SOLVED Getting new hard drive/installing new OS?

[catilley1092]

Friday, I'm receiving my new Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ (1TB, 7200 RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s) from Newegg. Hopefully, it'll turn out better than the Caviar Black (750GB, 7200RPM) that I recently purchased, which is noisy & hot, I'm going to get a RMA# for it as soon as my new drive is in place.

My issue is this, I have good backups made through Acronis True Image, as well as Macrium Reflect. I'm going to format the drive using the latest version of Easeus Partition Manager (Master 6.1.1 Professional Edition).

For the time being, I'm going to run the drive the way it's already setup, only I'll spread out my partitions a lot. There's a huge difference between 320GB & 1TB, the new standard for hard drives. I may even create a couple of extra logical partitions for storage.

What I'd like to know is, I've seen a Rosewill hard drive box on Newegg, it looks as though it will hold at least 3 drives, and doesn't cost that much. I have a SATA extension cord, which I can simply plug to whatever drive I wish to run. I couldn't see a clear picture of how this box plugs in. Does anyone knows if my SATA extension cable will work with this box?

The reason I ask is this, I would like to take the Caviar Black (once I get it back), create a 300GB backup partition on it, then install Vista SP2, followed by a couple of Linux versions. This drive was not cheap, and I don't intend to waste it. I was going to run the 2008 Server that is available for download on TechNet, but I don't know anything about it, how it works, or how to even use it.

As for the OEM installed drive that I still have in here, I intend to leave it "as is", just in case at some point, I may need it one day.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Cat

 

[yodap]

Can you post a link to that Rosewill box? I didn't see a box that could hold 3. I think much of my advice will be dependent on that product's specs.

 

[Nibiru2012]

I don't see a 3 bay Rosewill JBOD box either. Nor did I see one with external SATA connections.

If I think what you're doing is correct then a Sans Digital enclosure is the way to go.

This is what I use: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816111036

 

[TrainableMan]

Mine left California today, I hope to have it by Friday as well.

Most multiple bay external cases would likely have a single connection (or one usb & one esata which cannot be used simultaneously) and would not provide for you to simply plug directly into whichever drive you want at the time. They utilize a Port Multiplier feature, this feature is fully supported via USB to allow multiple drives on a single chain but for an esata connection it is dependant on your motherboard or the pci-card as to whether it is supported, unfortunately for me, my MB does not and so to use my dual blacx I must eject drive 1 to see drive 2 (or use usb which is up to 6 times slower).

 

[brkkab123]

CheckDisk runs will take 3 hours

When you run CheckDisk on the 1.0 tb. hard drive expect it to take at least 3 hours. I've got a Western Digital Caviar Black 1.0 tb. hard drive. It takes 3 hours for CheckDisk to run on it. This drive is not at all loud at all. I can't really hear it at all. My hearing is fine. Just had it check a month ago.i

Friday, I'm receiving my new Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ (1TB, 7200 RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s) from Newegg. Hopefully, it'll turn out better than the Caviar Black (750GB, 7200RPM) that I recently purchased, which is noisy & hot, I'm going to get a RMA# for it as soon as my new drive is in place.

My issue is this, I have good backups made through Acronis True Image, as well as Macrium Reflect. I'm going to format the drive using the latest version of Easeus Partition Manager (Master 6.1.1 Professional Edition).

For the time being, I'm going to run the drive the way it's already setup, only I'll spread out my partitions a lot. There's a huge difference between 320GB & 1TB, the new standard for hard drives. I may even create a couple of extra logical partitions for storage.

What I'd like to know is, I've seen a Rosewill hard drive box on Newegg, it looks as though it will hold at least 3 drives, and doesn't cost that much. I have a SATA extension cord, which I can simply plug to whatever drive I wish to run. I couldn't see a clear picture of how this box plugs in. Does anyone knows if my SATA extension cable will work with this box?

The reason I ask is this, I would like to take the Caviar Black (once I get it back), create a 300GB backup partition on it, then install Vista SP2, followed by a couple of Linux versions. This drive was not cheap, and I don't intend to waste it. I was going to run the 2008 Server that is available for download on TechNet, but I don't know anything about it, how it works, or how to even use it.

As for the OEM installed drive that I still have in here, I intend to leave it "as is", just in case at some point, I may need it one day.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Cat

 

[Nibiru2012]

Sometimes hard drives are just bad out of the factory. That's the nature of products which are made by man, a certain percentage are bound to have problems, fail, etc.

As the bumper sticker so eloquently states: SH** HAPPENS!

I am not sure how it is these days, but years ago there were basically four grades or levels of electronics:
Consumer
Commercial
Military
Aerospace

These days I am sure it's different in some aspects, such as my main hard drive is a Samsung Enterprise-Class drive, that means it's more reliable and used a lot in server setups.

So Cat's drive just may be the proverbial "lemon". I for one have had very good luck with hard drives, some people don't ever have an issue.

If one of today's modern hard drive starts making noises and warmer than usual out of the box, then something is definitely wrong with the unit.

 

[catilley1092]

TrainableMan, we got lucky! They (Newegg) ran out of these drives on the last day of the sale (Monday). I ordered mine late Saturday night. As I said, I tried to resist buying the drive, but never had a 1TB one before, but the bottom line was, it had a great rating & reviews, a killer price, I just had to have it.

Now, I just need to figure out how I want to install it.

Cat

 

[catilley1092]

Can you post a link to that Rosewill box? I didn't see a box that could hold 3. I think much of my advice will be dependent on that product's specs.

Here it is, but I misread the article, it only holds two drives, but I don't think I'll benefit from it after all.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182144

Cat

 

[catilley1092]

What I really need is a way to create a eSATA connection. C_C showed me one, I must have lost the bookmark between reinstalls. It was a device that attached to your SATA connection (the same one that your drive plugs into). With that part, you can run up to 5 eSATA devices from it, with a minimal "bottleneck" effect. After all, I'd only run one drive a time.

I'm not in a hurry, before you know it, Christmas will be here, and there's things that I'd like to do for my wife. She comes before the computer does, and Christmas is only three and a half months away.

Cat

 

[yodap]

Here it is, but I misread the article, it only holds two drives, but I don't think I'll benefit from it after all.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182144

Cat

Yeah, the JBOD (Just a Bunch Of Discs) feature is for combining the capacity of the 2 drives and they appear as 1. It's like the most simplistic type of RAID set up.

When you get the drive, we'll get you set up.

 

[TrainableMan]

Yeah, that one you linked is a single USB connection, not esata. As I mentioned the problem with the esata version of these external multi-HD holders is does your computers esata connection support the Port Multiplier feature. If it doesn't then you will be disappointed, as I was with my dual blacx. So now I have a single and a dual blacx and I just use one HD in the dual.

Here is probably the one you want. It has a PCI-e (1X) card included which would definitely support the port multiplier feature, but you of course need an available PCI-e (1x) slot on your MOBO.

Oh BTW, Newegg must have added more because I actually bought my HD103SJ at 1am EDT Tuesday morning.

 

[clifford_cooley]

Most multiple bay external cases would likely have a single connection (or one usb & one esata which cannot be used simultaneously) and would not provide for you to simply plug directly into whichever drive you want at the time. They utilize a Port Multiplier feature, this feature is fully supported via USB to allow multiple drives on a single chain but for an esata connection it is dependant on your motherboard or the pci-card as to whether it is supported, unfortunately for me, my MB does not and so to use my dual blacx I must eject drive 1 to see drive 2 (or use usb which is up to 6 times slower).

What I was referrencing too cat was an internal port multiplier much like what TM is talking about being built in the external drive case.

Take notes of the internal SATA and the external eSATA ports as they are not the same.

1. http://www.sataport.com/
2. http://www.addonics.com/products/host_controller/ad5sapm-e.asp
3. http://www.addonics.com/products/host_controller/ad5sapm.asp

Please note the use of a floppy power connector which may also require an additional power adapter for your project
SATA 15 Pin to IDE LP4 and Floppy SP4 Power Adapter

 

[Nibiru2012]

My Sans Digital is a JBOD Dual Bay enclosure and has 2 eSATA ports on the rear of the case. JBOD in not necessarily a RAID setup. I have them plugged into a PCI-E eSATA card with 2 ports on the rear of my desktop.

When I was using the eSATA bracket with cable to the SATA ports on the motherboard sometimes the Intel ICH10R controller would only recognize one drive about 50% of the time. With the PCI-E card now both drives are recognized 100% of the time and the transfer speeds increased by about 10-15%.

 

[catilley1092]

What I was referrencing too cat was an internal port multiplier much like what TM is talking about being built in the external drive case.

Take notes of the internal SATA and the external eSATA ports as they are not the same.

1. http://www.sataport.com/
2. http://www.addonics.com/products/host_controller/ad5sapm-e.asp
3. http://www.addonics.com/products/host_controller/ad5sapm.asp

Please note the use of a floppy power connector which may also require an additional power adapter for your project
SATA 15 Pin to IDE LP4 and Floppy SP4 Power Adapter

That part that you have listed as #1 was the part that you showed me earlier in the year, or it is similar to it. What it appears that I'm going to have to do, is remove the back casing from my desktop to see my MB, to see what I have.

I visited the MB (Capirona) web site, since I couldn't find the info on HP's site that I need. There is an eSATA fitting on the MB (internally), but what I don't know is if HP has used it for a component already. The only way to find out is to open the case.

Oh, how much I wished that I had a computer with the main parts inside of a tower, instead of this. It is great for ease of installation and easily moved from room to room, but upgrading (except RAM & hard drives) is a PITA. A slide to open plastic cover on the corner accesses the RAM, a similar (but much larger one) beneath the DVD gives access to the hard drive. These components are easily upgraded, but try to do something tricky, there's no room.

And with my notebook style power supply, I can upgrade my processor to a more recent one, but it still has to be an AMD Athlon X2, I have to double check the power, but I believe it's 85 watts. That's going to limit me, but I can still upgrade some.

But this setup that we're discussing, I may have to put it off for a bit. I went to the doctor today, things aren't looking promising. The pain in my neck has already returned less than two months after the "decompression" lazer surgery that was more or less a cleanup job, with a implant inserted to relieve the pressure on a major nerve, the one that runs down my left arm. This morning, I woke up, and could not lift or even feel my hand and forearm. I had to lift it with the other, and could barely feel it then.

So my wife carried me to the doctor this morning, X-Rays and a CT scan was done to my neck. I had to pay nearly $100 for a cervical pillow, he wants me to try that while the results are coming in, plus he gave me a shot of Demerol. I don't know what the future holds for me, but with my medical expenses piling up again, I'm not going to have much extra to spend on my computer. I was fortunate enough earlier to upgrade my RAM, I got a new backup drive (Seagate FreeAgent 500GB), a 750 Caviar Black (needs swapping for another one) and the Samsung 1TB that I just purchased, which will be my main drive. Plus, I just bought a really nice all in one Kodak printer, which prints pictures as good as the lab does. So I have been fortunate enough to accomplish some of the things that I want to do.

But these doctor bills are adding up fast, if this latest incident had happened a few days earlier, I wouldn't have bought this last hard drive. It costs $45 every time I go, plus 20% for radiology & lab work, which pushes it to nearly $100 a pop. However, he is a great doctor, listens to my concerns, shows me what's going on, rather than using fancy words that I don't understand.

The problem was the shape that I was in when I first began seeing him in 2006. The two to three years prior to that, I was toughing it out, the last year (2005) was very bad. Percocet (legally) was what kept me going as long as I did. I went until I could go no more, and by that time, my back was shot, no option but a four level fusion, with a very high percentage of later surgery due to spinal deterioration in other areas, namely my cervical (neck) area. I knew the day was coming, I just didn't know when, still don't, but things aren't looking good.

But through it all, my spouse has stuck by me, even as we lost our home that we had paid on for 19 years, two months after my 2006 surgery. I knew that deep down, she didn't like it, but she also knew deep down that I worked until I dropped, so it wasn't as though I didn't put forth an effort, and she knew that. Life goes on.

However, no matter what, I think a lot of the many members of this very forum, whom I've gotten to know over the past 10 months, and has unconditionally accepted me as who I am. It doesn't seem that long, but as you get older, time flies. The knowledge that I've gained here has exceeded what I've learned the previous nine years total, and I'm still learning, as we all are. And regardless of what happens, I still have the desire to learn, and as long as I can do that, I'm not wasting away.

When I get better, I'll tend to the drive case, and other things that I want to do. Until then, I'm thankful and happy with what I have. Computers and accessories for them aren't the most important things in life. Family and friends are, and on this very forum, I'm thankful to have an abundance of friends from all over the world. That means a lot more to me.

Should anything happen, I'll do my best to keep you all informed, unless I go through the ER again. My spouse, she doesn't know how to use a computer, and could care less for them.

Cat

 

[clifford_cooley]

Ouch that sucks big time.

Would a pep talk help any at all?

Get well soon, you have a computer to build.

 

[catilley1092]

I'll get to it sometime, probably after the warranty is over. Hopefully, those 128 bit processors and the other needed parts come out. If I were to build one, I'd want something that would be different, something that equals a high performance gaming computer. That way, I can fold, and see some real points be put on the chart.

Now, that would be nice!

 

[TrainableMan]

Cat, I hope you are doing better real soon.

My HD arrived Thursday morning by 11a.m.

Since price is a factor, at least for now, I think you should consider an esata plug-in dock like the Thermaltake Blacx. You said you would only use one HD at a time anyway, so you simply plug in the drive you want to use, and have a stack of HDs sitting there. Just make sure not to move it around while in use and always allow the HD to stop spinning and cool down before trying to handle it. With patience, I got the single bay Blacx on eBay for $20 but they normally can be found for $25-$30. I also bought a bracket to extend and convert my available sata internal connection to an external esata bracket, but if you have an esata available already then you simply need to feed the included cord into place. The Blacx is a SATA-only HD solution, but I have seen an IDE/SATA HDD Dock for about $38, even cheaper if you are willing to wait a month for it to arrive from Hong Kong (Note that they do not work with Western Digital Harddrives, likely because of the spacing or location if the IDE & power).

 

[catilley1092]

Thanks TrainableMan, mine will arrive tomorrow. I was doing some research on my MB (Capirona), and I found that it has a PCI Express x1 mini card slot, SIW also reports this. I'm not quite sure as to what it's for, but at least I've found one connection. The internal eSATA connection that I thought I discovered, is either being used by a system device, or simply doesn't exist. There were two similar MB's with slight differences, I've found the right one now, after a couple of days of searching.

I'll do some further researching on your link. Thanks.

PS: On the left front of that item (the long bottom slot), is that a place to plug my SATA extension cable to? The one that I bought a few months ago, where you can plug in whichever drive you wish to run, and boot up. All it is, is an extension of the SATA connection that my hard drive plugs into. It works well for this purpose.

PPS: I don't think that's it. My cable has a small break in the "teeth", whereas the slot in the picture doesn't show one. I need a way to install an eSATA port.

I've yet to find an internal eSATA port.

Cat

 

[TrainableMan]

DISREGARD: Well the PCI-e (1X) slot is what you need to add a esata port multiplier card like is supplied with the SANS DIGITAL TR5M-B 5 Bay that I linked to above. If you want to add a port multiplier card w/o buying the bay at this time you can get one for $14 and then attach it to one of those plug-in docks. Unfortunately for me my TV Tuner card uses that connection so I opted to use an available PCI slot and simply extend two unused internal SATA connections to a bracket. This unfortunately does not provide me the port multiplier feature to have two HDs in the dock at one time but a PCI port multiplier card costs more like $70-$90 vs the $14 PCI-e version.

Will not work in your All-In-One

 

[clifford_cooley]

I was doing some research on my MB (Capirona), and I found that it has a PCI Express x1 mini card slot, SIW also reports this. I'm not quite sure as to what it's for, but at least I've found one connection.

Your computer is an HP-MS214 which has the Capirona motherboard. The specifications state that the computer has a "Wireless LAN 802.11 b/g mini-card". This would be a Mini PCIe card using that card slot. What you are working to do can only be done through the connector for the HDD. It can be done but in the long run probably will not be worth it. All-in-one computer's were designed to save space, not for hardware expansion. The hobby that you have taken is pushing you to building a PC because in all honesty there are things that cannot be done with Laptops or All-in-one PC's.