Sata, eSata - Internal or Exernal

Hi,

I've been doing some research on the internet in order to purchase an additional hard drive. I already have three 300Gb Maxtor One Touch II external hard drives on which I store copies of my DVDs in the event that they become damaged, but the drives are reaching capacity. I won't consider purchasing another Maxtor because two of them have failed and I lost approximately 100Gb each time.

I have a lot of questions to ask. First, I have the Maxtors firewired to my pc. Is it possible that having them firewired instead of connected to a USB/1394 port contributed to the failure of the two drives?

My pc was made for me about 3 years ago by someone who is no longer available to supply information about it. A Belarc Scan supplied the following specs of my pc:

Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 (build 2600)
ECS K7S5A
Asset Tag: 0123ABC
Enclosure Type: Desktop
Board: ECS K7S5A
Bus Clock: 66 megahertz
BIOS: American Megatrends Inc. 07.00T 04/02/01
256 Megabytes Installed Memory
Slot '0' has 256 MB
Slot '1' is Empty
Slot '2' is Empty
Slot '3' is Empty
950 megahertz AMD Duron
128 kilobyte primary memory cache
64 kilobyte secondary memory cache
RADEON 8500 / RADEON 8500 LE (Microsoft Corporation) [Display adapter]
Envision EN9410e [Monitor] (19.1"vis, October 2005)
OHCI Compliant IEEE 1394 Host Controller
Easy Internet Keyboard
Maxtor 1394 Storage Front Panel (3x)
Maxtor OneTouch II (3x)
Microsoft PS/2 Mouse
SBP2 Compliant IEEE 1394 device (3x)
USB Root Hub (5x)
SiS 7001 PCI to USB Open Host Controller (2x)
VIA Rev 5 or later USB Universal Host Companion Controller (2x)
VIA USB Enhanced Host Controller
All required security hotfixes (using the 03/14/2006 Microsoft Security Bulletin Summary) have been installed.


I'm planning on purchasing an additional 256Mb RAM and a new graphics card, but I'm going to open a different post for those items in the future, but I just wanted you to know.

My other questions are about the new Sata and eSata drives that are coming out. My pc is 3 yrs old and I'm planning on purchasing a new one in a year or two. I figure that new computers by that time will have Sata and eSata connections so I want to get either a Sata or an eSata drive to connect to my present pc. The specs of the one that I'm thinking about getting:

Product Description Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 - hard drive - 500 GB - SATA-300
Type Hard drive - internal
Form Factor 3.5" x 1/3H
Capacity 500 GB
Interface Type Serial ATA-300
Connector 22-position Serial ATA (SATA) plug
Data Transfer Rate 300 MBps
Average Seek Time 8.5 ms
Spindle Speed 7200 rpm
Warranty 5 years Manufacturers warranty
Manufacturer Seagate
Manufacturer Code ST3500641AS
General
Device Type Hard drive - internal
Compatibility PC
Hard Drive
Form Factor 3.5" x 1/3H
Capacity 500 GB
Interface Type Serial ATA-300
Connector 22-position Serial ATA (SATA) plug
Features G-Force protection, Native Command Queuing (NCQ)
Performance
Drive Transfer Rate 300 MBps (external)
Seek Time 8.5 ms (average)
Spindle Speed 7200 rpm
Expansion / Connectivity
Interfaces 1 x Serial ATA-300 - 7 pin Serial ATA
Compatible Bays 1 x internal - 3.5" x 1/3H
Manufacturer Warranty
Service & Support 5 years warranty
Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 5 years

Barracuda 7200.9 is a member of the Seagate 3.5-inch family of high-capacity desktop drives targeted at mainstream and high-performance PCs and advanced storage applications. The product enables OEMs and system builders to qualify one family of drives from a premier provider for a wide range of storage applications.


What is OEM? Does the above kit include all that I'll need, i.e., cables, software, hardware (screws, brackets, etc)? What else will I have to buy in terms of software and hardware?

A lot of other questions: Can this Sata or another Sata or an eSata hd be connected to my pc? Does this one include the right connecting cord with the correct number of pins on both ends? If not, what cord will I need? Can my mobo support it? I've read up on updating the BIOS but it's too technical for me and I won't touch it. I've also been trying to update my drivers but I can't find the drivers that I need. I went to the ATI site but milling through all the driver updates has never come up with the ones that I need or I haven't recognized the one I need. I've installed my three Maxtor ext hds with no problems and I also installed the firewire card but that's about as far as I've gotten with working with hardware. I have a lot of experience installing new software from downloads and disks.

Will this be a nightmare project for someone like myself with limited experience?

I know I've asked a lot of questions but I like to be prepared for battle, and I hope I gave you enough or not too much info.

Denise

 

Thanks Halo for responding and answering my questions. It was good advice and I'll be leaving SATA and eSATA alone for now. Unfortunately, I just ordered an additional 256Mb RAM on the net but I'll look into exchanging it for a 512Mb. I was under the impression that the RAM had to be equal size.

I also just ordered an int IDE Seagate hd. I'm going to replace the 80G with it. I've never installed one so I was a little leary about buying it but it was a good price . . . 300G for $99.00. I hope the instruction manual is clear and thorough, lol.

Again, thanks for your help. I appreciate it very much.

Denise

 

Hi again,

I took your advice and I got 512Mb RAM and my pc zooms along now wonderfully. Thanks!

Also, I bought what I think/thought was an IDE int hd at eBay. It was listed under the "Hard Drives-IDE" category. The auction read:

I think/thought that this model will/would be compatible with my pc. However, the words "Interface IDE Ultra ATA100" have me confused now since it's not purely IDE. Is this hd compatible with my pc? I don't want to open the packages until I know for sure. I can return it unopened.

Again, I would be very grateful for any info you would give me.

Denise

 

You shouldn't experience any problems, as it is an IDE drive!

 

Thanks Novice. It's always wonderful and comforting to receive an answer from an expert.

Now all I have to do is install it . . .

Denise

 

Hi Halo,

Thanks for the tip to connect it as slave. This is a second drive. My C drive has all my programs on it and usually that's all I kept on it. I've run out of space on my F drive (80G) so I've been putting things on the C drive but I really like to keep it free of everything except programs. So the new Seagate will be replacing the 80G F drive.

I also checked out the link you gave me and the info and pictures will be very helpful when I go to install the hd, either tomorrow or the next day. I'll let you know how it went when I've finished. I'm really excited about it now!

Denise