Changing HDD in Laptop

ChuckleVision_2

Hello.

I've recently received a replacement HDD from eBuyer for my harddrive (used in a Dell Inspirion 2000).

They have sent me a PATA drive (which is not detected), but I'm sure I had a SATA drive in it before.

Does anyone know if both types are compatible? Spec just says ATA drive (Wiki spec: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dell_Inspiron#Inspiron_6000)

spud17

Is it a 2000 or 6000?

Just found 2000 uses IDE.

IDE,PATA and ATA are different terms for the same thing, SATA is completely different

ChuckleVision_2

Whoops....

Yes it is a 6000.

I've been sent a HM160HC (160GB/5400rpm/8M/PATA) - but the laptop does not detect it at all.

CHR15

Are you saying you bought the laptop from Ebuyer, which now has problems, and ebuyer have sent you a replacement hard drive??

I would have thought they would have taken the entire laptop back for repair.

As above, SATA and PATA have different connectors so I can't see how you managed to connect the wrong one in the first place.

assuming (!!) you do have the correct type, the new hard drive wouldn't do anything when it is connected as far as booting is concerned as it will be blank. The restore partition normally found on laptops will be missing.

Is it detected in BIOS ??

You would have to boot the laptop with a Windows disk inserted having set the laptop to boot from CD First, and began a fresh install of Windows... formatting the disk along the way.

spud17

According to your link, the 6000 also uses ide, so is correct.

+1 for CHR15, can't add anything, you have to 'initialise' the disk, usually this is done automatically when you do a clean install, using a Windows disk.

ChuckleVision_2

Thanks for your help guys.

A while ago I bought a new hardrive for the laptop from eBuyer (original gave up the ghost). It worked fine, did a fresh install etc.

That drive went faulty last month and I have been sent a replacement - the exact same drive was out of stock so they sent me this one that is not detected by the BIOS. This has made me think that I should have been sent a SATA (but from what you say I'm probably wrong on this).

If a PATA should work on this laptop and this one is not detected then I suppose this is just DOA? (I'll have to get a caddy to see if it does work).

fwor

As CHR15 says, you'll know straight away if they sent a PATA drive and you actually needed SATA - the connectors are completely different.

Some makes of BIOS do not cope with a change of drive automatically. I've come across one type where you have to go to the AutoDetect option in the BIOS HDD setup screen and hit enter before drive size and geometry are detected and the drive becomes usable.

May be worth another look in the BIOS to see if this applies to yours.