Hot Swapable Hard drive help

lethis1251 · 10-02-2007, 11:44 AM

hay guys i have about 5-6 IDE hard drives that i use. i am fed up with having to open my computer every time i want to swap 1 of my hard drives. i have been looking at hard drive racks, but i cant seem to find 1 that suits my need, so i am here asking if anyone has a solution or can help me find what im looking for

my motherboard has 2 IDE ports 1 of them is used by my CD drives the other is used by my 2 main IDE hard drives (i use these daily contain music, vids, ect)
Ok so what id like is a hard drive rack that is IDE to SATA cause i have 4 SATA ports 2 being used
(the tray would have to be IDE. the tray would connect to the rack via IDE, or some proprietary connection, and from the rack to SATA.
is this at all passable?
if not anyone got any other ideas?

reyes · 10-02-2007, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Ok so what id like is a hard drive rack that is IDE to SATA cause i have 4 SATA ports 2 being used

1. IDE Rack + IDE-to-SATA adapter. (which looks like what u want doing this will allow you to hotswap your harddrives)

Other Options with different configurations.

2. IDE Rack + External 5.25" Enclousure. (external rack through USB)

3. External USB IDE Rack w/4 HD bay (i remember seeing one at "Fry's Electronics" made by kingwin? but they do exist. Allows for 4 hd to be connected to 1 usb or firewire.)

4. http://techgage.com/article/vantec_s...o_usb_adapter/
(external device so u dont even have to put the harddrives into your computer if you dont mind the externalness LOL)

lethis1251 · 10-02-2007, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reyes

1. IDE Rack + IDE-to-SATA adapter. (which looks like what u want doing this will allow you to hotswap your hard drives)

ya but wont that cause problems with jumper settings, cause thats what i originally thought of. but hay if it works that would deffenetly solve the problem
u got any suggestions on a brand or a specific rack? id like 1 that is quiet and will allow my case door to close, plus id like quality for under $50. ive never bought or worked with racks so i dont know any good ones
and do u thing i should buy multiple trays or just 1 tray?

reyes · 10-02-2007, 01:38 PM

If u use a rack just set the jumper setting to CS (cable select) so it auto configs it self. Unless you are changing out the Main HD (the one that holds your OS) then no jumper worries. Brands, i use a generic one, not loud at all, just a tiny fan works great fits perfectly. Buy 1 rack and enough trays unless u want more than 1 rack, its all up to your preferences. I personally bout 2 racks and enough trays, so i can swap out mulitipul HD at a time. Most racks are the same except for the metal ones, they cost more. Since your going SATA it is now hotswapable so no need to restart the computer. The adapters should work fine with this application.

here are some racks i see online that i would personally pick out :D

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817119502

^ i have this but in black. cheap but a bit long as long as u have room in your case, if u want to step it up get this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817121108

^ good quality, aluminum to keep temps down good stuff

after all that just buy the associated trays for the brands you choose...

just some options to go by.. then get yourself a IDE-to-SATA adapter

lethis1251 · 10-02-2007, 03:00 PM

allright i think that what ima do. unfourtuantly the 2 u gave me are white my case is pure black so ima look for 1 thats black.
im only gona buy 1 rack, 1 ide to sata adapter (i had 1 originaly for a hard drive but stoped using it and gave it to my gf go figgure) and as many trays as i can so that i dont spend a total of more than $50
thanks alot

10-02-2007, 11:44 AM	#1 (permalink)
lethis1251 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Florida Posts: 5 OS: windows xp home	Hot Swapable Hard drive help hay guys i have about 5-6 IDE hard drives that i use. i am fed up with having to open my computer every time i want to swap 1 of my hard drives. i have been looking at hard drive racks, but i cant seem to find 1 that suits my need, so i am here asking if anyone has a solution or can help me find what im looking for my motherboard has 2 IDE ports 1 of them is used by my CD drives the other is used by my 2 main IDE hard drives (i use these daily contain music, vids, ect) Ok so what id like is a hard drive rack that is IDE to SATA cause i have 4 SATA ports 2 being used (the tray would have to be IDE. the tray would connect to the rack via IDE, or some proprietary connection, and from the rack to SATA. is this at all passable? if not anyone got any other ideas?

10-02-2007, 01:38 PM	#4 (permalink)
reyes Registered User Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: North Las Vegas Posts: 6 OS: WinXP, Vista Ultimate 64, Ubuntu	Re: Hot Swapable Hard drive help If u use a rack just set the jumper setting to CS (cable select) so it auto configs it self. Unless you are changing out the Main HD (the one that holds your OS) then no jumper worries. Brands, i use a generic one, not loud at all, just a tiny fan works great fits perfectly. Buy 1 rack and enough trays unless u want more than 1 rack, its all up to your preferences. I personally bout 2 racks and enough trays, so i can swap out mulitipul HD at a time. Most racks are the same except for the metal ones, they cost more. Since your going SATA it is now hotswapable so no need to restart the computer. The adapters should work fine with this application. here are some racks i see online that i would personally pick out :D http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817119502 ^ i have this but in black. cheap but a bit long as long as u have room in your case, if u want to step it up get this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817121108 ^ good quality, aluminum to keep temps down good stuff after all that just buy the associated trays for the brands you choose... just some options to go by.. then get yourself a IDE-to-SATA adapter __________________ AMD Opteron x2 165 - Asus A8NVM-CSM - 2GB Patriot Extreme LL 2-3-2-6 PC4000 DDR - 2x Western Digital 36.6GB Raptor Drives - 2x Western Digital 250GB HD - NEC DVD-DL-RW - PNY 7800GTX 256MB - Theater550 PCI-e Tuner - 2x Dell 20" Widescreens

10-02-2007, 03:00 PM	#5 (permalink)
lethis1251 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Florida Posts: 5 OS: windows xp home	Re: Hot Swapable Hard drive help allright i think that what ima do. unfourtuantly the 2 u gave me are white my case is pure black so ima look for 1 thats black. im only gona buy 1 rack, 1 ide to sata adapter (i had 1 originaly for a hard drive but stoped using it and gave it to my gf go figgure) and as many trays as i can so that i dont spend a total of more than $50 thanks alot