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Need help deciding on enclosure for Ultra ATA/100 HDD
My PC is currently inoperable, but I believe the hard drive is still ok. I've been looking for a hard drive enclosure online, but wasn't sure which one I should get, since my computer and ATA hard drive is fairly old. According to the purchase receipt, the hard drive is 60GB Ultra ATA/100 HDD 7200RPM. How do I know if i need a 2.5" enclosure vs. a 3.5" enclosure? Are enclosures for SATA drives "backwards compatible" (if that even pertains here, don't know very much) with ATA drives? From searching these forums, I've found that it's good to get a metal enclosure to help dissipate heat and also it might be preferable to get one with an AC power outlet, which might be more expensive. However, I think my little ol' 60GB hard drive might be fine with just the usb power. Any suggestions?
ieee488
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December 31st, 2009 10:00
I have some of the enclosures. You'll need at least a 3.5" enclosure, but it is a very tight squeeze. You can also buy a 5.25" enclosure, which are meant for CD/DVD drives but will work.
SATA drives are NOT backward compatible. Completely different animal altogether. However, there are some enclosures that are compatbile with both SATA and IDE.
I like buying from newegg.com because they treat their customers very well. The Vantec's (such as N82E16817145133) get very high reviews.
shesagordie
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December 31st, 2009 14:00
Illjazz
The Dimension 2350 supports a IDE 3.5" hard drives.
You can use an IDE, USB 2.0 enclosure, same as the unit shown HERE
Befor installing the drive in the enclosure, set the drive's jumpers to the 'Master' setting.
Bev.
Illjazz
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January 1st, 2010 04:00
Cool, thanks. All very good info.
Let me add one more question. So, IDE and ATA are synonymous? Just wanna make sure because it seems like this - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817145133&cm_re=vantec_ide_enclosure-_-17-145-133-_-Product - might be a good one to grab. Should I look for one that specifically says that the internal interface is ATA instead of IDE?
Edit: Let me just also add this. Looking over the negative reviews more, it seems like the enclosure I came across may have some heating up issues, and wondered if it was worth getting this 5.25" one instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817392004&cm_re=vantec_ide_enclosure-_-17-392-004-_-Product
Shesagordie, is this a switch on the actual hard drive itself? And will I need to switch it back when I put it back into the computer?
shesagordie
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January 1st, 2010 09:00
Illjazz
Yes, IDE and ATA are synonymous. :emotion-5:
Personally, I would use the VANTEC Nexstar 3 NST-360U2-RD Aluminum 3.5" USB 2.0 External Enclosure.
The VANTEC NST-530U2 seems to be for 5.25" optical drives and does not say that an 3.5" drive can be installed.
There is no switch, there is a small 'Jumper' that fits over two pins, located next the power connector. A list of the settings should be on the label/case of the hard drive.
THIS will show the location of the jumpers on an IDE hard drive.
Yes, Dell use the 'Cable Select' setting and before reinstalling the hard drive, you would need to revert it back to 'Cable Select'.
Bev.
Illjazz
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January 2nd, 2010 10:00
Thanks, I appreciate the help.
shesagordie
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January 2nd, 2010 12:00
Illjazz
You are welcome.
Bev.