ATA vs SATA

[joe_beagle]

In 25 words or less what's the difference between SATA and ATA drives? Do you know of a good reference explaining the differences?
How do I go about transferring the contents of my ATA drive to a SATA drive? And that includes the boot sector? And hidden files? Do I need 3rd party software for this? Does the utility software that comes with the drive enable me to do this? Is Windows XP gonna have a hissy fit?

 

[RichPLS]

First off, just do a clean install, less problems.
The main difference is about 50 mb bandwidth, and independant channell direct access with NCQ, along with very small cables.

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[Crashman]

SATA is simply a serial version of ATA. While it offers increased peak performance, no drives are capable of taking advantage of that fact.

To make an exact copy of an ATA drive onto an SATA drive, you'll want to use imaging software such as PowerQuest Drive Image.

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[jihiggs]

sata is just the new thing.

this is my boomstick!

 

[jammydodger]

SATA Has:
-Much thinner cables
-Can transfer at up to 150MB/sec (as crash said no drive can transfer that fast yet so its got no advantage)
-NCQ is supported by some SATA drives, but your southbridge needs to support is aswell for this to be usefull.
-Most future drives are going to be SATA.

So basically the advantages are smaller cables and more future proof.