How do you use this Rosewill USB Sata Dock?

[LOUISSSSS]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-196-_-Product
Rosewill RX-DU100 2.5” & 3.5” SATA to USB2.0 Hard Drive Docking - Retail

I plugged the power in, plugged the usb in, inserted the hard drive, checked my computer. Nothing there.

Do i need to restart? isn't it quick removal-able?

 

[Engineer]

Did you turn it on using the power button on the back after plugging your drive in?

I have a Thermaltake BlacX which looks just like this. I plug the drive in, plug the USB to the PC and then power the unit on with the power on button. To shut down, I tell windows to safely remove hardware (taskbar) and then turn it off, eject the drive and then unplug from USB.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

yep i did just that, plug in drive, then power on the button. i feel the HDD spin up and the power LED comes on. But i dont see any drive come up in "My Computer" (using XP 32)

 

[Zap]

Try it in this order:

- plug AC adapter into dock
- insert HDD into dock
- power on dock
- plug USB cable into dock and computer

I've encountered some cheap external adapters/docks/enclosures that need to be powered on before the USB gets connected or the computer won't detect the drive. My wild guess is that the cheap AC adapters they include is unable to spin up the HDD properly or in time for Windows to detect it.

Alternately try some other USB ports. Also make sure no other external USB storage device is plugged in. I have a Rosewill 2 drive external USB enclosure that conflicts with a Kingston USB flash drive. When both are plugged in to the same computer, the second one does not detect.

 

[E6700]

u need to create partition in the disk management.

 

[Engineer]

u need to create partition in the disk management.

Damn, I always forget that one too. Good chance that this is it.

 

[Zap]

u need to create partition in the disk management.

DOH!

Well, ahem, I was just assuming that, you know, LOUISSSSS would have known that already. Yeah, that's the ticket! :sneaky:

 

[LOUISSSSS]

i knew you needed to format and make the partition. didn't know it required a reboot and a couple of drive removals from the dock.

 

[magreen]

ok, y'all, I'm going to ask an unrelated stupid question that's been bugging me for awhile now.
How the heck do you protect the circuitry on the back of the hdd when it's plugged into a dock like this?

I noticed that the photos of the Thermaltake version of this always show a hdd that has most of its circuitry covered nicely. (e.g. http://thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?S=1268&ID=1731)

But when I look at photos of actual hdds on newegg, they've got lots of exposed circuitry that doesn't look like it'd be covered when plugged into these things.

for example, look at the pics of the circuitboard side of this wd blue hdd:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136073

Can somebody set me straight? thanx

 

[Beautiful_Life]

ok, y'all, I'm going to ask an unrelated stupid question that's been bugging me for awhile now.
How the heck do you protect the circuitry on the back of the hdd when it's plugged into a dock like this?

I noticed that the photos of the Thermaltake version of this always show a hdd that has most of its circuitry covered nicely. (e.g. http://thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?S=1268&ID=1731)

But when I look at photos of actual hdds on newegg, they've got lots of exposed circuitry that doesn't look like it'd be covered when plugged into these things.

for example, look at the pics of the circuitboard side of this wd blue hdd:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136073

Can somebody set me straight? thanx

Why do you need to? I haven't had a desktop for a long time, but I'm pretty sure when you slot in your HDD into a bay if there is or screw it into that metal casing, that circuit is pretty much exposed. The fan blocking air in and out of the desktop doesn't affect it.

I've ran 2.5" HDDs outside any casing, just cables and it does well.

Stuff nowdays are more durable than you think they are. My friend used to play throwing disc with his PS1 collection until they were pretty scratched and it all worked very well when we played it.

 

[RebateMonger]

How the heck do you protect the circuitry on the back of the hdd when it's plugged into a dock like this?

I doubt that most folks do anything special. I keep the circuitry turned away from where I'll be working and try not to bang the disk or the dock. I always use these docks while they are sitting on the floor. Putting them on a table is asking for them to fall off, unless you have a well-protected area where that's impossible. (And I don't have that.) It's too easy to catch on a power or data cable and pull the dock off the table.

 

[magreen]

Why do you need to? I haven't had a desktop for a long time, but I'm pretty sure when you slot in your HDD into a bay if there is or screw it into that metal casing, that circuit is pretty much exposed. The fan blocking air in and out of the desktop doesn't affect it.

I've ran 2.5" HDDs outside any casing, just cables and it does well.
...

static electricity when somebody touches it.
that can't happen inside a case. That's why you put things in a case.

I doubt that most folks do anything special. I keep the circuitry turned away from where I'll be working and try not to bang the disk or the dock. I always use these docks while they are sitting on the floor. Putting them on a table is asking for them to fall off, unless you have a well-protected area where that's impossible. (And I don't have that.) It's too easy to catch on a power or data cable and pull the dock off the table.

So it really does have exposed circuitry and you'd have to ground yourself before touching the back of the drive while it's in the dock? That makes me think I don't want to buy something like this.

 

[RebateMonger]

SATA docks work well for folks who have a lot of disks they want to quickly swap and don't want to pay $40 apiece for good-quality enclosure with fans and don't want to worry about what will happen during a twenty-hour disk transfer if the cooling fan fails.

 

[jjmIII]

How the heck do you protect the circuitry on the back of the hdd when it's plugged into a dock like this?

By not touching it?

 

[magreen]

By not touching it?

great, and you don't need a computer case either. just lay the components out on a table. if that works for you on a long term basis, fine. most people are more risk-averse than that -- just like your heart is inside your ribcage for protection and your brain is inside your skull. there's a reason for that.

SATA docks work well for folks who have a lot of disks they want to quickly swap and don't want to pay $40 apiece for good-quality enclosure with fans and don't want to worry about what will happen during a twenty-hour disk transfer if the cooling fan fails.

ok, thanks for the heads up. seems like i might have to go for one of those good-quality enclosures. though i did see a picture of a sata dock with a vertical piece of plastic sticking up behind the hdd. I assume that's to protect the circuitboard from being touched? that might be good enough for me.

 

[RebateMonger]

...though i did see a picture of a sata dock with a vertical piece of plastic sticking up behind the hdd.

Link, please?

great, and you don't need a computer case either. just lay the components out on a table. if that works for you on a long term basis, fine. most people are more risk-averse than that -- .

SATA Docks aren't something you'd hand to your kids to use. They have to be used with care. They have a purpose, which may or may not meet your needs. Their closest replacement is a simple SATA-to-USB converter cable, which leaves the disk completely bare and with cables laying all over the place.

Personally, I doubt I'll ever buy another external disk enclosure for my own use. But I wouldn't hand a SATA Dock to a client to use. They use docking stations, but those use a $30 disk tray that protects the disk during handling and they use a padded case to transport the disk/tray.

 

[magreen]

Link, please?


SATA Docks aren't something you'd hand to your kids to use. They have to be used with care. They have a purpose, which may or may not meet your needs. Their closest replacement is a simple SATA-to-USB converter cable, which leaves the disk completely bare and with cables laying all over the place.

Personally, I doubt I'll ever buy another external disk enclosure for my own use. But I wouldn't hand a SATA Dock to a client to use. They use docking stations, but those use a $30 disk tray that protects the disk during handling and they use a padded case to transport the disk/tray.

I could be wrong on these things, but...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817388022
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817242001
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817801045
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817797001

 

[RebateMonger]

Those are new. Don't know who's making them, but they sure have horrible reviews (except for the Syba)!