How to Interface Serial ATA Hard Drives With ATA IDE

Adaptors allow use of SATA and IDE drives in the same computer.

Since its inception in 2003 the Serial Advanced Technology Attachment hard drive specification has quickly become the default standard in hard drive selection. There remain, however, many computer users with motherboards supporting ATA IDE hard drives who wish to install SATA hard drives. Consequently, computer peripheral manufacturers have begun the production of IDE/SATA hard drive specification adapters. These allow for the use of the different hard drive types in the same computer.

Things You'll Need

• IDE/SATA hard drive adapter

Instructions

1. Connect the IDE data cable to the computer motherboard's IDE data connection port. This step is unnecessary if the hard drive will be connected to the slave connector on an already-installed IDE cable.

2. Insert the SATA connector side of the adapter into the rear ports on the SATA hard drive. The SATA connector is a single small circuit board that installs in only one orientation.

3. Connect the opposite end of the IDE the cable into the IDE connector on the remaining exposed side of the adapter.

4. Locate a four-pin white Molex power connector and insert it into the four-pin power port of the hard drive adapter. The hard drive may now be used as a standard SATA drive.

References

• Syba: SATA - IDE Bi-directional Adapter Installation Manual (PDF)