Putting a hard disk in disk drive slot

I have an Intel D845GVSR motherboard:

This motherboard does not support SATA drives, but I have a spare SATA drive with me which my father unknowingly bought without remembering that the motherboard doesn't support it.

I've bought a 2-in-1 SATA-to-IDE/IDE-to-SATA converter, since I want to use it as additional storage.

Can I plug this converter into the slot where the DVD writer's cable is plugged in (the white/cream slot in the picture). It's directly behind the slot where the hard drive's cable is plugged in - the converter fits well in this slot.

Can I use this slot for using this new converter?

Jim

Posted 2011-12-04T23:58:58.317

Reputation: 11

Cables do not plug into "slots"; an IDE cable would plug into a male header (that usually also has a shroud). Since there are also SATA adapter PCI boards that do plug into a PCI slot, your description can be confusing without careful reading and viewing of the photo. cmorse's patronizing misuse of the term doesn't help. – sawdust – 2011-12-05T02:18:02.307

A photo or link to the converter you obtained would be helpful. Some of these converters have their own power connection (usually just +5 volts) and a black&red-wires power cable. – sawdust – 2011-12-05T02:44:41.723

@fencepost...http://i.imgur.com/RoXOa.jpg http://i.imgur.com/UVhmk.jpg http://i.imgur.com/y6den.jpg

– Jim – 2011-12-05T04:06:21.073

Ah, those pictures help a lot. Now I see what you were asking originally. It does look like you can just plug the converter directly into the white slot you mentioned. You also need to plug the smaller of the two power cables you had in your hand in the picture (the converter needs power too). – cmorse – 2011-12-05T06:17:00.920

ok..1.I have placed the converter into the 40-pin white slot after removing the parallel cable from the dvd drive..2.Connected the 4-pin female line to the 4-pin male slot on the converter(for the power)..3.Have connected the data cable to the sata drive,but i have a doubt regarding which slot on the converter i should connect the other end..both the ports on the converter look same,except that both of them are placed on the converter with backs opposite each other..will any slot do?? – Jim – 2011-12-05T06:56:44.393

also,the white slot is somewhat bigger in size..so the converter doesnt really sit completely in it..but thats also a 40-pin female adapter..any problems?? – Jim – 2011-12-05T06:57:33.647

@cmorse..hope you are getting what i want to convey..a couple of more queries if you dont mind..do i need to keep anything in mind after installing the new hard disk in the cpu..the hard disk hasnt been used till now..formatting..or as i read somewhere..something related to BIOS and RAID..slave thingy??anything of that technical sort??any other compatability issues?? – Jim – 2011-12-05T07:01:57.230

Answers

What you're asking is what IDE port to connect the drive to. The standard procedure is to connect a second IDE hard drive as the secondary master device if the optical drive is secondary slave. Chances are your optical drive is secondary slave, so you can plug the hard drive into the same cable that the optical drive is connected to (there should be a large plastic thing halfway along the cable that can slot into the connector on your SATA-to-IDE converter).

Micheal Johnson

Posted 2011-12-04T23:58:58.317

Reputation: 391

You should absolutely be able to use that slot. Alternatively, you can plug it in parallel with the existing hard drive if the ribbon cable has a free connector.

cmorse

Posted 2011-12-04T23:58:58.317

Reputation: 1 010

i have seen the extension that you mentioned but didnt really think about its use..i just tried that and found that even though my motherboard doesnt support sata,that extension coming from the old hard disk fits perfectly into my new sata disk..so does that mean i can use it..i mean,how come its like that..so have i wasted money in buying that new converter..also,i dont know what to do with the little 4-pin female cable along with the extension??..where do i connect it..could you help – Jim – 2011-12-05T00:33:02.147

I think you may have mistaken the power cable for the data cable. The cable you're looking for should look something like this one: IDE Ribbon Cable. Also, you do not need to plug in the small 4-pin female cable, that is for analog audio (Unless it is a Molex 8981 connector)

– cmorse – 2011-12-05T00:42:02.693

What is the model of the drive? If it's SATA, the only connector that fits your old drive that would fit the new one as well is (possibly) the 4-pin power connector (with 4 separate wires going into it). Some SATA drives will accept that connection, some won't. If the ribbon cable fits the new drive then the drive is IDE not SATA. – fencepost – 2011-12-05T00:42:42.523

No..the ribbon cable doesnt fit..so that does mean its sata..the power cable..with 4 seperate wires going into it..2 black,a red and a yellow fits into my new sata.. – Jim – 2011-12-05T00:57:54.577

@Jim: as cmorse already pointed out, that cable with blackx2, red and yellow wires is just for power, and is one of two cables that need to be connected to the SATA drive. Please post a description or photo of whatever you are calling an "extension". – sawdust – 2011-12-05T02:16:29.933

http://i.imgur.com/RoXOa.jpg http://i.imgur.com/UVhmk.jpg http://i.imgur.com/y6den.jpg..guys..these images might remove the confusion – Jim – 2011-12-05T04:07:50.200

OK, the two black connectors with red/yellow/black cables are both power - one is SATA power, one is technically a floppy power connector. It looks like the SATA/IDE adapter has two SATA connectors, but I'm not sure what for. My terrible thought is that unless specified otherwise that adapter may be to let you put IDE drives into a system with only SATA rather than letting you put SATA into a system with only IDE. You might be better off with a PCI SATA controller for $15-20 (Rosewill reviews well on newegg) – fencepost – 2011-12-05T04:51:52.393

actually the product is a 2-in-1 ide to sata and sata to ide converter... – Jim – 2011-12-05T06:33:42.570

1These types of converters typically have two SATA ports, but they are not identical and only one of them can be used at a time. One SATA port is intended to connect to the motherboard and the converter is for an IDE drive. The other SATA port is intended to connect to a SATA drive and the IDE port connects to the motherboard. All you have to do is RTFM. – sawdust – 2011-12-05T08:00:59.717