W520 and Intel 520 SSD replacement from external enclosure?

[jmegas]

I decided to upgrade my W520 from the Intel 320 SSD to the Intel 520 SSD.  I tried the 520 in an enclosure and theW520 can't recognize the drive.  I am trying to decide whether the problem is the controller in the Thermaltake BlacX external enclosure or whether it is merely the problem of having the drive in any external enclosure? (In other words, it would work in a different enclosure.)  I had an OCZ Vertex 3 that would not work in external enclosures, so I am inclined to think it is the enclosure as both the Vertex 3 and Intel 520 use SandForce controllers.

I called Lenovo suport and they told me the only way I can copy the drive is to buy their 0A65623 Ultrabay III adapter and copy the drives inside the machine.  I am using older Casper software and I don't think it would have Renesas USB 3 drivers if I were to boot from a CD and try to copy my older hard drive backup.

Obviously people are doing this.  And, if the Ultrabay III adapters aren't available yet, they must be doing it without them.

How can I copy my data from the old drive to the new drive?

Thank you!

[ThorsHammer]

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jmegas wrote:

I decided to upgrade my W520 from the Intel 320 SSD to the Intel 520 SSD.  I tried the 520 in an enclosure and theW520 can't recognize the drive.  I am trying to decide whether the problem is the controller in the Thermaltake BlacX external enclosure or whether it is merely the problem of having the drive in any external enclosure? (In other words, it would work in a different enclosure.)  I had an OCZ Vertex 3 that would not work in external enclosures, so I am inclined to think it is the enclosure as both the Vertex 3 and Intel 520 use SandForce controllers.

I called Lenovo suport and they told me the only way I can copy the drive is to buy their 0A65623 Ultrabay III adapter and copy the drives inside the machine.  I am using older Casper software and I don't think it would have Renesas USB 3 drivers if I were to boot from a CD and try to copy my older hard drive backup.

Obviously people are doing this.  And, if the Ultrabay III adapters aren't available yet, they must be doing it without them.

How can I copy my data from the old drive to the new drive?

Thank you!

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Did you try the enclosure on the yellow USB 2.0 port?  That should work.

USB 3.0 enclosures should work when Windows 7 is up and running, with the Renesas drivers installed.

You can also use an eSATAp cable.  No enclosure needed.

[ZipZap]

Buy this cable:

shared eSATA cable

Edit:

This is a nice ultrabay caddy and it is less money than the cable. I have/like both:

low cost caddy

[ZipZap]

Buy this cable:

shared eSATA cable

Edit:

This is a nice ultrabay caddy and it is less money than the cable. I have/like both:

low cost caddy

[ThorsHammer]

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ZipZap wrote:

Buy this cable:

shared eSATA cable

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That's what I was referring to though I use a different brand.  Bought mine on newegg.com.

[jmegas]

Thank you all for the suggestions.  I was not familiar with shared USB/eSATA cables, so I learned something from this.

I'm glad not to have to buy the Ultrabay III adapter.

I will post back with results.

[JDay]

Putting an SSD into a USB 2.0 enclosure is pointless, you lose all the speed benefit.

[jmegas]

I was not putting an SSD in a SATA 2 external enclosure.  I was trying to transfer data from the existing SSD to a newer, faster, SSD.  I needed to copy the data from the existing SSD to the new SSD before replacement.  I was using a Thermaltake BlacX 5G ST0019U Docking Station, which is claimed to have a SATA 3 controller.

I am now going to try the Amazon.com Shared USB-eSATA Cable for 2.5 SATA Notebook Hard Drive to perform the copy.

[ThorsHammer]

I am using http://www.byteccusa.com/product/SATA/USATA-136/USATA-136.htm

You can still find them on the internet.  Works great.

[jmegas]

I am posting back after solving my problem with the recommended USB combined eSATA cable.  It worked flawlessly and quickly with my existing ghosting software.  The Thermaltake docking station was worthless.  Thank you ZipZap for your suggestion! 

A couple of additional comments, however.  The latest Lenovo W520s ship with 7mm height drives. The Intel 520 comes as a 9.5mm drive but in includes a removable shim which reduces the height to the correct 7mm.  Unfortunately Intel neglects to supply the necessary shorter screws for the conversion.  I couldn't locate shorter screws anywhere, so I ended up using aluminum tape to hold the drive together.  I would expect that voids my waranty, except that I can probably remove the tape and reinstall the shim in the unlikely event it requires service.

If someone knows where to buy these short little screws please post back to this thread.  Thank you!

[ThorsHammer]

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jmegas wrote:

I am posting back after solving my problem with the recommended USB combined eSATA cable.  It worked flawlessly and quickly with my existing ghosting software.  The Thermaltake docking station was worthless.  Thank you ZipZap for your suggestion! 

A couple of additional comments, however.  The latest Lenovo W520s ship with 7mm height drives. The Intel 520 comes as a 9.5mm drive but in includes a removable shim which reduces the height to the correct 7mm.  Unfortunately Intel neglects to supply the necessary shorter screws for the conversion.  I couldn't locate shorter screws anywhere, so I ended up using aluminum tape to hold the drive together.  I would expect that voids my waranty, except that I can probably remove the tape and reinstall the shim in the unlikely event it requires service.

If someone knows where to buy these short little screws please post back to this thread.  Thank you!

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I believe I suggested it first.(eSATAp) I have a link to the screws at home. I will look for it later when I get back there.