Can I connect an SATA hard drive in my eMachines T6534 directly or do I need an adapter. I don't see where I would connect the SATA data and power cables.

Remove the drive from your old laptop. Order a Sata to Sata/Ide hard drive adapter or a Sata wire with a usb connector from a place like Tiger Direct or Staples. Plug in the Sata wire into your drive (It is the only wire you need to make the hookup complete) then check to stt if Windows 7 recognizes the drive. If not you will need to get some software (downloadable and usually free) that will transfer files between operating systems.

You are talking about a 160gb Fuji SATA Drive. (5400rpm 2.5")

There's a couple of things here...

Assuming you've removed the old drive, and simply plugged this one in..

SATA drives are "standard"-- kind of like USB. They WORK, or they don't. If your drive isn't recognized by BIOS, then its either connected wrong (VERY HARD, connections have directional connnections) or it's simply bad.

If your machine does NOT see the device in BIOS (if it does..insert your OS CD and install the OS)... then it's simply bad.

Return it..get another..and if I may add $.02... 160bg SATA vs price of say... 750gb sata...is next to nothing..go bigger.

What OS are you using?

In Windows, go to the disk management utility and see if the disk is listed. (In Win 7, this is Start > Control Panel > System and Security > Administrative Tools > Create and format hard disk partitions.) For XP and Vista, the directions are similar but do differ a bit. Look at the bottom of the window, to see the list of disks. (Disk 0 is your main hard disk; do not reformat this by accident.)

Assuming the disc is correctly connected to the enclosure and is seen by the computer, you should see it listed as a removable drive. Note: you may need to change the USB port. The MX100 is an enclosure for 3.5" hard disks and needs the AC cord plugged in as well.

You may want to connect and turn on the enclosure when the computer is off, then turn it on. Then turn on the computer. This will hopefully allow the USB drivers to note the new device.

For the Mac OS, look for the Disk Utility.

If you still don't see the drive, check that the cover (and plugs) are completely seated. (Turn off the enclosure first.) Try the hard disk in another enclosure or a USB/SATA hard drive adapter. (If you have a desktop with a free SATA data port and power connector, try connecting the disk directly to the computer. (You need to determine if the enclosure is faulty or the disk itself is bad.)

I hope this helps. Please add a comment with your OS and if you see the disk in the disk management utility, if you need additional assistance.

Cindy Wells
(This enclosure will work with older versions of Windows, back to Win98Se. However, I don't believe all of those versions came with disc formatting utilities. In that case, you would need a third-party partitioning software (Partition Magic, Paragon Partition Manager). If this disk was in another computer and you want to save the data, try copying the data before reformatting. This may be easier to do with the USB/SATA adapter or the direct connection to the motherboard of a desktop.)

With Serial ATA technology quickly replaince IDE/ATA as the new standard in hard disks, more and more computer users will need to know how to install SATA hard drives. The process of installing a SATA hard drive is similar to installing an IDE hard drive, except a bit simpler. Follow the directions in this article to learn how to install a new SATA hard drive.

1.Detemine whether or not your hard drive supports SATA. SATA technology was not introduced into the market until after 2002, so any consumer PC before that will not support a SATA hard drive. To find out whether or not a SATA hard drive can be installed into your motherboard, you can review the manual that came with your computer, or you can contact your computer's manufacturer. If you have already purchased a SATA hard drive, but have your motherboard does not support SATA technology, you will not be able to use your new hard disk.

2.Power down your computer and remove any peripherals or connections. Ground yourself either by wearing an anti-static wrist strap, or by touching a piece of unpainted metal. Remove your computer's case.

3.Locate your hard drive bay. Your hard drive bay should be located beneath your CD/DVD drive.

4.Locate the SATA data cables on your motherboard. Review the image to the left to get an idea of how your SATA slots may look (not all motherboards look the same). The small, red connections on the bottom-left of the motherboard are your SATA connections.


5.Take your SATA data cables (the red, smaller cable pictured left) and plug the one end into the motherboard. Insert the data cable into the lowest numbered slot (i.e. 0, 1).

6.Next, you will want to locate your computer's power cable. Some computers will already have a SATA-compatible power cable available, but others may not. If your computer does not have a SATA-compatible power cable, you will need to buy an adapter. As in the picture above, it will have one white end and one black end. Plug the white end of the adapter into the white end of the power cable in your computer. It should look identical to the one in the picture.

7.Connect the data and power cables to the back of your hard drive. The larger cable goes in the larger slot, whereas the smaller cable goes in the smaller slot. If they do not fit at first, simply turn them around and try again.

8.Slide your hard drive into the drive bay. You will want to make sure that the part of your hard drive with the connections on the back is facing outwards. Then, taking a screwdriver, line up the holes in the bay with the holes in your hard drive and screw the SATA hard disk into place.

9.Power on the computer. If you have installed two SATA drives, unlike with IDE, you should not have to designate them as master or slave (both will be independent drives). If your computer is not reading your new hard drive, power down the computer and check all connections, making sure they are secure.

You can try connecting the 1501 hard drive to a working computer via a SATA/IDE to USB 2.0 Adapter which you can purchase for about $20.00. Here's a link to such a device:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812232002

You can to remove the hard drive from the housing and install it as a second drive in a desktop computer. If the drive is a 2.5" unit, you will need to get an adapter to convert it to the 3.5" form factor (the two sizes have different connectors, even if they have the same interface standard. If you have 40 or more pins on the drive, it's a PATA (IDE) type. If you have just a few pins, it's a SATA unit. The adapter should also provide a power connection for the drive.

This is a bit of a gamble - we're hoping the problem is in the power supply or interface and not the drive itself. I suggest before you start that you check for voltage at the output of the AC adapter (use a meter - some folks will try to make sparks and wreck the adapter in the process). If you get nothing, replace the adapter with one having the same voltage and the same or higher current rating. Verify that the +/- polarity markings match (usually center is positive).

You neglected to mention if it has booted up in the past but considering the age of your computer, I'm assuming that it has.

More than likely your hard drive (HDD) has failed and you'll need to replace it and reinstall XP. The only other option really would be that you've got bad connections or that the interface between the hard drive and the HDD has failed. That's unlikely though because you wouldn't get a message about no OS being installed, you'd get a message about not having a HDD installed because your computer can't see it. A computer can still see a HDD even if its failed providing that it can still receive power and communicate with the motherboard. Before you do anything, though, pull the HDD with the power off on the laptop (one or two screws at the most) and battery and power supply disconnected. Then, power up the computer without the HDD. The System BIOS should recognize that there is no HDD installed and yell at you for it. Power down the computer, disconnect the power supply and the battery again and reinstall the HDD. Then power up the computer. That may solve the problem. If not, keep reading because we're going to need to test it before we make any decisions.

To confirm that it is a dead hard drive, you'll need to test it on another computer, preferably a desktop as it will be the easiest to do and hopefully won't require you to spend any money other than on a SATA cable (unless you already have one) just to test it. I've looked up the technical specs on your laptop and it came standard with an 80 GB SATA 2.5" HDD. Assuming that your using the same hard drive that came with the laptop, and your desktop has a SATA interface and power as well, you'll first need to disconnect the hard drive from your laptop . Now, if your desktop doesn't support SATA or you're using a second laptop to perform the test, stop right here and advance to the second section that covers performing the test on non-SATA desktops and second laptops.
SATA Signal Cable:

SATA Power Cable:
Connecting to a Desktop Computer that supports SATA Interface For the Purpose of the HDD Test:
The easiest way to tell if the computer supports SATA interface HDD is by looking at the HDD currently installed on the desktop. I always use non-conductive (latex, neoprene) gloves when I work inside of a computer to prevent static discharges that can destroy your computer. You should too.
Turn off the desktop, and disconnect power. Open the case. If the connections for that HDD are SATA, the cables that are connected to it will look like the examples above. If they don't, your computer does not support SATA so you'll need to stop and go on to the next section.
Now, you'll need a SATA signal cable (if you don't already have an extra one). You can get a SATA signal cable at any electronics or computer retailer. It shouldn't cost you more than $5.00. Next connect one end of it to the laptop HDD and the other end to the connection on the motherboard that will most likely be right next to where the SATA signal cable for the primary HDD is already connected to.
You shouldn't need to purchase a SATA power cable (indicated in the second picture) or a SATA to Molex adapter cable because your power supply should have at least one or two extra SATA connectors attached to it. If by some chance it doesn't, you'll need to purchase a MOLEX to SATA adapter cable (see the image below) and connect it to one of the several Molex connectors attached to the power supply (labeled with a "P" and a number. Example: P7). Again, this adapter should be easily acquired at any electronics/computer retailer and should be no more than $5.00 Now, connect the SATA power cable (or adapted cable) to the laptop HDD. You're now ready to do the test. Keep the case open when performing the test to monitor the laptop HDD and because, well... it's a heck of a lot easier than constantly opening and closing the thing and considering you'll have an HDD in there that's not mounted to anything, it's the safer bet. Skip the next section on connecting using a desktop computer that does not support SATA and go directly to the section on performing the test.

MOLEX to SATA Power Adapter Cable (may have multiple SATA connectors as well):


Connecting to a Desktop COmputer that Does Not Support SATA Interface (Supports IDE) or Connecting to Another Laptop For the Purpose of the HDD Test:
If the desktop computer you are using to perform the laptop HDD test does not support the SATA Interface or if you are using another laptop computer to perform the test, you are going to have to connect the laptop to the computer via USB interface. To accomplish this you will need a 2.5" Hard Drive Enclosure. A hard drive enclosure converts an internal hard drive into an external hard drive. They cost between $5 and $25 and you'll get a better deal online. Following the directions for the enclosure, connect your laptop HDD to your test computer. You should be able to easily tell if the drive is spinning up and the LED's on the enclosure should be flashing just like they do on a computer when a HDD is being accessed.
Performing the Test:
This is the easiest part of the whole show. If you haven't done it already, reconnect the power cable to the test computer and power it on. Go to My Computer on the desktop of the test computer (Computer if running Vista or Win7), double-click on it and a window will open. Once you find the laptop drive, double click on it and start searching around and see what you've got. If you don't see the drive, we've confirmed that the HDD has failed. If you do see the drive but open it up and there's either nothing on it or you get error messages when you attempt to access the folders, the hard drive has failed as well. In either case, you will certainly need to replace the HDD as I suggested in the beginning however, your data may still be retrievable. You'll need to get it to a local computer repair shop and get a quote.
On the other hand, if you can open up the files and access all of them, your HDD has not failed but, you have a very damaged Windows installation. This also may be reparable, but again, you'll need to get it to a professional to fix it. Before you do that, though, make sure to copy all of your important documents, photos, videos, etc., to the test computer's hard drive or onto the removable media (SD Card, Flash Drive, etc.) connected to the test computer.

Recovery disks cost about £15, check what version of windows you have, you may be able to download that version of windows from a torrent site and use your own COA key to activate it.

To recover audio files lost from digital recorders, you can try this program called Digital Photo Recovery (also recover AUDIO and video files). If you are running Mac OS X, turn to Photo Recovery for Mac (also recover videos and audio files on OS X).

The Coolmax adapter is an USB hard drive adapter that can connect various types hard drives to your computer. This is used for testing and and transferring data to and from hard drives connected to the computer via the computer's USB port.

This Coolmax USB hard disk adapter can connect a 2.5-, 3.5- and 5.25-inch IDE or SATA hard disk to a PC. The black adapter box connects the hard disk, while the secondary power plug/adapter powers the drive. In the case of smaller notebook or SATA disks, the power cable is plugged directly into the adapter (as opposed to straight into the IDE hard disk).
The red USB cable, meanwhile, can be used to power hard disks directly from the host PC's bus via another USB port.

Connect the hard drive to the adapter as detailed above, power up your computer and plug the Coolmax USB cable into the conputer's USB port. The computer will detect and see this as an external drive, most likely as a E drive (the next drive letter that is available). Click on this drive and open to open the folder/s where your data is stored then select the folder/s and/or data and copy them, then open the hard drive on the computer and paste the folder/s and/or files onto the new hard drive.