2.5 to 3.5 Adapter, drive not detected in BIOS

nobb

Senior member
May 22, 2005
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0
I bought a 2.5 to 3.5 drive adapter to use a notebook drive in a desktop. I have tried plugging in the notebook drive boths ways but the motherboard does not detect anything. I can connect a normal drive to the IDE channel, and it works just fine, so I know the IDE channel isnt dead. I also know the laptop drive is not dead because it works in an external enclosure. I can hear the drive spinning when the computer boots, its just not detected.

Why is this not working?
 

corkyg

Elite Member | Peripherals
Super Moderator
Mar 4, 2000
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Aside from the adapter, the 2.5 in drive has a master/slave jumper. Very small. It is defaulted to Master. Unless you have a small jumper, it must be installed as a master in order for it to be "seen."
 

nobb

Senior member
May 22, 2005
237
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0
Yes, I didnt attach any jumper. According to the picture, leaving the four pins empty is "master of single." Ive even tried cable select.
 

Zap

Elite Member
Oct 13, 1999
22,377
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Originally posted by: nobb
I have tried plugging in the notebook drive boths ways but the motherboard does not detect anything.

Uh oh! Some of the pins are power pins and if oriented the wrong way, bad things may happen.
 

corkyg

Elite Member | Peripherals
Super Moderator
Mar 4, 2000
27,370
240
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Zap is right. There is only one way because of the power pins. If you reverse the adapter and apply power, you may have fried the drive.

Adapter

This is the only way it goes.

 

0roo0roo

No Lifer
Sep 21, 2002
64,795
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yup i had one of those, plugs in like that. annoying that its not keyed on the laptop side.

 

Zepper

Elite Member
May 1, 2001
18,998
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Yup, hard drives hook up only one way (esp notebook drives as there is raw +5V power on the connector, even the rawest noob should know that. Else snapz und kracken mit spitz und sparken are possible... Sometimes you can get away with it on desktop drives as there are only low current, TTL, level signals on it and most devices on the PCB will have current limiting on the output, so generally they just won't work if hooked upside down. Notebook drive connectors definitely should be keyed. Unfortunately one can't rely on it.

Hey Corky,

Still getting "Unauthorized referrer" crapola from Bbzzdd. Please use a different site for posting pix so all can see them. Thanks.
PS: I just went to bbzzdd and looked at all the other public pictures (Hall of Fame, Last 25, Best Recent 25, Random, etc.) and was able to view ALL of the other pix except yours (which was also in the Last 25). Yours throws the UA message right from the host site, which couldn't get more Authorized. Ta da - Corky is the problem. Isn't it always the way... ;)

.bh.