tab. Reboot the computer and you can install the operating system. But if the hard drive is not visible, just move all SATA connectors to auto mode. Then be sure to save the changes and exit accordingly. And after completing the operations with the device, you can safely start working.

Connection difficulties

It also happens when connection is not so easy. This happens not because the person who is doing this did not understand the algorithm of all actions, but because technical reasons. For example, if the connectors on the motherboard are inconveniently located (next to PCI Express video card), connection will be difficult. Since there was already an accession to SATA connectors, the video card, resting against the cables, is not inserted as it should. But you can easily get out of the situation. You just need to buy two interface cables that will not be interconnected and will not interfere with the connection.

Thus, with the help of our story and sequential instructions, you will not puzzle over how to connect a SATA drive and will easily cope with this task. Do not rush to contact specialists who understand computers. You just have to weigh the situation adequately. Analyze the instructions and do the work yourself for free, without much effort. You will succeed!

Modern “hard drives” are presented in a wide range of models and technological versions. There are those that connect to the PC through motherboard slots. Can also be used external hard a disk connected to a computer via a USB port. There are even more exotic media formats - wireless, working via Wi-Fi. But today we will talk about more or less familiar Russian user modifications of hard drives. Let's figure out how to connect the hard drive of the internal or external type and get it to work correctly. In the first case, we will “climb” into the PC system unit (or by opening the laptop case). In the second, we will use a USB connection.

PC hard drive: main interfaces

It will be useful to take a short theoretical excursion into “disk” technologies. What is the difference between the IDE and SATA interfaces that we just talked about?

The IDE standard appeared quite a long time ago - in 1986. But it remains relevant to this day. Its main advantages: versatility, as well as a data transfer speed that is fast enough even for most modern user tasks. SATA - much more new format. It appeared on the market in the late 90s. There are, of course, other standards for connecting a hard drive to a PC - such as, for example, SCSI, which, like IDE, appeared in the mid-80s.

The most widespread today (if we talk about the desktop segment) is SATA. But on those computers that were introduced to the market in the mid-2000s (many of them are still used by their owners) IDE interfaces are installed and fully functioning. The SCSI standard, due to its relative high cost, is used mainly in servers.

One of the main reasons for SATA's leadership is its high (for home-level PC) data transfer speed. As a rule, it reaches values of several hundred megabits/sec. Of course, the same SCSI interface works much faster - the typical value for it is 600 Mbit/sec or more.

There are also separate class hard drives connected via a USB connector. From a technological point of view, they are practically in no way inferior to the “classics” in form of hard disks with IDE interfaces and SATA, and at the same time connecting them is much easier. You just need to find a free USB connector on your PC.

Inside the system unit

If we're talking about about a desktop PC, then how to connect a new hard drive to it? Unlike, for example, a laptop (not to mention a tablet or PDA), “desktops” make it possible to connect not one, but several internal “hard drives” at once - the dimensions of the case allow it. And user tasks, one might say, also require it. In practice, the need to connect a new “hard drive” may arise if the current one is full (nowadays this is not uncommon, even if you have a 1 TB hard drive - modern games and HD movies consume a lot of space) or for some reason its functionality is not suits the PC owner. The steps for connecting the media are as follows.

First of all, you need to determine what data connection the new hard drive uses (and make sure that the motherboard is capable of working through this connection standard). Most modern hard drives operate via SATA technology. Legacy models may work through the IDE channel. They differ not only technologically, but also appearance. The SATA standard involves the use of a cable with a small number of cores. IDE, in turn, is a multi-core tape. By the way, if the motherboard, as they say, is too modern and does not have a slot for outdated IDE drives, you can always buy an inexpensive adapter between the two standards.

IDE

As for IDE slots, as a rule, there are two of them on the motherboard - primary and secondary. However, each can be connected to two hard drives (or another type of device compatible with the IDE standard, such as a DVD drive). In turn, there is also a subordination between them: there will definitely be a “main” (in English master) device and a “slave” device. Thus, there are four options for connecting a hard drive to a PC: as a master (or slave) primary (or secondary). There are no problems with how to connect a second hard drive.

The width of an IDE connector is approximately twice that of a SATA connector. However, it is completely impossible to mistakenly connect to the other instead of one. What is important is the color of the IDE cable with which the motherboard and hard drive are connected. IT specialists call the cable less productive gray. In turn, the more advanced ones are yellow. It will be great if you can buy a second one if it is not available by default. The fact is that gray cables have only 40 cores, and yellow cables have as many as 80. Of course, the difference in speed will not be twofold, but an order of magnitude.

An IDE cable usually has three slots - at one end, at the other, and also in the middle. Thus, the first one connects to the controller located on the motherboard. You can connect hard drives to the second and third.

It is advisable that when connecting an IDE cable to the primary slot, the connector to be connected is marked with a small triangle. This will ensure the greatest stability of the installed hard drives. Another rule is that when connecting an IDE cable to a hard drive, you should connect the primary slot of the cable to a similar connector on the hard drive. As we said above, they are designated in English - primary.

After connecting the power cable and the IDE connector, you must also remember to connect the wire leading to the indicator lamp (which is usually located on the front panel of the system unit. It is designed to signal to the user that the hard drive is working (it is being accessed). Of course, You don't have to connect it - that's optional.

Jumpers

How to connect an additional hard drive in the most correct way from the point of view of its interaction with the previous hard drive and the hardware structure of the PC as a whole? Much depends on correct location so-called "jumpers". They regulate the mode in which the hard drive operates - “primary” or “slave”. Also, the position of the jumpers is determined by the number of hard drives connected to the PC. Exactly how they should be fixed depends on specific model Winchester. Typically, when you purchase a new hard drive, it comes with a user manual. What should you pay attention to when reading it?

First of all, on terms such as “Drive Select” and “Slave Present”. The first one is responsible for the correct position of the jumpers relative to setting the disk to master or slave status. Usually, if the jumper is in place, the first mode is activated, if not, the second mode is activated. If we use only one hard drive, then the corresponding part must be removed from it. The "Slave Present" type switch should be installed on the disk that is supposed to be used as the main one (but provided that an additional hard drive is connected to the same controller).

SATA

If we have a modern PC at our disposal, then with a high probability our new hard drive will work in the SATA standard. Install new hard drive, as many IT specialists believe, working within this interface is extremely simple. All we do is find the corresponding wire on the motherboard and connect the hard drive to it (after placing and securely fixing the device in the socket provided for it using fasteners or bolts - see the figure).

The next step is to connect the wire responsible for power supply, having also first found it on the motherboard (as a rule, there are plenty of them there). It is very important to secure the hard drive - you cannot let it, say, hang on a SATA cable.

BIOS setup and additional software

Installing hard The disk, as a rule, does not end up working only with the hardware. Despite the fact that the PC is almost guaranteed to recognize the hard drive as a new device and will be able to establish communication with it at the hardware level, most likely we will need to configure some software options.

It is worth noting that, as a rule, no drivers for the hard drive are required to be installed. The basic hardware system pre-installed in the PC almost always guarantees correct operation with hard drives (provided, of course, that they are connected correctly). However, sometimes additional software still needs to be used. We are not talking about drivers - there may be a need for application applications.

The most common scenario in which there is a need for additional software settings- disk boot sequence failure. The fact is that when a hard drive is installed in addition to the current one, then basic system computer control - BIOS, may mistakenly calculate (figuratively speaking) that Windows boot(or the OS that is installed) must come from the new hard drive. Since the hard drive that we connected most likely does not have any operating system, the computer will not be able to boot in this case. But this can be easily fixed by setting the required sequence of disk accesses during boot in the BIOS.

You should go into this system (DEL key at the very beginning of the computer boot), and then find the Boot Sequence option. It is important that the first place in it is to boot from the main hard drive (HDD1). If the BIOS already has HDD1 (and the OS still doesn’t load), then, on the contrary, you need to install HDD2 in the first position. Or, as an option, get inside the system unit again and change the SATA connectors between the two hard drives in some places - but it's quite difficult option, despite the fact that you can get by with a simple change of settings in the BIOS. Everything should work. None additional program For a hard drive, it is usually not required.

In some cases, it becomes necessary, in addition to setting the order in which disks are loaded, to carry out more fine tuning Winchester. For example, set parameters such as the number of heads and tracks (and in some cases, sectors) used as resources for storing data. However, this kind of settings should be left to experienced IT specialists.

Sometimes you need to format a new hard drive. What type of hard drive program is optimal for solving this problem? You can almost always get by standard means Windows. You can start the process of formatting the hard drive by right-clicking on it in the “My Computer” window and selecting the appropriate option. Usually this program asks you to select a file system - NTFS or FAT32. In the majority modern computers The first one is used and we select it. It is recommended to perform a full format.

Inside the laptop

Laptops are an equally common type of personal computer technology, when compared with the popularity of desktop PCs. Therefore, it will be useful for us to know how to connect a hard drive to a computer of this type. Speech in in this case It's about the internal hard drive (about the external one - a little later).

As a rule, the internal space of a laptop case allows only one hard drive to be connected to the device; a second one simply will not fit. Therefore, in this case we are not dealing with adding a hard drive, but with replacing the old one with a new one. But how to connect two hard drives to a laptop at the same time? Only in one case - if at least one of them is external. Theoretically, you can connect two hard drives if you use a SATA cable with two connectors. But this will reduce the mobility of the laptop - the second hard drive will have to be located outside the case. It is unaesthetic and inconvenient.

In space laptop hard The disk is usually located closer to the bottom of the case (and not to the keyboard). As a rule, the hard drive is open to view immediately after unscrewing the cover. But sometimes it is hidden behind protective panels that functionally complement the walls of the case. To remove them, you usually need to unscrew just a couple of screws.

Let us note right away: if the hard drive is installed in the laptop much deeper than in the case of protective panels (that is, it is necessary, as an option, to remove the keyboard to gain access to desired area inside the case), then it is better to entrust the replacement of the hard drive to IT professionals. Otherwise, there is a risk of incorrectly assembling the computer, after which it will not work.

Removing the old hard drive is usually very simple. The new one also connects quite easily. In many cases, the connection to the motherboard laptop is coming without cables (directly into the connector - and almost always the same SATA). Therefore, it is difficult to “miss” the required slot when connecting a new hard drive. There are also almost never any problems with how to connect the old hard drive back.

OS in reserve

Since the standard hard drive will most likely be connected to the laptop only in a single copy, you need to take care in advance about where the operating system will be loaded from (we remove the old hard drive with the pre-installed OS). The main difficulty here is that you need to install it in advance on hard drive Windows or another OS using another laptop with a guarantee that it will work on a new computer is impossible. The selection of hardware components may be too different. There is a possibility that the operating system will not boot. Therefore, it is recommended that when planning the installation of a new hard drive, get bootable media, from which you can reinstall the OS. Or, as an option, temporarily use some portable operating system- from the Linux series, for example, which does not require installation.

Disk outside the computer

Having studied how to connect a hard drive to a computer or laptop through installation as a hardware component, consider the option of connecting external hard drive. There are two main technological implementations possible here.

There is an option with connecting a hard drive, the standard purpose of which is to connect to the motherboard, externally. To do this, you need to use a special adapter that converts SATA signals into those transmitted via USB technology. In this way, you can connect almost any hard drive to a laptop (as well as to another computer equipped with USB ports). This scheme, however, has one drawback - the relative high cost of the adapters in question. In some cases, it can be comparable to the price of a good, large hard drive that does not require additional accessories for connection via USB.

This device reflects the second technological implementation of connecting a drive to a computer. This is a “classic” external hard drive, which is sold under this name in most stores digital technology. It can be connected to any free USB slot on a PC or laptop - much like a flash drive.

One thing to note the most important nuance, concerning the first technology. If we decide to connect a hard drive via USB (we are talking about IDE and SATA devices), then it is very undesirable to disconnect the device from the port in active state. It is necessary to engage in advance " safe removal"in Windows. Otherwise, the hard drive, whose speed is "spinned up", may not withstand a sudden stop and fail. In turn, a "classic" external hard drive (we know how to connect it - via USB without adapters) works in slightly different ways principles, and is fully designed to be disconnected from the PC, even if you do not use “safe removal” in time. Although, as IT specialists note, this, if possible, should not be done. Such experiments can reduce the life of the hard drive.

Precautions when working with a hard drive

Before connecting the hard drive to the computer, you should make sure that there are no sources of static electricity nearby (which could be, for example, a woolen sweater). IT specialists do not even recommend removing the hard drive from the packaging (it performs antistatic functions) until its direct installation into the system unit. When installing a hard drive, you must not touch the parts of the microcircuits that are brought out. The most important thing is that before connecting the hard drive to the computer, it is important to turn off the power to the system unit (and ideally, all devices connected to it - monitor, printer, etc.).