M4400 eSATA issue

Okay, so I was able to connect using only eSATA to my desktop just by using the BIOS change from RAID to AHCI and I didn't even have to touch the registry! Vista booted up like usual . . .

What on earth is going on. It must be something either with my laptop or Windows 7. Any ideas?

 

Your problem is not with your laptop, it's with the casing that houses your 1TB HDD. The controller within that casing supports only USB specification when communication with the HDD. So the eSATA cable you have is working just like a eSATA to USB cable internally.

Even though it's a combo port, the pins are not the between the eSATA and USB. The computer can't mistake a eSATA cable plugged in for a USB cable and transfer using the USB protocol.

If your HDD controller wasn't in SATA in the Bios, your eSATA port won't work (the USB part of it still will though). So the fact that you can actually transfer files means your eSATA port is just fine and there's nothing you need to change in the BIOS.

 

Did you try start>computer>manage>disk management> there should be a foreign disk listed there which you have to import or reactivate. After that it will read it automatically when you plug it in, no matter before boot or when ur laptop is already running.

Don't switch from USB to eSATA on the external because that can give issues. Once eSATA is working stick with that.

 

Perhaps your desktop Windows had the different SATA drivers pre-installed.

Anyway, you have demonstrated that the eSATA HDD and cable work. Remind me whether the eSATA HDD is 2.5" or 3.5". What is the power source?

Did you check what drives were listed as boot options?

John

 

by the way, in Win7 it's much easier to switch to AHCI.
Simply install the IMSM AHCI driver manually through device manager, reboot and go into BIOS, set to AHCI and boot again.
Worked for me.....but i also got it working through setting it to AHCI and rebooted with the Win7 DVD in the drive and it automatically found the standard AHCI drivers on the DVD. Only had to update them to the IMSM driver.

 

So what do you think I should do to get the eSATA connection working correctly?

Also, like I said in the post above yours, the eSATA only connection worked (although somewhat slow) with my desktop.

 

Not sure what you mean. My laptop doesn't even pickup the external when it's only eSATA, only my vista desktop does.

When I go into disk management, it picks up the internal, and two cd drives.

 

It's 3.5" and the power . . . you mean ac adapter 12 volt?


Here it is: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...1104&cm_re=cavalry_1tb-_-22-101-104-_-Product (the silver version of this without the eSATA kit)

BTW, notice that new set has a CD as well . . . something I never had in the box when I got mine. I suppose that contains the drivers I may need.


The drives listed were the internal the CD drive and the card reader (or whatever it's called).

 

Thanks for the info on the external drive. It uses an external power source so that should not be the cause of any problems.

The CD probably contains some backup software. None of my eSATA devices need a special driver.

If the BIOS cannot see the external drive then we seem to have an obscure incompatibility. You could try checking if the external drive becomes visible if you change the access mode in the BIOS (no need to try booting into Windows).

John

 

Get a new eSATA casing/housing/enclosure. Take out the HDD from your current one and put it into the new one. Vantec i think sells one which you can simply slot your HDD in, no need to fumble with screws and whatnot.