Linking hard drives

[MysterioMask]

I have like 30, IDE, 40 GB drives, just laying around, does anyone know of a quick and easy way to stack the drives and link them together. for example am i able to find a splitter for an IDE caple that can split and link them together, and use them either as 1 large drive or as 30 separate drives in my computer, and can i link power sorces as well in anyway?

If anyone has other ideas that would work please let me know.

 

[B00kWyrm]

link them together, and use them either as 1 large drive or as 30 separate drives

No.
SATA, some of them, but not all... with something like this

With PATA (often still called IDE) ... At one time, you can only use two drives on one cable.
One choice might be to get something like this for your drives, but you will only be able to have two drives operating at once, per ide cable.
Note... though they say it will work, these trays might not work with all drives.

Presumably one of your drives will be your boot drive and will not be swappable.
That means the most you could have in trays, available to swap would be three...
You will find this is, even at $20/drive, kinda spendy, for that many drives and you may wish to pursue other options.

One of them might be Apricorn's Drivewire Universal HDD Adapter
This would be a "one at a time" solution, via usb. This is a similar solution.
I have seen "docking stations" that might feel a little more substantial, but they seem to be for SATA only. (I say seem, only because I have never seen one for PATA).

With these you are also limited to 2.5" or 3.5" drives, where the Apricorn device can also handle the older larger drives.
(since the drive itself does not slide into some kind of socket... rather the device simply connects by cable).
Part of the issue behind the cable solution is that the 3.5" (and larger) have the power supplied through the molex connector.
That makes a "socket" solution more difficult.

 

[MysterioMask]

I cant believe there isnt some kinda solution to this, I have a pretty beefy power supply and other power supplys that i might be able to use as well. I was hoping that u could find a way to link some IDE drives all together and then have a 1 IDE out so I still have enough to run all my other drives.

I have an external IDE to USB adapter but thats not what i wanted to go for.

I have seen some multi docking stations for IDE to USB but they typically allow only 2 or 3 drives. Im looking for something that can dock 5 + drives at least, and i assumed that there is some way to dock all these drives. What about a way to link them through IDE and come out to a USB like in a docking station but without the dock and just by linking? I had another suggestion but while typing i forgot it.

 

[B00kWyrm]

Something like this would allow you to use the ide/PATA drives in a SATA dock,
but I have yet to find a dock designed for PATA.

I doubt there will be much interest in making one, since the market really has gone SATA,
and the new drives are so much cheaper per gig than your older 40gig PATA drives.

Maybe someone else has other information.

 

[JMMD]

Sell them all for $5 each and buy a 2TB drive.

 

[B00kWyrm]

:haha: Especially considering the post by MysterioMask here .

 

[MysterioMask]

I would sell them and get a big drive except that they arent techincally mine, I need them so that if a harddrive fails in another system i can replace it quickly. I was just hoping to find a way to get some use out of them, instead of leaving them sit on a shelf untill one is needed. We have a big system for video and film and thought i could use them for that until i needed one for something else.

 

[B00kWyrm]

Something like this would be less expensive than buying the 5 bay docking station, and 5 of the PATA/SATA adapters required for your existing drives... and give you more storage in the bargain.