How To Install and Troubleshoot Serial ATA (SATA) Hard Drives

Serial ATA interface disc drives are designed for easy installation. It is not necessary to set any jumpers, terminators, or other settings on this drive for proper operation. The jumper block adjacent to the SATA interface connector on SATA 150-MB/s drives is for factory use only. The jumper block adjacent to the SATA interface connector on SATA 300-MB/s drives can be used to force the drive into SATA 150-MB/s mode for use with older SATA controllers that only work with SATA 150-MB/s drives.

With a Serial ATA interface, each disc drive has its own cable that connects directly to a Serial ATA host adapter or a Serial ATA port on your motherboard. Unlike Parallel ATA, there is no master/slave relationship between drives that use a Serial ATA interface.

You can use a Serial ATA drive in the same system with Parallel ATA drives, as long as both interfaces are supported on the motherboard or with a host adapter. This makes it easy to add Serial ATA compatibility to your existing system without removing existing Parallel ATA disc drives.

Installation in a Windows System

Note: For a slideshow of the Serial ATA installation process, please visit our Serial ATA Installation Basics page.

What You Need

A Phillips screwdriver and four 6-32 UNC drive mounting screws.
A Serial ATA interface cable (sold separately). Maximum length is 39 inches (1 metre).
A Serial ATA-compatible power cable or adapter (sold separately).
A version of Windows with FAT32 or NTFS file system.
A system with a motherboard that has a Serial ATA connector on it, or a Serial ATA host adapter and available PCI slot in which to install the adapter.

Refer to your computer system documentation to see if your system supports Serial ATA on the motherboard, and to locate the Serial ATA connector. If your system does not have a Serial ATA connector on the motherboard, you must purchase a Serial ATA host adapter that is compatible with your computer and operating system, and install it with the appropriate device driver according to the host adapter manufacturer's installation instructions.

Note: See our list of companies that sell Serial ATA components including host adapters, cables, and power adapters.

Handling Precautions

Disc drives are fragile. Do not drop or jar the drive. Handle the drive only by the edges or the frame. Keep the drive in the protective anti-static container until you are ready to install it to minimise handling damage.
Drive electronics are extremely sensitive to static electricity. While installing the drive, wear a wrist strap and cable connected to the ground.
Turn off the power to the host system during installation.
Do not disassemble the drive, as doing so voids the warranty.
Do not apply pressure or attach labels to the circuit board or to the top of the drive.

Attaching Cables and Mounting the Drive

Attach one end of the drive interface cable to the Serial ATA interface connector on your computer's motherboard or Serial ATA host adapter (see your computer manual for connector locations). Host adapter configuration is shown below.
Note: Serial ATA connectors are keyed to ensure correct orientation.
Attach the interface and power cables to the drive.
Secure the drive using four 6-32 UNC mounting screws in either the side-mounting or bottom-mounting holes. Insert the screws no more than 0.20 inches (5.08 mm) into the bottom-mounting holes and no more than 0.14 inches (3.55 mm) into the side-mounting holes.
Note: Do not overtighten the screws or use metric screws, as this may damage the drive.

Configuring the BIOS

Close your computer case and restart your computer. Your computer may automatically detect your new drive. If your computer does not automatically detect your new drive, follow the steps below:

Restart your computer. While the computer restarts, run the system setup program (sometimes called BIOS or CMOS setup). This is usually done by pressing a special key, such as DELETE, ESC, or F1 during the startup process.
Within the system setup program, instruct the system to auto detect your new drive.
Save the settings and exit the setup program. When your computer restarts, it should recognise your new drive. If your system still doesn't recognise your new drive, see the troubleshooting section on the back of this sheet.
Note: Serial ATA is a new interface type. Some older systems may see the drive and classify it as a SCSI device if you are using a Serial ATA host adapter. This is normal even though this is not a SCSI disc drive. Many systems’ BIOS will not identify a Serial ATA drive connected to a PCI SATA host adapter. This is because a PCI SATA Host Adapter has its own BIOS, which is used to identify hard drives connected to it and is separate from the BIOS of the computer. To determine whether or not the SATA Host Adapter is detecting the Serial ATA hard drive, please consult the documentation provided by the Serial ATA Host Adapter’s manufacturer. This does not affect drive performance or capacity.

Microsoft Operating System Installation Instructions

For detailed information about installing a Microsoft operating system on your new Seagate drive, refer to the Microsoft Knowledge Base article references below. To locate an article, go to http://support.microsoft.com and enter the article number in any search box on the Microsoft website.

Operating System	Microsoft Knowledge Base Article Numbers
Windows XP	313348
Windows 2000/NT	308209 See also: 175761
Windows Me/98/95	255867 See also: 166172

Troubleshooting

If your drive is not working properly, please visit the SATA Hard Drive Troubleshooter.