Buying 160gb Notebook Drive For Use W/ Usb

[h5n1]

I need a down and dirty notebook drive to use as my iPod backup. I have a 60gb that will sell to a friend and looking to go to 160 w/ 8mg buffer.

Buying a bare bone drive and a shell/case. What if any issues do I have buying a non-IDE drive for use on USB2 plugged in to a standard computer in an Internt Shop.

If I later buy a notebook w/ a spare drive bay, can I put teh IDE drive in it if its the main drive is SATA? Do you think that if the laptop is wired for SATA that it will only accept SATA serial drive.

Sorry Ive been out of tech a few yrs

Thanks

[RKASA]

Once its on the other end of a usb plug it won't make much diff. if its a flash or HD its just a drive.  I am running my linux that I am using right now mounted on a usb adptor cable to an old 27mb drive from old 98 mech.  drive just lays on the disk top no box or anything.  I have plugged many other drives into it, it has adptors for various types of drives.  Its made for maint. and repair tool but I use it for other things as well.  If your PC is sata you should be able to get adptor to install Pata and the other way it may take a small hit on speed, but not that bad.  laptop has no room inside for adptor so they have to match if you want to install it.

[bkk_mike]

IDE drives will only attach to IDE connectors, SATA drives will only connect to SATA connectors.

So - if you have an IDE box, buy an IDE drive for it if you intend to use the same box when you sell on your existing 60Gb disk.

If your laptop is SATA, and you are even thinking of, at some point, replacing it's hard drive, you're probably better getting a SATA drive, along with a new external case that takes SATA. (The 2½" drives cost more, but the external cases cost a lot less as they don't need a power supply as they only need 5v, and can get enough 5v power from the USB cable).

If you don't mind the drive being open to the elements, you can get adaptors that take all sorts of drives, 2½" IDE, 3½" IDE, SATA, etc. but that's more for sitting on a desk hooking up old disks, rather than for taking to an internet cafe.

[h5n1]

IDE drives will only attach to IDE connectors, SATA drives will only connect to SATA connectors.

Sure. i was perhaps looking at a case that has IDE/SATA or wondering if I got an SATA and ran it on typical netcafe PC (IDE) if any issues. I presume I would not be any beter w/ SATA anyway as its run off the USB.

OK thanks.

[Veazer]

Check the power requirements of the drive you intend to buy. Sadly, USB has 500mW per port specifications, but many if not most drives are greater than that and require 2 or more ports. I've even had some power hungry drives that won't run using 2 cables.

i found a 120gb western digital drive rated at 500mW that works just fine with a single USB cable. If anyone knows of any drives with even lower power requirements please post.

The 500mW limitation of USB is was very poor thinking IMHO. 6-pin Firewire ports are typically rated at 7-8 watts or more.