Install an SSD alongside the HDD
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ddb24
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ddb24 Posted messages 31 Status Member -
ddb24 Posted messages 31 Status Member -
I want to install an SSD but keep the HDD for data. I only have two SATA connectors on my motherboard, one for the hard drive and the other for the CD-DVD drive.
Can I install another SATA connector to plug in the SSD? I've heard about adding a specific SSD card. Is that possible? Where can I find this kind of card?
Thank you in advance.
ddb24
Can I install another SATA connector to plug in the SSD? I've heard about adding a specific SSD card. Is that possible? Where can I find this kind of card?
Thank you in advance.
ddb24
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And the reverse operation wouldn't change anything to the problem since your mechanical hard drive will also likely be a 2.5 inches (or more) and still SATA.
However, if it's just backups on the second hard drive then at a lower cost, yes you can:
> buy an external hard drive enclosure
About 10 to 20 euros
It's like an external hard drive but empty and you put the disk you want inside.
Choose the right size and USB 3
(for the size, let's hope that the SSD and hard drive you have are both 2.5 inches. It should be visible)
> put the SSD in the external enclosure
> clone the HDD to the SSD
> replace the HDD in the PC with the freshly cloned SSD
Ensure proper functioning, that the cloning was successful.
> if everything is okay, put the HDD in the external enclosure, format it and use it for your backups.
What physical size is the current hard drive in your PC?
2.5 is like the SSD and 3.5 is bigger.
And its storage capacity would also be good to know.
Or its reference and we will know everything. -
Hello,
Indeed, there are such cards, like PCI for example, but I don't know how they perform. https://www.amazon.co.uk/SEDNA-Express-PCIe-SATA-Adapter/dp/B00FVXMGTY After that, I am surprised by a motherboard with only two SATA... -
Thank you doubly, both for the speed and for the precision.
As for the price, it doesn't cost anything to try.
Thanks again and well done.
ddb24. -
You need to buy an HDD disk adapter to keep your data and install the SSD in your PC for a quick Windows boot.
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You need to buy an HDD disk adapter to keep your data and install the SSD in your PC to benefit from a quick Windows startup.
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Hello,
You will also need a USB key (blank) to create the bootable Windows key.
Best regards,
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Seagate Technology | Official Forums Team
IronWolf drives for NAS Applications - SkyHawk drives for Surveillance - BarraCuda drives for PC and gaming -
Is it a laptop or a desktop PC? If it's a desktop PC, you should, in principle, have more than 2 SATA connectors.
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Misnaming things adds to the world's misery (Albert Camus) -
Good evening,
It would be simpler if you provided your PC's reference or your motherboard's reference.
That would be a concrete response.
Auto message
If you are here, it means you don't know, so... ;-)
Mini Regarding the volunteers who are helping you: Answer, Respect, Politeness,... -
Information to understand, visualize, and review what you have and what you intended to do.
To visualize the two types of Kingston A400 SSDs:
This is the 2.5-inch model with SATA connection
https://www.ldlc.com/fiche/PB00228337.html
This is the A400 as well, but in M2
https://www.ldlc.com/fiche/PB00292625.html
You have their description and technical sheet on the provided pages to understand the differences.
So, completely different size and connection
the different types of connections /
the different possible sizes for M2 and all the different formats and types of disks explained simply on the following page /
https://www.comparez-malin.fr/blog/bien-choisir-son-pc-portable-avec-un-disque-dur-ssd-m-2-sata-nvme/
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Take the PCIe Card Adapter based on your type of SSD (or change SSD), check the ports, connections, and also see the size of this card to ensure it fits in your PC.
This gives you an overview.
Ask again once you have assessed the information. -
Good evening,
for me the simplest solution is to install the SSD in place of the 500GB HDD and to use the latter with an external USB enclosure like this one:
https://www.cdiscount.com/informatique/composants-informatiques/bluestork-boitier-externe-disque-dur-3-5-sata-ou/f-1071311-blu3760162056181.html?idOffre=192231211-
close answer at the same time, ball in the center ;-)
however, the enclosure you mentioned is for a 3.5-inch hard drive and has a USB 2 interface which is worse than USB 3.
plus the IDE option which he doesn't need and makes the enclosure more expensive
his SSD is 2.5 inches but we don't know the size of his hard drive in the PC, information that is necessary before deciding on an enclosure.
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If the adapter I pointed out to you on LDLC is too expensive, you have the one mentioned by another person on Amazon France which is cheaper:
https://www.amazon.fr/Sedna-Adaptateur-dalimentation-int%C3%A9gr%C3%A9e-Connecteur/dp/B0147BU80O/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?__mk_fr_FR=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&keywords=SEDNA+PCI+Express+%28PCIe%29+SATA+III+%286G%29+SSD+Adapter&qid=1580430726&s=computers&sr=1-1-fkmr1
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To misname things is to add to the world’s misery (Albert Camus) -
To clone (for free) you have Macrium Reflect
Here’s the tutorial > https://www.malekal.com/clone-disque-hdd-ssd-macrium-reflect/
Advice: Since your SSD is 480 GB (actually a bit less) and your HDD is 500 GB.
You should reduce by 30 or 50 GB, depending on free space, the partition(s) of your HDD, just to make sure it fits well and completely into the SSD.
I’m not just talking about making space by removing some documents, but actually reducing a partition.
This can be done in Windows Disk Management.
https://lecrabeinfo.net/redimensionner-agrandir-reduire-une-partition-sur-windows.html#reduire-une-partition
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If you are here, it means you don't know, so... ;-)
Mini In regards to the volunteers who help you: Reply, Respect, Politeness,...-
"Given that your SSD is 480 GB (so actually a bit less) and your HDD is 500 GB".
Not necessarily. It’s the content of the drive that is copied, not the drive itself. If his HDD is not full, it won't be essential to reduce the content. He just needs to go to Windows Explorer to see how many GB are occupied by what is on the HDD. He will know if everything will fit into the SSD or not. -
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Macrium does it; it doesn't care about partition sizes. I've already cloned a 500 GB disk (with a single partition) onto a 250 GB SSD. ;)
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Hello everyone,
I see that there have been new exchanges regarding my issue.
Let me reassure you right away, I am not a complete novice.
I don't need to know whether the software can resize or not. However, personally, I know what it means to create, shrink, or enlarge a partition: I do it regularly, either directly with Windows or rather with EaseUS Partition Master, which I actually prefer and have been using for quite a number of years. But I haven't had to use it recently.
On the other hand, I only discovered cloning recently.
So here's where I stand.
I cloned my 500 GB HDD (3 partitions) onto my 480 GB SSD. Indeed; it wasn't full and I could very well have cloned it onto a 240 GB one.
I started by doing it with Macrium Reflect. It went very well but it is in English (unless I just couldn't find how to switch it to French!).
Then, thanks to the links you provided, I realized that I could also do it with EaseUS Todo Backup. Again, everything went smoothly, I got the same result but I was able to follow the process in French.
Currently, the adapter with the SSD is installed and everything seems to be working normally; I hope it lasts.
All I have left to do is reinstall the HDD after removing the system to store only the data.
Oh! Yes! I almost forgot. I cloned my Windows 7 Pro that I want to keep despite the end of updates.
Thank you again for the help you provided me,
ddb24. -
Good evening everyone,
Thank you for all these answers: I didn't know that there were adapters for HDDs; where can we find them: on Amazon?
Yes, Epango, it's a desktop PC, it's only 3 years old and unfortunately there are only two SATA connectors on the motherboard, one for the hard drive and one for the CD/DVD. I've also seen two connectors that seem to be for a card, maybe a graphics card or an adapter. Unfortunately, I've misplaced the documents that were in the delivery box.
ddb24-
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It's really strange to have only 2 SATA connectors; is it a mini tower?
Does the DVD drive still serve you? If not, get rid of it.
But if you're going to install a daughter card for an SSD, you might as well choose one that supports the M.2 SSD format, if you have a PCI Express 4X connector, of course.
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Good evening everyone and thank you again for your responses.
Your remark is absolutely correct, Mr. gugu01, and I should have thought of it, but it could have been requested more politely.
The PC is an ASUS and the motherboard has the reference AM1M-A, it is not a mini-tower and I use the CD/DVD drive a lot.
Best regards,
Good night to you,
ddb24-
"but it could have been asked more politely."
Nothing mean ;-) unless you took the second line to mean "your answers," whereas it was supposed to mean the answers we provide will be more precise and on whether we know the equipment. -
Indeed, this motherboard only has 2 SATA ports. It has 2 PCI-Express 1X ports. You could use a PCI-Express 1X controller card like this one:
https://www.amazon.fr/MZHOU-Adaptateur-Support-Profil-Complet/dp/B07NSVNS1T/ref=pd_sbs_23_t_0/260-6963868-0853213?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07NSVNS1T&pd_rd_r=2df3adc5-3d93-4e3b-934c-a5a9adc65561&pd_rd_w=a1bAv&pd_rd_wg=caPLF&pf_rd_p=9b28d941-c13a-4c2b-b935-36854aa20020&pf_rd_r=TYX1DYQX7R01ZTKWHSQF&psc=1&refRID=TYX1DYQX7R01ZTKWHSQF
and choose an NVMe SSD.
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Hello everyone, it's me again.
Thank you once again for your responses.
My SSD is a Kingston A400 of 480 GB, but I haven't seen anywhere what kind it is, NVMe or otherwise. I tried to send you the label but I couldn't manage. I also saw in the description on Amazon that "This adapter is not compatible with PCIe B Key M.2 SSDs or SATA B Key M.2 SSDs." What do you think? I think I'm still going to order the card, it will either work or it won't, we'll see.
Best regards.
ddb24-
You should have told us that you had already bought the SSD. The Kingston A400 is a standard 2.5" SATA SSD. Therefore, it is not compatible with the card I proposed to you. Maybe this card:
https://www.ldlc.com/fiche/PB00285870.html
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Good evening,
Thank you for this new information.
In conclusion, it seems practically impossible for me to connect my Kingston A400 SSD (which I don’t want to change) using an adapter on the motherboard. I can only replace the existing 500GB mechanical hard drive and reinstall the system and applications there.
I will recover this drive as an external HDD by putting it in an enclosure and formatting it for backups.
Unless I can perform the reverse operation of what we have been discussing from the beginning, namely connecting the mechanical hard drive to the motherboard if there is an adapter that allows for this operation.
Thanks again for your help.
Good night,
ddb24-
You can put your 2.5-inch SATA SSD on an "adapter" (if it physically fits in your PC)
Message https://forums.commentcamarche.net/forum/affich-36427049-installer-un-ssd-en-plus-du-hdd#17 and https://forums.commentcamarche.net/forum/affich-36427049-installer-un-ssd-en-plus-du-hdd#1 provide you with links for the "adapter" that works for a 2.5-inch SATA.
I wasn't aware of the prices, but from what I see, the part adapter for a 2.5-inch seems more expensive compared to the one for an M2, which seems cheaper. -
"Ultimately, I conclude that it seems practically impossible for me to connect my Kingston A400 SSD (which I don't want to change) using an adapter to the motherboard."
Have you properly checked the controller card in my second link? If you had, you would have seen that it has a slot for a 2.5" SATA SSD.
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Alright! Here we go again! I'm learning so much with you!
I’m going back to my first idea, for which I was initially advised by “T3chNOg3n” to check this link
https://www.amazon.co.uk/SEDNA-Express-PCIe-SATA-Adapter/dp/B00FVXMGTY that you reminded me of, gugu01.
I had noticed the connection but was unsure if there was enough space, but I discovered this page:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Express-Adapter-Circuit-connector-included/dp/B0147BU80O/ref=pd_aw_sbs_147_2/257-6059385-6978544?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0147BU80O&pd_rd_r=75fdb5b5-8266-4457-b35e-9fe77a77885e&pd_rd_w=9zQD4&pd_rd_wg=mpKsu&pf_rd_p=0208d703-a674-4413-8899-c3889837d212&pf_rd_r=EBEWW1YGVHCH0MM05HT9&psc=1&refRID=EBEWW1YGVHCH0MM05HT9
which is very clear. However, I'm not sure which of the two adapters I should choose as they are not quite identical.
What do you think? It may not matter!
If I stick to my second idea of using an external drive via USB, it is a traditional 3.5-inch 500GB drive and I already have the ventilated enclosure to install it. I have done this type of operation before but thank you anyway for the reminder of the method.
And thank you very much for your understanding and all the help you’re giving me.
ddb24.-
What you show in your two links is the same product, okay for you.
(just a different photo)
I reminded you of message 1 but also the 17 from epango which gave this https://www.ldlc.com/fiche/PB00285870.html
Yes, there’s no favoritism
It’s the same type of product, okay for you.
You need PCI Express with a rack for 2.5" SATA HDD/SSD
Pci E is for the connection to your motherboard
2.5 inches is for the physical size of your SSD
SATA is for the corresponding connector for your SSD connection
So these three criteria must be met.
Plus the size of the card, since you have a mini PC, if the dimensions are given, make sure it fits well in your case.
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Good evening and thank you,
I'm sorry for the late reply.
Yes, epango, the adapter on LDLC is a bit expensive; I will order the one from Amazon for 43.50 that seems suitable.
Thanks again for all your help,
ddb24. -
That was indeed my intention.
I should receive the part in a day or two.
One more point to clarify.
"LePikaDuCoin_YT" mentioned cloning. I would be okay with that, it should save time for the reinstallation, but my knowledge doesn't go that far: how to proceed, with which software?
Thank you for shedding light on this again.
Best regards,
ddb24.-
Cloning generally involves copying the C drive to the SSD. This way, there is no need to reinstall everything. Some manufacturers have their own cloning software, such as Data Migration for Samsung SSDs. There are also general ones:
https://lebonantivirus.com/meilleurs-logiciels-de-clonage-de-disque-dur-gratuit/
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