HD needed

[Lurchmonster]

Maggie is freaking out because her media drive is full of movies. She wants me to find a SATA2 drive, 2TB or more, cheap. Does anyone have one laying around that they have discarded when they upgraded? Or, failing that, know where she can order one cheap but reliable?

[Docjon]

I can check out the sales forum for you, but you'll have to spend $50 at least. Seems that, no matter the size, new drives never get cheaper than $50-$60. The non-storage parts probably have a base price that they can't drop any further.

Here's one:
https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E1682218477 ... -_-Product

Not most people's favorite brand, but you're not going to be able to be choosy when you're cutting prices as much as possible. Occasionally, you can grab a 3GB version for $59.99, but you might have to wait for a month or more for that particular sale.

[Lurchmonster]

Her computer doesn't recognize anything over a SATA2 drive, that's why I was hoping someone had an old one laying around.

[Docjon]

I wonder if cruising Ebay might not be a bad option, or if you hang out on other message boards, maybe you could ask there. Might have a hard time finding a 2gb HDD that old though. I think hdd's that size were rareish that long ago. SATA3 was released mid-2009.

It's weird that it doesn't recognize a SATA3. I thought they were supposed to be backward compatible, with a loss of speed. Is it possible it's not the interface, but that it doesn't recognize that large of a HDD? My previous computer with the i5-2500k chip didn't recognize my 8TB drive, so instead of shucking it and putting it inside the computer, I had to use the external USB case/interface it came with. When I built the new computer, I was able to make it an internal drive.

You might be running into another one of the many reasons why ppl are compelled to upgrade after awhile. I know you can't, but that doesn't mean the reason doesn't exist. You just have to deal with it one way or another.

Maybe an external USB drive might be easier.



Edit: SATA info

Difference between SATA I, SATA II and SATA III
What is the difference between SATA I, SATA II and SATA III?

SATA I (revision 1.x) interface, formally known as SATA 1.5Gb/s, is the first generation SATA interface running at 1.5 Gb/s. The bandwidth throughput, which is supported by the interface, is up to 150MB/s.

SATA II (revision 2.x) interface, formally known as SATA 3Gb/s, is a second generation SATA interface running at 3.0 Gb/s. The bandwidth throughput, which is supported by the interface, is up to 300MB/s.

SATA III (revision 3.x) interface, formally known as SATA 6Gb/s, is a third generation SATA interface running at 6.0Gb/s. The bandwidth throughput, which is supported by the interface, is up to 600MB/s. This interface is backwards compatible with SATA 3 Gb/s interface.

[Prophet]

SATA3 drives work on SATA2 ports. Just won't get the speed. The controllers are backward compatible. I have an SSD in my kid's crappy 10-year-old laptop. Works fine at half it's rated speed. lol But, since it is running Linux, it gets by OK.

[Lurchmonster]

I don't know why, but Maggie's computer just flat out didn't acknowledge that I had installed the SATA3 drive she bought for it. Maybe it was a bum drive. Is SATA6 backwards compatible to SATA2? She DOES have an external 2gig drive that's just used for backup, if she gave it up I could stick it into the machine as an internal, I'm not even sure if it's working anymore, I think she was complaining awhile back that she could get to it anymore. That, or the 1gig she used to have external quit working and it's the one I put in for her media drive that's now full. Will have to check.

[Docjon]

I don't know why, but Maggie's computer just flat out didn't acknowledge that I had installed the SATA3 drive she bought for it. Maybe it was a bum drive. Is SATA6 backwards compatible to SATA2? She DOES have an external 2gig drive that's just used for backup, if she gave it up I could stick it into the machine as an internal, I'm not even sure if it's working anymore, I think she was complaining awhile back that she could get to it anymore. That, or the 1gig she used to have external quit working and it's the one I put in for her media drive that's now full. Will have to check.

How big was the SATA3 drive that she bought that didn't work? That big data drive I bought in late 2017 didn't work INTERNALLY with my old machine, so I used a USB enclosure. My machine was too old to handle a drive of that size. Maybe Maggie's machine can't handle a bigger modern drive either.

Yes, SATA3 is backwards compatible with SATA2 - when you plug a SATA3 drive into an SATA2 interface, it will work, only slower than it was made to, because SATA2 is slower. Unless there is something else about the drive Maggie's computer does not like: like the size, for example.

I think a USB drive is your best bet. There may be a short delay the first time you've accessed it in awhile, as the drive will have to spin up - like 3 to 5 seconds - but it should take care of all of your compatibility issues. This is the sort of thing you have to put up with when you use older tech, sometimes.

You want me to keep an eye out for cheap 2gb HDDs with a USB interface?

Here's one for $50 before tax (free shipping)
https://www.staples.com/seagate-2tb-bac ... t_24383778

To get the discount, you need to mess around on the payment page, look for a place to enter a coupon code (little red text) and enter: 54181

Here's more info on the deal:
https://slickdeals.net/f/13325248-2tb-s ... SiteSearch

It's a Seagate. I prefer Western Digitals for reliability, but I understand if you have to cut corners.


EDIT:
Here's something to muddy the waters further. Some newer HDD's sold in USB enclosures don't work internally with some hardware (particularly older hardware), unless you cover one of the pins on the data cable with tape (or cut the trace, but people prefer the less permanent solution.)

So, if the drive you put in Maggie's machine had been removed from a USB enclosure, you might have needed to cover that pin to get it to work. Fucked up, isn't it? You might google the name of the external drive you used, together with the words SHUCK or SHUCKABLE, and see if ppl talk about this.

[Lurchmonster]

She has a 2gb external, but I will have to check and see if it's still running.

The SATA3 drive she bought awhile back was just a 1 gig I think, and it wasn't recognized at all. That's why I took her 1 gig external drive out of it's USB case and stuck it into her computer as an internal drive. Works fine, is just full now.

EDIT: I mean TB instead of GB, brain very fuzzy tonight. Bad past 2 days at the clinic. Will write it all up on the "My Health" thread when I am up to it.

[Docjon]

She has a 2gb external, but I will have to check and see if it's still running.

The SATA3 drive she bought awhile back was just a 1 gig I think, and it wasn't recognized at all. That's why I took her 1 gig external drive out of it's USB case and stuck it into her computer as an internal drive. Works fine, is just full now.

EDIT: I mean TB instead of GB, brain very fuzzy tonight. Bad past 2 days at the clinic. Will write it all up on the "My Health" thread when I am up to it.

Yeah, I have issues remembering TB vs GB as well. Hell, At least I'm not using "K" anymore.

[Prophet]

You usually do not run into the size issue till up to 3TB and higher, usually. I would try other ports in the machine. Especially if there are some running a different controller. Might have better luck.

[Larva]

I have a Western Digital 1.5 TB SATA 3 internal HDD she can have. I was going to give it to my oldest nephew but my dad and I decided to get him an SSD for his birthday instead.

It works. I just pulled it out of my rig a month ago and reformatted it so I could give it away.

[Docjon]

I have a Western Digital 1.5 TB SATA 3 internal HDD she can have. I was going to give it to my oldest nephew but my dad and I decided to get him an SSD for his birthday instead.

It works. I just pulled it out of my rig a month ago and reformatted it so I could give it away.

Should work. That should work, but last word from him was SATA3 didn't work.

[Lurchmonster]

SATA3 didn't work, last time I tried one, be willing to give it a shot once I am out of the hospital. A little distracted with dying at the moment.

[Docjon]

SATA3 didn't work, last time I tried one, be willing to give it a shot once I am out of the hospital. A little distracted with dying at the moment.

It does tend to take up a lot of time. I mean it man, I'm really starting to regret that we built this clan on an Indian graveyard.

[Larva]

SATA3 didn't work, last time I tried one

SATA 3 drives are backwards compatible with SATA 2 - they use the same cable jack. You just have to use a jumper on pins 5 - 6 to configure it for SATA 2, reducing data transfer from 6 Gbps to 3 Gbps. I've done it before.

You can even see the instructions on the sticker applied on the drive itself.
Western Digital Black WD1502FAEX 1.5TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5"