SATA to eSATA

[adamreir]

Hi, the HDD on my laptop just went kaboom (well, not kaboom, but you get the idea), and instead of just buying a new inernal HDD, I think im going to buy an external drive, install Ubuntu on it, and just take my OS with me if Im going someweare

My problem is that I don´t have fireware, eSATA or anything, so I have to just use usb 2.0. Or? Do you think it is possible to connect a SATA to eSATA cable to where my internal HDD used to be connected (if such a thing exists), and use that to connect an external drive?

[Steve R Jones]

What's wrong with getting a new internal hard drive? Or is there a reason you want to re-invent the wheel?

[stroyal]

Welcome to TechIMO!

If you must, it depends on what your BIOS will boot from.
If it will let you boot from USB, or PCMCIA.
If you have a PCMCIA slot you can probably get any interface you want.
There should be adapters for USB to SATA eSATA.

The the first thing to check is the boot options.
If you can't boot from any thing but an internal, you can always run Ubuntu from a CD, it will at least be able to access any attached drive.

I'll see if I can find some examples.

Edit:
Newegg.com - PCs & Laptops,Laptop Accessories,Laptop Add-on Cards,SATAII ExpressCard


I'd agree with Steve, if it is worth using, it is worth a new drive.

Newegg.com - usb to sata adapter

[stroyal]

The adapter you describe is going to be hard to find,
if at all.

ATA 6 motherboard connection to SATA hard drive. Just a guess,(no specs).

[adamreir]

Steve R Jones:

Well, to be honest, my computer sucks. It' really old. So if i get a new internal hdd and something else on my computer crashes, then buying the new internal hdd would be a waste of money. And: It would be greate to be able to just grab my external hdd instead of my whole computer. And: Os on external hdd, I just like the idea / want to try it.

stroyal:

Thanks for your eSATA pc-card idea, didn't think about that.

My bios won't boot from usb, so I just use a boot cd with an option to boot from usb, so that's not really a problem.

[stroyal]

What I would do is; Replace the drive with the biggest you can get or afford, if you really want to use the computer.
Then if the laptop dies in the near future, and the drive is still good, buy an enclosure to turn it into an external drive.
They are cheap, and no drive wasted, and you end up with an external drive in the end.
Newegg.com - Computer Hardware,Computer Accessories,External Enclosures,2.5",IDE

I'm assuming you have a 2.5" IDE drive.