Thread: Connecting Laptop Hard drives to PC Mobo

Yes, I bought a $10 adaptor that converts the 20 pin IDE connector to the 20 pin connection that the 2.5 “ notebooks use. All the pins seem to be the same (following the traces on the PCB. The only difference besides the addition of two pins for power (+5 and Ground) seems to be the difference in header pin spacing. The PCB has a conventional power connector, and a LED with 6-inch leads attached to a two-pin header on the PCB.

I found mine at. WWW.NANOSYS1.COM
However, I am sure others sell them.





P.S. I bought this converter this spring after finding a 2 gig IBM hard drive! The Hard drive was buried in a pile of sand at the bottom of a melting snow bank in a parking lot at the University of Minnesota! The notebook hard drive, after my brother (without permission) backed up my family’s hard drive and formatting it, decided to “go up in smoke”.



-Jiggy

Yes, I bought a $10 adaptor that converts the 20 pin IDE connector to the 20 pin connection that the 2.5 “ notebooks use. All the pins seem to be the same (following the traces on the PCB. The only difference besides the addition of two pins for power (+5 and Ground) seems to be the difference in header pin spacing. The PCB has a conventional power connector, and a LED with 6-inch leads attached to a two-pin header on the PCB.

I found mine at. WWW.NANOSYS1.COM
However, I am sure others sell them.





P.S. I bought this converter this spring after finding a 2 gig IBM hard drive! The Hard drive was buried in a pile of sand at the bottom of a melting snow bank in a parking lot at the University of Minnesota! The notebook hard drive, after my brother (without permission) backed up my family’s hard drive and formatting it, decided to “go up in smoke”.



-Jiggy

Does that mean your not using it anymore? I can't find one of those adapters listed on nanosys's webpage. I'll buy it from you if your interested in selling it.

I called them, they told me that you would have to call them and order it using a credit card [ (612) 331-3690 ]. One of the guy's there isn’t too bright, so if they tell you they don't have them they’re wrong. It is called a Micro IDE to IDE converter and costs $ 9.99. They are going to screw you on the shipping. Find out how much a one-pound box will cost shipped from Minneapolis, MN to your hometown. They figure it will be between $6 to $7.
My advice is to call around your hometown and ask all the computer stores if they can get them. I am sure it is going to be cheaper then $17 dollars. E-mail me if you still want mine. I have two but I will have to try and find them. martinmn@sprintmail.com

-Jiggy

Can anyone explain to me why the hell you would want to use a laptop hard disk with a normal PC??

laptop hard drives are rated for a MUCH higher shock resistance while operational. so when i'm pulling 3 or 4G's in my car i don't have to worry about my music skipping. no, really i think its more of a concern for the health of the hard drive. technically hard drives shouldn't be used in most cars (because of the shock to the heads), or in my case because of the driving style of the driver. >;')

Thanks all you guys for replying to my post with very informative answers.
Inmytree: laptop drives are smaller than normal 3.5" hard drives in size. And also like the other gentleman has pointed out they an withstand shocks better than regular IDE hard drives.

Thanks all you guys for replying to my post with very informative answers.
Inmytree: laptop drives are smaller than normal 3.5" hard drives in size. And also like the other gentleman has pointed out they an withstand shocks better than regular IDE hard drives.

I think the main point of not using a laptop HD in a normal PC is the much higher cost.
for $130 you can get 16.8 gigs i don't think
that'll get you 6 gigs even for a laptop HD unless you find some really good deal.
By the way you'd be surprised just how much shock a normal HD can take if you mount it properly. $260 can get you 27.3 gigs heh granted the drive is considerably larger and
more prone to shock than a laptop HD but the storage space outweighs that problem in my mind (i've been running normal HD's for over 6 months under normla car conditions [NO OFFROADING or speed bumps at 90mph] and so far no problems)

-Frank Grayson