Laptop SATA drive

[robbiehall]

I am working on a Packard Bell laptop, and need to save any user data before attempting the PB recovery program. When I plug the disc into my own laptop, via a USB lead, nothing comes up in My Compter. Do SATA discs need a power source as well? Cos if I plug a IDE 2.5 disc in I can see it as a drive in My Computer, any thoughts?

Thanks
Rob

[KidChameleon]

They have the same SATA connections as 3.5" desktop drives. There's a smaller connection for data and one that's about twice as wide for the power connection, both next to each other. If you have a suitable desktop PC with SATA connections you could try plugging it into that.

Laptop IDE connections have the power pins in the same block as the data pins, so adaptors usually have them integrated into one plug.

What kind of USB adaptor are you using? Any pictures of it?

[robbiehall]

This is it. Sadly I don't have a desktop pc that I can plug the drive into, at home , only at work....

[KidChameleon]

If the connection is facing the camera on the end of that black bit (Kind of hard to see), then it looks like it's only the data connection. You would need to get a power cable for it somehow.

Are you sure there isn't a separate power cable? THIS ONE on Amazon shows a data cable and a power adaptor.

[robbiehall]

No, there is no power cable, but, armed with this info I have found one on ebay (from China) and will wait for that to arrive. Thanks