External Usb To Sata Hard Drive Docking Station

[Muang Nok]

I have three hard disk drives from previous computers. I would like to retrieve some of the data from these hard drives or maintain them for future use. Is there some type of adapter or receptacle to slip it in instead of mounting it in the computer or installing it in an enclosure? The web site shows what I'm writing about.

http://intrl.startech.com/search?search_term=SATADOCKU2&autocomplete=

Hopefully some place in Thailand has it.

[Darrel]

Yes, you can use a docking station such as the one you describe. However as hard drives are a bit prone to damage on the circuits visible on the rear, I would be more inclined to buy a couple of USB SATA caddies as these willl protect the drives from damage when you are not using them. They are very cheap.

The dock that you describe would be more useful for someone who repairs PCs or who needs to regularly copy data to/from naked drives prior to fitting them in some other device.

Another possibility, if you really dont want to use the drives often, would be this.

[BangkokImages]

Darrel makes a good point about the circuitry being exposed which is why I wouldn't recommend a docking station as a permanent attachment. But they're very useful for occasional use, using bare SATA drives as backup drives, or anything where you'll carefully use it, and then store it away when you're done.

Hard drives which aren't powered up.. are at zero risk from shorting and only minimal risk of static shock damage. Many people use docking stations to move data to (for backing up, transfers, etc) and then safely store the drive away until needed again.

I think you'll find them so useful.. I'd also recommend you look for an ESATA/USB3 capable model, and one that also takes 2.5 inch drives as well as 3.5 inch.

I use this one I reviewed here and it's been great, but I bought it before USB3 models were available. I'd ask the shop at this link if they have the new USB3 models.. if you don't have ESATA ports (external SATA) then USB 3 will make a huge difference over USB2..

Good luck.

[Tywais]

I bought mine from jedicool.com. It supports both USB and eSata and comes with a protective rubber cover for the drive to protect the electronics on the rear. Mine is a dual drive unit.

[Darrel]

Still not keen on having circuits and IDE/SATA sockets exposed to the elements/biscuit crumbs/coffee like that. They werent designed for it like USB was.

I used to have about 20 USB caddies for drives, some of which contained OS images. They were all the same brand/type and so I only needed to leave one power supply and one USB lead connected to the PC, and just swapped the caddies around as needed. I do the same now, with fewer drives.

Another advantage of (aluminium) caddies is that they dont get too hot to touch, and should provide a bit of protection for the drive if it is dropped.

[Muang Nok]

Thanks for your responses.