Can a computer (win XP, without SATA support) read data from an external SATA hard disk via usb HDD enclosure?

February 10, 2010 - 5:37 pm

My old PC’s mainboard doesn’t support SATA hdd. I want to take data from an laptop’s hard disk (SATA) via an HDD enclosure (usb port). But when I plug in, nothing happen. I wonder if it is possible?

sata drives in enclosures need more power than the old ide drives and more than a usb port can support even with its own power supply, either get a usb cable with two usb connectors on one end or sometimes plugging the cable into the pc first then into the enclosure works as the power is in the cable and there is less delay in booting the drive

6 Responses to “Can a computer (win XP, without SATA support) read data from an external SATA hard disk via usb HDD enclosure?”

  1. TechOfAJob Says:

    yes an adapter

    there 5$ on ebay
    References :

  2. Ray C Says:

    Yes its possible, the HDD enclosure has a built in sata controller. Your computer just sees it as a usb mass storage device
    References :

  3. Dick Says:

    XP will recognize your SATA HDD in the external enclosure since the SATA support is built into the enclosure. The data on the HDD is simply read by the drives heads and has nothing to do with XP.

    Leave your enclosure plugged in to both the power outlet and the USB port and reboot your PC. When it reboots it should see the new hardware and recognize it.

    Hope this helps
    References :
    23 Years PC Experience and IT Support.

  4. Piperon Says:

    Alternatively, you need to update the Windows drivers. You need the SATA driver. Search with google, you will get one.
    References :

  5. 9121 Says:

    Yes, it should be no problem. The problem is that you may need to install drivers for the hard disk enclosure on the computer. Also ensure that you are using USB 2.0 ports.
    References :

  6. Harley Drive Says:

    sata drives in enclosures need more power than the old ide drives and more than a usb port can support even with its own power supply, either get a usb cable with two usb connectors on one end or sometimes plugging the cable into the pc first then into the enclosure works as the power is in the cable and there is less delay in booting the drive
    References :

Leave a Reply