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Any info on the SATA port controllers and port color code
Hello,
Hope that someone can help me to find some information or tell me what the SATA port color codes mean.
I've been searching for information on the SATA connections on my Mobo but haven't been able to find any answers. PC is a D530s with a 0RY007 Mobo.
Port Color Description
SATA0 Blue Primary hard drive
SATA1 Black CD/DVD drive
SATA4 White Open
SATA5 Black This is where I put the eSATA cable
Other info
North Bridge Intel P35/G33/G31 Revision A2
South Bridge Intel 82801IR (ICH9R) Revision A2
CPU Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E7200 @ 2.53GHz
BIOS version 1.0.18
All drivers are up to date. The Intel 4 Series Chipset driver version 9.0.0.1008 (Date: May 01 2008) was loaded about 3 months ago after the Dell driver crashed. No problems since then.
In BIOS the SATA mode is set to RAID with one non-RAID drive. I'm hoping to find a way to get my eSATA external HD to have the 'Safely Remove Hardware' option. It does hot plug with no problems. Have been leaving it on until shutdown but, would like to be able to remove it without causing problems. It can be removed without incident if I just power off the external HD but I'm not sure that this is a proper way to remove it. Would feel better if I knew that it was not doing anything before removing it. I don't want to damage the drive.
What do the SATA port color codes mean?
On another forum someone said they moved their eSATA to SATA cable to a different colored SATA port and they got the 'Safely Remove Hardware' option. It was also mentioned that the different colored ports mean they have different controllers.
Does the Dell 0RY007 Mobo have more than one SATA controller?
Thanks for any help,
Dave
mombodog
12.7K Posts
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June 5th, 2009 16:00
"Does anyone know if there are any programs, HD drivers or SATA controller drivers that will enable this function?"
Possibly
http://mysite.verizon.net/kaakoon/hotswap/index_enu.htm
Dave576
170 Posts
1
June 5th, 2009 23:00
mombodog,
I actually found and looked at this program before. Maybe a little hastely, I thought it had to be used with the SATA cards they show in the website.
When I saw your post I looked at it again, and it does say that it will work with Intel ICH controllers. So I tried it and it's working.
Thank you for the reply,
Dave
Dave576
170 Posts
0
June 1st, 2009 03:00
Anyone?
What do the different colored mother board SATA ports indicate? Is there a reason for this?
Should they be used for different hardware? For example, blue for primary HD, black for secondary hardware like 2nd HD and CD/DVD, What's the white one suppose to be used for?
Thanks for any reply.
Dave
Dave576
170 Posts
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June 1st, 2009 04:00
fireberd,
Thanks for the reply.
I going to move my eSATA cable to the white port. See if it will change anything.
Haven't been able to find anything on this subject, just sent a email to Dell, hope they answer.
Dave
fireberd
9 Legend
9 Legend
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33.3K Posts
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June 1st, 2009 04:00
I can't say on your Dell. On my Dimension E510 there are only two SATA ports and they are for the hard drives. On my home built system with an Intel motherboard, there is a separate SATA port (Red) specifically designated for the eSATA connection, the other ports are all the same color and can be used for internal hard drives or optical drives.
Dave576
170 Posts
0
June 4th, 2009 19:00
Hello,
Changed my eSATA to SATA port to the white one (SATA port 4) and everything seems to be the same. Dell support replied that SATA5 port is for eSATA.
From my searches it might be that a SATA port card with safely remove drivers might be required to enable this function.
Have searched for programs that will clear the cache and eject the eSATA external HD but, not many out there and the ones I did find don't work on external eSATA HDs.
Does anyone know if there are any programs, HD drivers or SATA controller drivers that will enable this function?
Thanks for any info,
Regards,
Dave
Hydralisk00222
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2 Intern
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2.4K Posts
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June 5th, 2009 23:00
There is no mandatory color code - Dell does it for easily distinguishing the ports.
SATA0 is usually hard drive so it's colored blue, because the SATA HD cable is blue. Making HD first SATA device is a good idea to prevent booting problems. I guess everything else is black because it can be used for anything? Any other color besides that is usually eSATA designation.
Dave576
170 Posts
0
June 6th, 2009 02:00
Hydralisk00222,
Thanks for the reply.
That's what I figured. Just thought I would ask.
I saw no difference when I changed the eSATA cable from SATA5 (black) to the SATA4 (white). Was looking for a way to be sure the cache was cleared and nothing was using the external HD before unplugging it. The Hot Swap program seems to do that.
Dave