How to Determine If Your Hard Drive Is a SATA 2

There are three common internal hard drive specifications: EIDE, SATA, and SATA II. Knowing which specification your hard drive uses is important if you wish to install critical system applications or set up RAID arrays for maximum PC performance. Checking the specification of your drive is a simple matter that any computer user can accomplish.

Instructions

1. Click the "Start" button and enter "Device Manager" into the "Search Box" located at the bottom of the menu.

2. Left-click the "Device Manager" icon that appears in the search results. This will open another window with your computer's hardware listed by category.

3. Left-click the "+" symbol to the left of the "Disk Drives" heading. This will enumerate all of your installed hard drives and list them by their model number and manufacturer.

4. Record the model number and manufacturer of the hard drive.

5. Navigate to the drive manufacturer's website in your web browser.

6. Click the "Service" or "Support" link to be taken to a product search page.

7. Enter the drive's model number into the search field provided and press the "Enter" key.

8. Click the search result that best matches your hard drive. This step may be unneeded as the drive manufacturer's search will likely take you directly to the product page.

9. The words "SATA II" or "SATA 2" will be listed as part of the hard drive's product name if it is a SATA 2 drive.

Tips & Warnings

• You can physically tell a SATA from an EIDE because the latter uses a white, four-pin Molex connector and has a flat cord.

References

• Microsoft.com: "Open Device Manager"
• Indiana University: "In Windows, what is the Device Manager, and how can I use it?"
• SATA-IO.org: "SATA Naming Guidelines"