Laptop DVD into SATA desktop

[Magnum]

Will a laptop DVD burner work in a SATA type desktop system ?

Thanks.

[FORTRANS]

Hi,

   If it is SATA and has a compatible power connecter, then yes.
Laptops can use proprietary power connections.

Regards,

Steve N.

[Magnum]

It's a compaq R4000.

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c00364919.pdf

I don't think it will have a SATA type DVD burner looking at the removal method.

Andy

[dedndave]

DVD burners were generally PATA (IDE)
and - most desktops have 2 IDE ports for that reason - even the ones that have SATA drives
blu-ray drives are a little different
but - you may need an adapter, if the connector doesn't match up

[Magnum]

I can't find an adaptor for it, so I took a pic of the back of the DVD burner.

Computers have gotten a little more complicated than I am used to. 

http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b516/drew77580/LaptopDVD_Connection_zps4c33885a.jpg

[dedndave]

see if this looks right (2 pictures)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/350769214305?lpid=82

[Magnum]

I am not sure if this would work unless there is a "male" type connection behind a door. 

If it is, would I then get a ribbon cable to connect this to the right slot on the motherboard ?

Andy

[dedndave]

that seems logical - there is a male 40-pin on the reverse side of the PCB

[Magnum]

thanks a lot. I send an email to the ebay seller about the item.

Andy

[Magnum]

What I found for the desktop that I am trying to bring back to life.

Compaq   

PC SR5123 WM

Prod. # GC660A-ABA

When it had a hard drive, it had Vista.

64 bit AMD chip - Cooling fan is as big as the case fan. 

Phoenix BIOS Dated 2007

I have a utility on a CD to scan and update the BIOS.

Someone said it should be able to boot from a pendrive, but I don't see that option in the boot order.

I saw network interface as a pick which I have never seen. ?

This is pretty interesting learning experience.

Andy

[dedndave]

many machines can boot from a prom to go ethernet
they don't always put it in with the other boot options, though
they are sometimes used that way in corporate environments

[Magnum]

That's interesting info.

Someone gave me 2 SATA drives that I will hopefully get today.

One has XP but it may not work if wasn't originally in my system.

Maybe I will get lucky and a BIOS update will let the system boot from a pen drive.

Andy

[dedndave]

be sure to check for hidden partitions before reformatting   :t

[Magnum]

I received 2 hard drives.

I put in the first one, and it is running Startup Repair.

I found this info.

Should i run a disk diagnosis program ?

Thanks.

Startup Repair cannot fix hardware failures, such as a failing hard disk or incompatible memory, nor does it protect against virus attacks. Startup Repair is not a backup tool, so it cannot help you recover personal files, such as photos or documents. To help protect your computer, back up your system and files regularly. For more information, search for "backup" in Windows Help and Support.

I would like to install a non-Windows program on the hard disk.

Andy

[dedndave]

typcally, if there are hard errors, they will show up during format
although, windows makes more than one attempt to perform writes
so, some errors are seemingly "skipped" over, because of the multiple attempts

what i would do, is to "mount" the drive
and see if it has any hidden partitions
if so, it may have an entire OS installation package
of course, the package is likely designed to install on specific hardware
sometimes, that can be overcome, too - lol

also, browse around the rest of the drive partitions to see if there's anything of interest
keep in mind that things may be infected - so scan for viruses anything you decide to keep

once you have what you want copied off there, determine a partition strategy
depending on the size, you may want to split the it into partitions
you are allowed up to 4 "primary" partitions
that's because the 512-byte partition sector has room for 4 entries
one or more may be "logical" partitions
this allows other sectors to be used for partition tables

now, i don't use multi-boot, but let's say i have a 500 GB drive.....
i try to make something comfortable for the boot partition, say 60 to 100 GB - try to keep it over 20 GB
then, the bulk of the drive, i use for data, in this case, about 380 GB
at the "high" end, i try to leave a small partition for saving disk images, say 20 GB
for larger drives, i may split the data area into smaller pieces
once a partition gets over about 400 GB, it takes a while to index in each session   :P