SATA 3.0 connectors not = SATA 1.5?

peter108

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I'm a complete HW noob and am trying to swap out a failing hard drive (according the disk utility that ran by default when I installed a version of Ubuntu I have nearly 200,000 bad sectors) on my Compaq F572US notebook. The current drive is an 80GB Hitachi SATA drive HTS541680J9SA00, whose connector is two banks of paired pins, the first bank w/ 15 x 2 pins, the second w/ 7 x 2. After [mis?]reading a post on this board that the connectors are the same for SATA 3.0 versus 1.5, I went out and bought a 320GB Hitachi, HTS545032B9A300.

Well, of course the interface looks completely different, two groups of flat connectors resembling (to my eye) a set of piano keys.

Could someone tell me where to go from here? Return/replace the new drive? If so, with what (i.e., do the two different interfaces I'm describing represent the difference between SATA I and II or some other difference)? Workarounds, if any?

Much appreciated.

Peter
[:bohleyk:4]
 
Solution
Ah, it's using an adapter. It's SATA alright (doesn't matter if it's 3Gb/s or 1.5Gb/s). Why Compaq doesn't use the standard SATA connector is puzzling.

All you need to do is pop off the adapter that's currently attached to the drive as shown in your pic. When you get your new SATA drive, pop that adapter back on the new drive and install the drive back into the lappy as before.

peter108

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>yeah thats what i was thinkiing but who would mix up SATA and PATA!

Why, that'd be me, since the sticker on the HDD says "SATA". So, crazy as it sounds, I took SATA to mean SATA. I tell ya, these noobs. Thanks for the replies and curses on Hitachi, those lying b**tards! :fou:
 

peter108

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Actually, it doesn't look like either one of those. I also checked HP's website for the HDD spec for this notebook. It sez:
80 GB (5400 RPM) Hard Drive (SATA)
Since I'm writing this on the machine in question, It'll be a bit before I can take a foto and upload it. But I will do that. Thanks.

Also, FWIW, the new drive I bought is indeed identical to the above-linked SATA jpg.


 

peter108

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OK, gang, here are some shots of my current drive and of the HDD interface in the drive bay. I didn't include any shots of the new drive b/c it is identical to the connectors on the SATA drive whose links were posted above by cjl.

First two shots are of the drive. Third shot is of the interface in the notebook's drive bay. FYI, I was mistaken about the drive having pins. They're more like knife blades.

http://picasaweb.google.com/pvy108/PetersHDD?feat=directlink

Thanks.

Peter



 

wuzy

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Ah, it's using an adapter. It's SATA alright (doesn't matter if it's 3Gb/s or 1.5Gb/s). Why Compaq doesn't use the standard SATA connector is puzzling.

All you need to do is pop off the adapter that's currently attached to the drive as shown in your pic. When you get your new SATA drive, pop that adapter back on the new drive and install the drive back into the lappy as before.
 
Solution