SATA Hot Swappable

  • Thread starter Thread starter gypsy3001
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gypsy3001

Is SATA drives hot swappable?
I got a drive that I installed into an external SATA enclosure that I
made myself. It uses a standard SATA cable to a SATA PCI board with
both internal and external connectors. I use Windows XP. Is it ok to
unplug the drive while the computer is on? Or must I shut down the
computer every time?

Chieh
 
Previously said:
Is SATA drives hot swappable?
Click to expand...

Hardwara and drive firmware: Yes.
Controller firmware (BIOS): Depends
OS: Depends. On Linux currently no, but it is being worked on.
I got a drive that I installed into an external SATA enclosure that I
made myself. It uses a standard SATA cable to a SATA PCI board with
both internal and external connectors. I use Windows XP. Is it ok to
unplug the drive while the computer is on? Or must I shut down the
computer every time?
Click to expand...

You cannot damage the hardware. You can damage the data on the drive.
You need to tell your OS before you unplug a drive. On Unix that would
be u(n)mounting it. There must be some similar operation for
XP. Maybe configure it as a removable drive in device manager
and eject it before unplugging?

Arno
 
What model of SATA controller? Hot swap is an optional feature of SATA2+.

Proper support of hot swap should include the device in "unplug hardware" on system tray.
 
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