Can the USB 3.0 header from an External HDD be used in a SSD.

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MikeyMatou

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Jan 29, 2016
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Well title kind of says it all.

I have the issue at the moment that I am unable to install Windows 10 (64 bit) from my USB to my motherboard due to it not seeing any USB. USB is 64 gigabytes so that might be why, but it is my only one.

So I was planning on using WinToHDD (http://www.easyuefi.com/wintohdd) to directly install Windows onto the SSD, by using the component attached to External HDD's that gives it the USB feature instead of just being a plain HDD.

I assume it fits in the SSD, so is there any issues with the plan? Put header on SSD, go to this computer and install Windows 10 on the SSD, attach SSD back into new computer and run it as so far my attempts with the USB installation have failed.
 
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I do.

EDIT: However like I said, the issue was the motherboard was not reading the USB at all, not that the installation was not working. I used pendrive for the installer, nothing. Used Windows USB Tool, nothing.
 
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Sorry I should of explained a bit better, it's not to do with that I don't believe haha.

Just not sure of what it is called. Say for example you buy a External HDD, the one that you can carry with you around and usually 500gig to 2TB portable. Well all it is when you open it is a HDD that slots into SATA except it has a USB type component on it that lets it connect to the cord which then connects to the USB port of your computer.

So I was going to take that component itself and instead of having it on the HDD, try to slot it into the SSD. This will mean I can access the SSD through USB. The question is, is it possible, and is there any issues with doing it.
 
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Oh great I believe it was but as we speak I am using Rufus as directed and it is defaulting in NTFS when I selected the Windows 10 ISO to extract on the USB...

The first times I did it, yes I believe it was Fat32.
 
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ok noworries, anyway making sure?

 
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Currently out at the moment so can't test it here. Just happened to have my laptop with me!
 
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Do you have any usb2 ports? usb boot might require legacy boot depending on motherboard, sometimes usb3 can't be used i believe.

I'm not familiar with Rufus, im wondering if it's setting up Win10 on the usb properly to boot instead of just making the usb bootable.

Microsoft media creation tool i know works as i've used that at least, but not sure how to avoid win10 download again or if can place the win10 iso you have already so it can set it up on usb.
 
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Whats the price of 6GB usb stick local to you? Might be worth considering, that way you have 64GB for other stuff and keep the 6GB to remain Win10 install.
 
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You can use your external HDD for a SSD. I used to use old external CD drives to take apart for HDDs all the time. You're 100% right that it's just a normal SATA drive in there. There's a small circuit board that will have the SATA connection on one side and the USB header on the other. As far as installing windows to or from to use no another computer, not a good idea, it's going to install windows drivers for the hardware that it's installed on, not the one you want installed on it. It *may* work, may not. Sometimes windows can reconfigure itself to work, sometimes not, when you try it in the new machine, let it take as much time as it wants to boot up, it's trying to figure drivers out.
 
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Welp, I can't believe it. The ports on this laptop are fine in terms of that USB, but on the Motherboard they do not get along...took ages to fiddle with it and it finally found it. Also changed some settings so that might also be the case.

Anyway thanks for the help everyone...can't believe the waste of time!
 
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It's Windows 7 that you have to use a USB 2 port. Since it doesnt natively support USB 3. People have fixed this prob, by changing the USB 3 option in the BIOS to Auto.

If you install Win7 from a USB flash drive, (if you plug it into a USB 3 port). It'll ask for drivers (which aren't in the ISO or on the DVD)

With Rufus you need an ISO. It extracts whats in it, to a flash drive and makes it bootable.

You can change the bootdisk to it after, and you can install windows from it. Just like you can, with a DVD.

It gives you 2 options.

One for non-UEFI systems, and one for UEFI systems. After you select one of those it'll format the flash drive then copy whats in the ISO to it

You can use this for Win7. It injects USB 3 drivers into the Win7 ISO.

Win 8 AND 10 support USB 3 natively. So if you install Win8 or 10 from a flash drive, you can use a USB 2 or 3 port








 
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