Need help with Seagate HD in HP Notebook

[Gyorgy Sajo]

I need desperately help with saving data from my hard disk.

I have a 120 GB Seagate Momentus 5400.2 hard disk with a small 15+7
pins connector sitting in a HP Pavillion dv6000 notebook. You can see
pictures of the hard disk and the connector here:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c286/gyury/Billede603.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c286/gyury/Billede604.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c286/gyury/Billede605.jpg

One day my notebook suddenly refused to boot, and as I already have a
more up-to-date notebook, the only thing I wanted to transfer the data
from the old hard disk to the new notebook.

Here comes my problem: I can not find any USB devices that I can
connect directly to the old hard disk's connector. There are a couple
of USB devices around that are designed for a 22 pins connector, but
they fit only to pins that has a thin and round design, not the odd
long and flat pins like my hard disk has.

Is anyone aware of the existence of such a USB device? Any other
solutions for my problem are also very much appreciated.

Thanks,
gyuresz

 

[Jan Alter]

--

I need desperately help with saving data from my hard disk.

I have a 120 GB Seagate Momentus 5400.2 hard disk with a small 15+7
pins connector sitting in a HP Pavillion dv6000 notebook. You can see
pictures of the hard disk and the connector here:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c286/gyury/Billede603.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c286/gyury/Billede604.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c286/gyury/Billede605.jpg

One day my notebook suddenly refused to boot, and as I already have a
more up-to-date notebook, the only thing I wanted to transfer the data
from the old hard disk to the new notebook.

Here comes my problem: I can not find any USB devices that I can
connect directly to the old hard disk's connector. There are a couple
of USB devices around that are designed for a 22 pins connector, but
they fit only to pins that has a thin and round design, not the odd
long and flat pins like my hard disk has.

Is anyone aware of the existence of such a USB device? Any other
solutions for my problem are also very much appreciated.

Thanks,
gyuresz

Could you post a model number on the drive. Folks may be able to locate an
adaptor piece that would fit over the pins for a standard ATA -6 connection.
At worst you might need to call Seagate and ask a tech if an adaptor is
available or ask what kind of connector they use to attach to a USB adaptor.

When you say the notebook will not boot, do you mean you get nothing at
all or you get some screen view but it will not continue booting?

Jan Alter
(e-mail address removed)

 

[Paul]

Jan Alter wrote:

Could you post a model number on the drive. Folks may be able to locate an
adaptor piece that would fit over the pins for a standard ATA -6 connection.
At worst you might need to call Seagate and ask a tech if an adaptor is
available or ask what kind of connector they use to attach to a USB adaptor.

When you say the notebook will not boot, do you mean you get nothing at
all or you get some screen view but it will not continue booting?

Jan Alter
(e-mail address removed)

The model number shown in one of the pictures is ST9120821AS . I
found a picture here.

http://www.ixbt.com/storage/seagate-samsung-120gb.shtml

Top view of raw Seagate drive.

http://www.ixbt.com/storage/ata2005/seagate120/st9120821as-top.jpg

Bottom view of raw Seagate drive.

http://www.ixbt.com/storage/ata2005/seagate120/st9120821as-back.jpg

The laptop manufacturer has fitted an adapter plug, to the back of
the drive. Once the adapter plug with the "blades" is removed, the
more standard 15+7 SATA connector should be seen.

Paul

 

[John McGaw]

Jan Alter wrote:



The model number shown in one of the pictures is ST9120821AS . I
found a picture here.

http://www.ixbt.com/storage/seagate-samsung-120gb.shtml

Top view of raw Seagate drive.

http://www.ixbt.com/storage/ata2005/seagate120/st9120821as-top.jpg

Bottom view of raw Seagate drive.

http://www.ixbt.com/storage/ata2005/seagate120/st9120821as-back.jpg

The laptop manufacturer has fitted an adapter plug, to the back of
the drive. Once the adapter plug with the "blades" is removed, the
more standard 15+7 SATA connector should be seen.

Paul

Easiest thing would be to plug the drive into 1) a computer like my Shuttle
which has both a eSATA and a power connection on the back and which comes
with the proper cables or 2) install the drive temporarily inside of a
newer desktop computer which should have the SATA and power connectors
available or 3) connect it to the eSATA which appears to come with every
modern laptop. In the last case some way of powering the drive would be
needed but that shouldn't be too too difficult to arrange. In any case I
can't see any reason to buy any sort of adapter beyond an eSATA to SATA
connector and possibly a cable for powering the drive while the data is
transferred.

 

[John McGaw]

On Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:15:46 -0500, John McGaw

snip...

Maybe I was projecting with too little data. Since my crappy low-end
two-year-old HP laptop came with eSATA and HDMI I sorta' figured that every
laptop today would. Of course HP balanced out their largess by only giving
2 USB ports one of which, because the cheap computer didn't have Bluetooth
built in, is tied up permanently with a dongle.

But you were right -- having that i7 Shuttle is the way to go... ;-)

 

[Gyorgy Sajo]

--


(...)
When you say the notebook will not boot, do you mean you get nothing at
all or you get some screen view but it will not continue booting?

It does not boot at all. The lights on the keyboard show that the power is
on when I turn it on, I can hear the CPU cooler working, but there is only
black screen. After a couple of seconds the computer turns off and on again
with the same symptoms. It looks like the BIOS is defunct, as I get the same
problem both with the hard disk inside and without it.

 

[Gyorgy Sajo]

The connector you have pictured as detached from the drive
in the latter picture is a part supplied from HP to adapt a
standard SATA hard drive to their laptop. Once you have
that connector removed you have no unique situation, it is a
standard SATA drive connector on the drive itself.


Search for a USB-SATA adapter. They are common and
available at varying prices (some are overpriced).




Here are a few,
http://www.meritline.com/newsearch.aspx?SearchTerm=usb+sata+adapter


The quality on the following isn't great, but it's good
enough for occasional use and the price is right:

http://www.meritline.com/usb-to-sata-ide-cables-adapter-191---p-34964.aspx

Thank you! Yes, I have removed the HP adapter, but the original connector
does not consist of pins, but of an interrupted flat plastic surface with
small flat "tongues" laying on one side of the surface:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c286/gyury/st9120821as-back.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c286/gyury/DSCN5112.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c286/gyury/DSCN5111.jpg

Following your links, these adapters seem - judged solely from the photos -
only to work with hard disks that has pin shaped connectors. Can you - or
somebody else - point me to an adapter that can be used with my flat type of
connector?

Thanks again,
Gyorgy

 

[Gyorgy Sajo]

Jan Alter wrote:



The model number shown in one of the pictures is ST9120821AS . I
found a picture here.

http://www.ixbt.com/storage/seagate-samsung-120gb.shtml

Top view of raw Seagate drive.

http://www.ixbt.com/storage/ata2005/seagate120/st9120821as-top.jpg

Bottom view of raw Seagate drive.

http://www.ixbt.com/storage/ata2005/seagate120/st9120821as-back.jpg

The laptop manufacturer has fitted an adapter plug, to the back of
the drive. Once the adapter plug with the "blades" is removed, the
more standard 15+7 SATA connector should be seen.

Paul

Yes, thank you, this is the one what I have. The problem is - as already
pointed out in my reply to kony - that I still can not find an adapter for
these flat kind of connectors. The ones I have found by searching seem only
to work with the pin shaped connectors.

 

[Paul]

Thank you! Yes, I have removed the HP adapter, but the original connector
does not consist of pins, but of an interrupted flat plastic surface with
small flat "tongues" laying on one side of the surface:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c286/gyury/st9120821as-back.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c286/gyury/DSCN5112.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c286/gyury/DSCN5111.jpg

Following your links, these adapters seem - judged solely from the photos -
only to work with hard disks that has pin shaped connectors. Can you - or
somebody else - point me to an adapter that can be used with my flat type of
connector?

Thanks again,
Gyorgy

On an adapter that is intended for 2.5" drives, they might put both
a 7 pin and 15 pin connector right on the adapter. This would connect
directly to the SATA hard drive, and mates with the wafer connector
on the drive. The two "L" shaped keys on the connector, prevent
rotation of the SATA connectors by 180 degrees, when using cables.

http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/12-270-268-Z01?$S640W$

On the other kind of USB to SATA/IDE connectors, the kind of adapter
that deals with 3.5" drives, powering the drive is an issue. The
adapter design in this case, uses the same recessed 7 pin data connector,
as is used on the drive itself.

http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/12-200-155-S03?$S640W$

Then, you run the cable that comes with the kit, from the adapter
to the drive. The cable to use, is the one in the lower right corner.

http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/12-200-155-S08?$S640W$

Also, in that picture, you can see an AC adapter, and on the end
of the adapter is a 15 pin power plug. So between the 7 pin data
cable and 15 pin power plug coming from the AC adapter, either a
2.5" or a 3.5" SATA drive can be connected.

Once the adapter with the "blades" is removed from your SATA drive,
the SATA drive connector is "standard". You can connect ordinary
SATA cables to that drive. SATA motherboards come with red colored
SATA data cables, with 7 pin interfaces on the cable. Such a cable
plugs into your 2.5" drive.

The first image I posted, this one, has both 7 and 15 pin connectors
right on the housing, so no cables are needed to connect this to a
2.5" SATA drive. The "sex" of this connector, is designed to mate
directly to the drive.

http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/12-270-268-Z01?$S640W$

The two adapter types, use a different style connector on the
housing of the adapter, but eventually allow connecting to a
standard SATA drive.

Paul

 

[Gyorgy Sajo]

On an adapter that is intended for 2.5" drives, they might put both
a 7 pin and 15 pin connector right on the adapter. This would connect
directly to the SATA hard drive, and mates with the wafer connector
on the drive. The two "L" shaped keys on the connector, prevent
rotation of the SATA connectors by 180 degrees, when using cables.

http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/12-270-268-Z01?$S640W$

On the other kind of USB to SATA/IDE connectors, the kind of adapter
that deals with 3.5" drives, powering the drive is an issue. The
adapter design in this case, uses the same recessed 7 pin data connector,
as is used on the drive itself.

http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/12-200-155-S03?$S640W$

Then, you run the cable that comes with the kit, from the adapter
to the drive. The cable to use, is the one in the lower right corner.

http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/12-200-155-S08?$S640W$

Also, in that picture, you can see an AC adapter, and on the end
of the adapter is a 15 pin power plug. So between the 7 pin data
cable and 15 pin power plug coming from the AC adapter, either a
2.5" or a 3.5" SATA drive can be connected.

Once the adapter with the "blades" is removed from your SATA drive,
the SATA drive connector is "standard". You can connect ordinary
SATA cables to that drive. SATA motherboards come with red colored
SATA data cables, with 7 pin interfaces on the cable. Such a cable
plugs into your 2.5" drive.

The first image I posted, this one, has both 7 and 15 pin connectors
right on the housing, so no cables are needed to connect this to a
2.5" SATA drive. The "sex" of this connector, is designed to mate
directly to the drive.

http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/12-270-268-Z01?$S640W$

The two adapter types, use a different style connector on the
housing of the adapter, but eventually allow connecting to a
standard SATA drive.

Paul

Dear Paul,

Thanks a lot for your very detailed explanation! Now I think I understand
how the adapter works and which one I need to buy for transfering my data.

Best wishes,
Gyorgy