HP 10k 2.5 HDD

[Jmbrown0311]

I bought an Hp 300gb 10k 2.5 HDD. I am wanting to install Windows onto this hard drive but am having a difficult time figuring it out, as the hd isn't showing up when I go to install w7. If there is any advice on how to do this id appreciate the help.

 

[molletts]

What kind of computer have you installed the hard drive into?

The drive is likely a SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) one which can't be connected to a normal SATA connection. Assuming you have connected it to a SAS adaptor, you will need to provide drivers for the adaptor to Windows Setup. (Some drivers are provided "out of box" but not all.) Download the drivers for your SAS adaptor and unpack them onto a USB memory key or similar device. Then point Windows Setup at the folder on the device when you get to the "choose a location" dialog. (From memory, I think there is a "Load additional drivers" option or something like that, possibly hidden under "advanced".)

Note that performance on a 10k disk will be very disappointing if you've ever used an SSD - I replaced a three-drive array of 15k disks with a consumer-level SSD after I saw it outperformed by a CompactFlash memory card I had installed as a "poor man's SSD" in my elderly laptop.

 

[Jmbrown0311]

What kind of computer have you installed the hard drive into?

The drive is likely a SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) one which can't be connected to a normal SATA connection. Assuming you have connected it to a SAS adaptor, you will need to provide drivers for the adaptor to Windows Setup. (Some drivers are provided "out of box" but not all.) Download the drivers for your SAS adaptor and unpack them onto a USB memory key or similar device. Then point Windows Setup at the folder on the device when you get to the "choose a location" dialog. (From memory, I think there is a "Load additional drivers" option or something like that, possibly hidden under "advanced".)

Note that performance on a 10k disk will be very disappointing if you've ever used an SSD - I replaced a three-drive array of 15k disks with a consumer-level SSD after I saw it outperformed by a CompactFlash memory card I had installed as a "poor man's SSD" in my elderly laptop.

I do have an adapter for the HDD which obviously connects to the sata port, so that I have all worked out. So if I were to install windows to an SSD, and then use my regular HDD and this SAS HDD, would the steps be the same to get that SAS HDD working as it would be if I were to use it as the windows boot drive? I actually haven't installed that SAS HD to my PC. Now that you have told me that SSD is better for holding windows, that is what I will do. But I do want to use this 10k HDD as an extra drive.

My specs:
MSI Z97-G45 Gaming
i5 4690k
8 GB Ram
gtx970

 

[molletts]

I do have an adapter for the HDD which obviously connects to the sata port, so that I have all worked out.

Which adaptor are you using? I'm not aware of any active-mode SAS to SATA converters - only cables to allow SAS backplanes to be connected to SATA ports, allowing the use of SATA drives in them without having to buy a SAS host bus adaptor. (It used to be possible to get IDE to SCSI adaptors but I doubt there would be sufficient demand for it to be worth a manufacturer's while producing a SATA to SAS one these days.)

SAS drives use a different protocol (based on SCSI) compared with SATA drives, which use an evolved version of the old ATA ("IDE") protocol. While most SAS adaptors can automatically switch to speaking SATA when a SATA drive is connected, SATA adaptors can't speak SAS, nor can SAS drives speak SATA. (For this reason, by design, a SAS power/data cable will fit a SATA drive while the reverse is not true.)

If you want to use the drive, I'd suggest buying a cheap used PCIe SAS card (something like a Dell SAS 6) on eBay. You'll need a SAS fanout cable too unless you can find an adaptor with individual SAS (SFF-8482) connectors.

The Dell SAS 6 and many other LSI Logic adaptors use the SFF-8484 4-port SAS connector. The SFF-8087 connector is also quite common - Adaptec tend to use it on their cards. Make sure you get a Host Fanout cable, not a Target Fanout one - you want to fan out from an SFF-8484 connector on the host (SAS card) to individual SFF-8482 connectors for the target (the drive). The Target Fanout goes in reverse - it's for connecting a backplane with a multi-lane connector to separate connectors on an adaptor. Read the description super-carefully and ask for clarification if it's not absolutely explicit about the type - I've got several Target Fanout cables sitting around which were incorrectly-described and would have cost more to post back to China than I would have got as a refund. There's a list of the far-too-many different SAS connector types on Wikipedia here.

 

[Jmbrown0311]

I do have an adapter for the HDD which obviously connects to the sata port, so that I have all worked out.

Which adaptor are you using? I'm not aware of any active-mode SAS to SATA converters - only cables to allow SAS backplanes to be connected to SATA ports, allowing the use of SATA drives in them without having to buy a SAS host bus adaptor. (It used to be possible to get IDE to SCSI adaptors but I doubt there would be sufficient demand for it to be worth a manufacturer's while producing a SATA to SAS one these days.)

SAS drives use a different protocol (based on SCSI) compared with SATA drives, which use an evolved version of the old ATA ("IDE") protocol. While most SAS adaptors can automatically switch to speaking SATA when a SATA drive is connected, SATA adaptors can't speak SAS, nor can SAS drives speak SATA. (For this reason, by design, a SAS power/data cable will fit a SATA drive while the reverse is not true.)

If you want to use the drive, I'd suggest buying a cheap used PCIe SAS card (something like a Dell SAS 6) on eBay. You'll need a SAS fanout cable too unless you can find an adaptor with individual SAS (SFF-8482) connectors.

The Dell SAS 6 and many other LSI Logic adaptors use the SFF-8484 4-port SAS connector. The SFF-8087 connector is also quite common - Adaptec tend to use it on their cards. Make sure you get a Host Fanout cable, not a Target Fanout one - you want to fan out from an SFF-8484 connector on the host (SAS card) to individual SFF-8482 connectors for the target (the drive). The Target Fanout goes in reverse - it's for connecting a backplane with a multi-lane connector to separate connectors on an adaptor. Read the description super-carefully and ask for clarification if it's not absolutely explicit about the type - I've got several Target Fanout cables sitting around which were incorrectly-described and would have cost more to post back to China than I would have got as a refund. There's a list of the far-too-many different SAS connector types on Wikipedia here.

WOW, thank you for the incredible detailed information. This is really helping me understand everything with a bit more clarity. I appreciate that.

Ok, so the adapter that I got is he "StarTech 18-inch SAS 29 Pin to SATA cable". I've connected it to the drive and the other end which fits to the SATA port on my mobo. So I looked at the SFF-8484 4-port SAS connector, do I need all four of those SATA ends in order to use this HDD? Sorry if my lack of understanding is mildly elementary, I know very little about these HDDs, so thank you for bearing with me on this issue. What I am understanding is, I will need that PCIe card?

 

[molletts]

WOW, thank you for the incredible detailed information. This is really helping me understand everything with a bit more clarity. I appreciate that.

Ok, so the adapter that I got is he "StarTech 18-inch SAS 29 Pin to SATA cable". I've connected it to the drive and the other end which fits to the SATA port on my mobo. So I looked at the SFF-8484 4-port SAS connector, do I need all four of those SATA ends in order to use this HDD? Sorry if my lack of understanding is mildly elementary, I know very little about these HDDs, so thank you for bearing with me on this issue. What I am understanding is, I will need that PCIe card?

Yes, you'll need a SAS host adaptor (the PCIe controller card) in order to use the drive, as your motherboard doesn't have SAS onboard. (There are a few, mainly workstation- and server-class, boards that do. They often use SATA-style connectors, which probably would have worked with the cable you have bought.)

I'd recommend getting a direct SFF-8484 (or whatever fits the card) to SAS cable rather than using a card-to-SATA one plus the existing SATA-to-SAS one. You won't need all four heads - just one for the drive. The other three can be bundled up out of the way.

Glad I've clarified things a bit - SAS can be confusing, especially given its superficial similarity to SATA and the one-way compatibility. The connectors are a mess too - why there need to be quite so many different types, I don't know.

Stephen

 

[Jmbrown0311]

WOW, thank you for the incredible detailed information. This is really helping me understand everything with a bit more clarity. I appreciate that.

Ok, so the adapter that I got is he "StarTech 18-inch SAS 29 Pin to SATA cable". I've connected it to the drive and the other end which fits to the SATA port on my mobo. So I looked at the SFF-8484 4-port SAS connector, do I need all four of those SATA ends in order to use this HDD? Sorry if my lack of understanding is mildly elementary, I know very little about these HDDs, so thank you for bearing with me on this issue. What I am understanding is, I will need that PCIe card?

Yes, you'll need a SAS host adaptor (the PCIe controller card) in order to use the drive, as your motherboard doesn't have SAS onboard. (There are a few, mainly workstation- and server-class, boards that do. They often use SATA-style connectors, which probably would have worked with the cable you have bought.)

I'd recommend getting a direct SFF-8484 (or whatever fits the card) to SAS cable rather than using a card-to-SATA one plus the existing SATA-to-SAS one. You won't need all four heads - just one for the drive. The other three can be bundled up out of the way.

Glad I've clarified things a bit - SAS can be confusing, especially given its superficial similarity to SATA and the one-way compatibility. The connectors are a mess too - why there need to be quite so many different types, I don't know.

Stephen

You definitely have clarified a few key points that I was completely unaware of. Again, thank you.

Jordan