SATA Problem

[Martyn1989]

Hello,

I have a 'Abit IP35 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard'.

The time has come for me to add more hard drives to my system, but unfortunately I have run out of SATA ports. I have 6 in total, and I am currently using 4, but I have managed to pull the plastic caps off 2 of them meaning I can't actually use them!!

Can anyone help?

Cheers

 

[Martyn1989]

The caps off the motherboard? So what's left? Just some random 'connector wiring' sticking out of the board?

If you have to, you could just buy a cheap SATA card, and run some drives off that.

Just metal pins sticking out of the motherboard. I tried to put the plastic cap back on when this happened, but I couldn't align them

The plastic caps came off VERY easily as well.

As for SATA cards, they are pretty expensive right?

 

[Martyn1989]

I'm looking for a PCI SATA Controller card. I was just looking what features I should look for on one? The speed of the card, would it make much a different? Also, I suppose they only support up to SATA I speeds?

You don't use locking SATA cables do you? Most of them don't really lock that well but others do and could be the reason why you've managed to pull the plastic surround off.

Yeah I do. Maybe that is the problem then? I didn't realise they were that suseptable to the problem?