Got a new WD 500gb GreenPower drive, cant get it on.

Perfect_Chaos

Perfect_Chaos

Perfect_Chaos

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My computer went off the other day, couldnt get it back on at all not even when trying to reinstall on a 15gb partition.

Bought a new WD 500gb drive with external enclosure and noticed it doesnt have a 4 pin molex connection like my other drives, found out it powers through SATA. Problem is, it seems as if there is no power going to it when i turn it on.

But doing it from the enclosure through USB2 it gets detected and says windows cant be installed from USB2/Firewire

is it because the motherboard does not suport SATA2?
 
The interface isn't related unless you're sure it's not powering on, hold it in your hand whilst powering up and listen closely to be sure. If it's not getting any power then the SATA power connector from your PSU isn't working so try another or buy a molex > SATA power adaptor.

But you haven't just connected the SATA data cable have you? It's not powered from the mobo, you need the power connector.
 
AbsenceJam said:
The interface isn't related unless you're sure it's not powering on, hold it in your hand whilst powering up and listen closely to be sure. If it's not getting any power then the SATA power connector from your PSU isn't working so try another or buy a molex > SATA power adaptor.

But you haven't just connected the SATA data cable have you? It's not powered from the mobo, you need the power connector.
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I'm not 100% its not turning on when connected through SATA, but it wont get detected in the bios which leads me to believe there is no power getting to it. I didnt find out until earlier, there is no seperate power connection.. its supposed to get powered through the SATA cable, which is exactly what is in the external enclosure and it works in there but no good for installing windows :confused: there isnt a 4 pin molex, just sata connector on the drive.

So im stuck, but when i tried installing vista on my 15gb partition the installer was left on for over 15 mins and it was still on 0% and thats the reason i bought a new drive.

For some reason, this new drive wont power up internally in my computer.
 
AbsenceJam said:
It's not powered through the SATA cable, you need to connect an SATA power connector to it - it's the same in your enclosure.
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i dont follow, the lead i use for my raptor has exactly the same connections as what is needed for this new drive.. plus it looks the same in the enclosure

its not those really slim ones, its quite a long fit at the end of the cable.
 
Perfect_Chaos said:
i dont follow, the lead i use for my raptor has exactly the same connections as what is needed for this new drive.. plus it looks the same in the enclosure

its not those really slim ones, its quite a long fit at the end of the cable.
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Sounds like you've got one of the WD secure connect cables there. They don't supply power, it's just a stupidly designed data cable which covers the power connector as well.

You'll need to connect a separate power cable to the 500Gb drive as well as a SATA data cable.
 
i've actually had about six of these drives (over 2 months, from the same etailer), 3 of which were doa, so theres a good chance yours is too is we bought from the same place

good news is that if we did, their returns procedure is second to none, 48hr courier (which they pay for) and then a refund or replacement

you should be connecting them by an sata data cable and a sata 4-pin power cable

download the wd data lifeguard tools and run a quicktest

http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?groupid=608&level1=&prodid=&modelno=&lang=en
 
rpstewart said:
Sounds like you've got one of the WD secure connect cables there. They don't supply power, it's just a stupidly designed data cable which covers the power connector as well.

You'll need to connect a separate power cable to the 500Gb drive as well as a SATA data cable.
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that sounds more like it. But if its a cover then why have i seen little connectors on top of the plastic?

btw, dan653 it cant be dead because it works in USB and shows where i can install Vista, but wont allow me to.

Looks like i need that cable, i wont be able to get back online soon unless i can sort out the computer back at my own place.. :( i have no idea why it wont let me install windows through USB, stupid windows
 
one of these? http://www.wdc.com/en/library/sata/2579-001075.pdf

older sata drives had seperate molex connectors for power as you can see from the pic

iirc there's also a newer version of the secure-connect cables which incorporate a power connector pass-through, but to be honest none of them are worth the hassle

just get some new standard ones with a little metal spring clip
 
dan653 said:
one of these? http://www.wdc.com/en/library/sata/2579-001075.pdf

older sata drives had seperate molex connectors for power as you can see from the pic

iirc there's also a newer version of the secure-connect cables which incorporate a power connector pass-through, but to be honest none of them are worth the hassle

just get some new standard ones with a little metal spring clip
Click to expand...

looks like the one in the pic yes
 
it's a good concept (i use it on my raptors) but they need(ed) to make one with a power connector too :/
 
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