I can't find out where to put my SATA data cable at... My computer has a SATA power cable though, but I can't seem to find where to put the SATA data cable, I have the data cable in my hand. Can somebody help me? Since I have a SATA power cable in my PC does it mean I can put a SATA data cable in my PC? My PC is a: hp compaq, model: DPS-240EB, if that helps...
Still sort of hard without much more info or actually looking at the motherboard. The numbers you found are actually the power supply model number, not the whole computer model number. It could help knowing exactly what motherboard you're looking at however I'd start looking along the lower part of the board or the bottom right area. If you find a plug that it would fit in - it should be labeled very very tiny print saying SATA next to the plug-in.
Should be labeled on the motherboard, if not look for a port that looks like the end of the cable. It only will fit in a SATA port so your safe to try to fit it.
Short Answer: You plug the data cable into the drive on one end (usually a hard drive), and the sata ports mounted on the motherboard. Details: A sata data cable runs between the drive (most likely a hard drive, mounted towards the front of the computer) and the motherboard, which is the huge circuit board that everything else plugs into. If you look at the board, you'll see a section with 2 - 6 little plugs (each about the width of your fingernail, but half the height), with a sort of L shape in the middle of each one. Those are the SATA data ports. Yes, bizarrely enough, they are actually smaller than the power connectors. Near each of this the port number is printed in ridiculously small type, so you may need a magnifying glass or something to read them. Ideally, you want to plug your main hard drive into the lowest port number available, usually either 0 or 1. I apologize if I sound condescending, but I've found it's better to underestimate a users technical knowledge and give them details they don't need than to overestimate their tech skills and leave them frustrated and confused. As for your other questions: Power cables run between the power supply and the drive, so that doesn't necessarily mean your motherboard supports it. However, if this PC is only a few years old, it probably will. If you see the ports I described above, then it does. If it doesn't support sata, you can easily buy a 'sata controller card' for about $30-40 that'll plug into one of the pci or pci-express slots on your motherboard. btw, that model you gave is for the power supply, not the whole computer. The computers model number is usually listed on a sticker somewhere on the outside of the case, usually the back.
yeah that's the power supply not the pc model # StartRunAll ProgramsSystem ToolsSystem Information will list your model # Sata ports are generally brightly colored and look like the ports (blue) in link below caveat: just because the power supply has a SATA connector doesn't mean there's a an SATA port on the motherboard. good luck
