eSATA user experience?

[Jack Rabbit]

I bought a Thermaltake BlacX eSATA thing and it is not working the way I assumed it would. When I plug it in nothing happens. If I 'detect new hardware' in the device manager the system finds the drive and mounts it fine and ditto for removal. I had assumed I would get a notification just like when you plug in a USB drive of some kind. I also expected to have the 'remove hardware' icon to show up in the task tray but it doesn't. It is also s l o w. I assume this is because the Marvel controller on my mainboard is a POS.

Do you have eSATA on your mainboard or an expansion card? Do you get plug and unplug notices and the remove hardware icon? What make and model are you using?


Thank you in advance.

[gingerbee]

i get no notice at all with mine it just shows up under my computer like the rest do you have your sata ports set to ahci in the BIOS for plug and play to work

[Varroa]

I have never had much luck with esata. Some controller work fine and others suck. It is very hit and miss. The ones that work show the drive automatically, no user intervention required.

[gingerbee]

if your having problems with on-board e-sata just use the south bridge and get your self and e-sata adapter that goes in a pci bracket out the back of your computer. make sure yor sata are on ahci and plug and play in the bios.

[Jack Rabbit]

Originally Posted by Varroa

... The ones that work show the drive automatically, no user intervention required.

Does it just show up or do you get a notification popup and sound? Also, how do you unplug it? Just yank the cable?

Originally Posted by gingerbee

if your having problems with on-board e-sata just use the south bridge and get your self and e-sata adapter that goes in a pci bracket out the back of your computer. make sure yor sata are on ahci and plug and play in the bios.

Can you suggest a card or manufacturer you have used successfully?

Thanks for the input folks.

[gingerbee]

External SATA / eSATA Adapter
and i am pretty sure e-sata has no pop-up just a your drive is ready and that's only sometimes. i just pull the plug then turn the power off ( i have found that vista does not like e-sata drives pluged in well there not power cause's stutter.
The adapter just plugs into your south bridge then just set sata controller to ahci for plug and play to work.
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[MarkOne]

I use a LaCie external enclosure on my Intel board since 2 years in eSata mod. The LaCie have usb, eSata, fire wire etc, when I want to use it I just flip the switch at the back…. But I have a fade remembrance to have try to put some files on it from an Asus board, don’t really remember it but I was not able, something indicate me than I have to reboot or adjust something in the BIOS, as I was in the hurry I do not take care.. and simply unplug the eSata and use USB . for now the LaCie have no HD inside so I can’t test it now..