Adapter for connecting ssd to laptop drive bay.
Setting up Windows 10 After installation in your laptop ssd
Instead of hdd, I began to experience a catastrophic lack of space on the first one. Purchasing a sata-usb adapter made it possible to expand my media library onto an old hdd. A couple of months passed and this option no longer suited me, namely, I was tired of carrying this “appendix” with me, and the speed left much to be desired. After some time, I came across a number of articles about installing a second drive using an ESPADA adapter. This miracle device with a second disc was inserted instead of the original DVD drive and delighted users. A search in electronics stores led to the understanding that this device is an unaffordable luxury for me. Prices start from 800 rubles here, from $6 in China. Next, on the hub, I found articles on how to independently remake a DVD drive for installing a second disk, but I was sorry to break the drive for such experiments, and then it started... At work, I took a dead hdd, a sata cable, a molex-sata from an old power supply.
Just my apartment was undergoing renovation and I had a lot of tools to “adjust” some parts for my idea.
Using an angle grinder, the sata connector was upgraded to Slimline SATA.
On the power side, 5 contact pads were left and other areas we did not need were cut down. Removing unnecessary ones contact pads
, in the end I got the connector I needed, exactly like in a DVD drive.
In advance, a pinout diagram for the contacts was found on the Internet. Armed with a soldering iron and a lot of patience, I soldered the whole thing in SATA adapter
(ODA)->SATA (HDD).
Having filled everything with ordinary shoe glue (well, I don’t have hot glue) and wrapped it with electrical tape, I got a completely aesthetic-looking wiring. After waiting for the glue to dry, I began to try to assemble the whole thing. I taped the HDD with double-sided tape, thereby creating a “cushion”.
I connected everything and inserted it tightly inside.
With my fingers crossed, I turn on the laptop and immediately run to the BIOS.
Hooray! WDC has made its decision.
I boot the system and everything is fine.
If you are the owner of a laptop and you are not entirely satisfied with the speed of its operation, especially the loading speed, and you are increasingly thinking about upgrading or even replacing the entire laptop, then do not rush. We offer an upgrade option for almost any full-size laptop for reasonable money.
The fact is that the processor is not the first freshness, the volume is small random access memory and the built-in video card are not the main culprits of the system’s “brakes”. The main reason is the slow HDD. We propose replacing it with a more modern analogue - SSD. But you probably thought about such a purchase yourself, but to fully use a PC you need a lot free space
on the information storage device - at least 500-750 gigabytes. And the prices for SSDs of such capacity are very, very high.
And when buying a 60-120 gigabyte SSD, there will only be enough space for the system and applications, there can be no talk of any media content. Therefore, you need to look for another solution, one in which you can increase the speed of the system and not lose disk capacity, and without spending too much money. We understand you perfectly and offer just such a method.
Why do you need a DVD drive? No, seriously, what do you need it for? Any films or music can be downloaded on the Internet, which almost everyone has, information that does not require constant access can be stored either in the cloud, of which there are now countless, or on an external hard drive, the prices of which are completely “ridiculous” today. Important information
I wouldn't trust optical discs - they get scratched quite easily and become unusable. So, if you really don't need a DVD drive on your laptop, then we suggest installing an SSD instead. And again, don’t be alarmed - you won’t have to break anything, and you won’t have to “tinker” either - we promise to leave beautiful view
your beech safe and sound.
What do we need? First, we need an SSD and connectors to connect it. In principle, a 60 gigabyte disk for the system will be enough for us, but it’s still better to buy one for 128 - in this case, you won’t worry about running out of space and can always put some kind of disk on the SSD extensive program
In addition to the SSD, we will need a seat for it, or rather an adapter that will replace the DVD drive. At various foreign auctions and in online stores this is called “HDD-Caddy” (in our country it is most often referred to as “Adapter HDD connections 2.5" into the laptop drive bay"). Buy this device only for your laptop model.
Actually, this is all we need to purchase. The tools we need are a screwdriver and... nothing else.
What is the best place to put it?
It's up to you to decide. You will have unhindered access to the device installed instead of the DVD drive, that is, it is better to install a media device there - a hard drive (movies, music, photos, etc. will be stored on it). In this case, you can always quickly take out the HDD and, using a special device (pocket), connect it to a DVD to watch movies or connect it to another PC as a bulk flash drive.
On the other hand, the heat dissipation of the drive is worse, and there will be more vibrations, and also about protection from mechanical damage This place is also difficult to say. And an SSD is much smaller than a hard drive and is afraid of vibrations, high temperatures etc. That is, as far as performance properties are concerned, it will be better here than a hard drive.
In any case, it’s up to you, depending on how you plan to use these devices and depending on the configuration of your laptop model.
Let's get started
In principle, the procedure is quite trivial. First you need to remove the DVD drive - in many laptop models you don’t even need to remove the case - they are held on by one bolt, after unscrewing which they are simply pulled out of the laptop.
When you have the DVD drive in your hands, you will need to remove the cover on which the compartment opening button is located and move it to the purchased HDD-Caddy. Now we perform the reverse procedure - install the adapter in place of the DVD drive. Don't forget to secure it with a bolt. Well, that's all - all that remains is to install an SSD here (or a hard drive, and the SSD in place hard drive).
Installing or migrating an operating system
Next, you need to install the operating system on the SSD, having first removed system partition from the HDD and attaching it to the partition on which media information is stored. Installing the operating system will be no different from the process you are used to.
But, if for some reason you want to keep your old system, then before deleting the partition from the HDD you need to “clone” it to the SSD. This can be done by any program for working with hard drives in boot mode. For example, Acronis Partition Director or Mini Tool will do. Partition Wizard
– in general, the choice here is only yours.
Instead of conclusions After replacing, you will be surprised how much more responsive and nimble your operating system
. In addition, if you previously did not have enough space on your hard drive, now you will free up space previously occupied by the operating system.
If, however, the only thing stopping you from such an upgrade is that to use the DVD drive you will now need to twist the adapters every time, then we will reassure you - you can buy a special “pocket” for the DVD drive and connect it to any PC via USB interface. Greetings! A long time ago, I had a desire to make a small upgrade to my old laptop and breathe into it new life . On this moment the best thing to do for my junk is to add RAM and replace the ancient HDD with new SSD . Since I already have the maximum possible four gigabytes of RAM, the hard drive had to be replaced. Modern SSDs disks are expensive, and there is never too much space. It was decided old disk
install the DVD drive in place. Installation, tests, conclusions - please under the cat... Purchased SSD Samsung drive 750 EVO with 250 GB was logically installed in place of the standard HDD drive. My native disk was 320 GB, which is not much more. Use cases old tough disk mass. Sell and get some of the money back for purchasing an SSD , buy a box with USB interface and use it like portable disk
or just some kind of adapter or install it in place of the DVD drive, which I haven’t used for a long time. Having defeated the “toad”, it was decided not to sell the disc. Since I already have a portable HDD, the choice fell on the so-called Caddy or Optibay device.
- Specifications
- Device thickness standard: 12.7 mm
- Interface: SATA
- Disk size and interface: SATA(2.5")
- Equipment
- Caddy - 1 pc.
- Screwdriver - 1 pc.
- Bolts - 8 pcs.
Seal - 1 pc. The device itself is extremely simple. The shape is exactly the same as a standard DVD drive. DVD devices for laptops come in two sizes: 9.5 mm and 12.7 mm. So I strongly recommend that before purchasing a “pocket” you take out your DVD and measure its thickness. But if you really don’t want to disassemble the laptop once again, then you can go online and determine its dimensions this way. Also be sure to check which interface your DVD is using. The screwdriver is very cheap and not particularly convenient, but if you don’t have a tool at hand and want to install the disk right now, then it will do the job.
The bolts were very useful. They help keep the disc in place, but not in a traditional way. I will describe the installation a little later. The rubber, perforated block most likely serves to more securely fix the disc in the pocket and to reduce vibration.
Disassembly
I decided to disassemble the adapter body a little and see what else was interesting there. I didn't find any surprises. The tin body is reinforced with a plastic insert. The adapter board is extremely miniature, on which the SATA and mSata interfaces are located. I also discovered a strange kind of switch that has three positions. What function it performs remains a mystery to me. I will be glad to see versions of his appointment in the comments.
Installation in a laptop
The first thing you need to do is get the standard drive for your laptop. Each laptop does this differently, but the principle is the same. In my case, it was necessary to unscrew the cover of the compartment under which there was a drive mounting bolt. I unscrewed it and pressed a small pedal, the DVD moved out a little from its saddle. Now you can take it out freely. 
After we compared the dimensions and checked that the adapter fits freely into the DVD drive, we can install the disc in the Caddy. To securely fix the disk, you need to screw four bolts into it until they stop, put the disk in the “pocket” and slide it into the SATA interface. The bolts will rest against special protrusions on the adapter body. Thus, the disk will be firmly fixed, but for greater reliability it is necessary to install a rubber seal at the rear end of the disk. 
In this form, you can already connect the adapter to the laptop and turn it on. But it will not be recorded, which is not safe. The adapter is attached to the laptop case using a special fastener, which must be unscrewed from your standard DVD drive and fixed to the new adapter. Such fastenings have different shapes, but at the same time they have a standard arrangement of holes for fastening on the drive housing and our Caddy. 
The final touch is to bring beauty. From the disk drive I remove the decorative cover with the button, which is held on by several latches, and install it on the Caddy. Everything is standard here too. All holes for latches are in place. All that remains is to install the adapter in its rightful place, secure it with a bolt to the laptop body and close the compartment. You can turn it on and enjoy :). 
Testing
I conducted several simple tests and it turned out that I have the same SATA interface revisions on my laptop, both at the main installation location of the laptop and at the connection location DVD drive. Since my laptop is not the latest, the most I could count on was SATA 3 Gb/s. And so it happened. In my case, it didn’t matter which interface I connected the SSD drive to, and which HDD. The operating speed is expectedly the same for both SSD and HDD drives.
conclusions
There are a great variety of similar adapters at very different prices. I can’t say exactly what the difference is between them. In my case, this is one of its cheapest representatives. Data transfer rate per SSD drive does not differ from the speed of work in a regular place. Perhaps working with SATA interface 3 there will be some difference, but I can’t check this. I have no complaints about the build quality. Everything fit like family. I hope it will serve and please me for a long time.
I hope I helped you decide whether to purchase the product and, in particular, this adapter. If I missed something, I will try to answer everything questions asked in comments.
A short video review for greater clarity
That's all. Thank you all for your attention to my review! Happy shopping and good luck!
You can purchase PLN adapters at
Hard drives are not that easy to mount in the DVD drive bay of a laptop: a special adapter with suitable connectors is required. For this we use an adapter Icy Box IB-AC642, which can be bought on Amazon for about 3,500 rubles. More available analogues with delivery from China are sold on the website www.aliexpress.com at a price of 1000 rubles.
If you want to install a fast solid state drive, place it in the hard drive bay, and install the hard drive removed from it into the DVD drive bay. As adapter manufacturers claim, their products fully support SSD media, but in practice problems with operating speed may arise.
Transfer data from HDD to SSD - the most convenient way to do this is to use special program, for example, such as Data Migration Software from Samsung. Next, we will tell you how to get a DVD drive and install your old hard drive into the adapter, and the SSD into the hard drive bay.
1. Remove the HDD compartment cover
HDD mobile computer usually located in a special compartment under a quick-release cover with a hard drive symbol on it. The cover is attached to the body with several screws. To unscrew them you will need a small Phillips screwdriver. Important: Before opening your mobile computer, make sure that accumulator battery removed and the device is disconnected from the power supply. In our case for replacing hard disk needs to be removed back cover entire laptop body.
2. Take out the DVD drive
Typically, the DVD drive is secured with only one screw. In our example, it is located approximately in the center of the mobile computer case, next to the hard drive bay. Unscrew the screw and insert a thin object into the hole to mechanically open the drive leaf. Pull the drive towards you and remove it from the housing. Disconnect from optical drive front panel using a flathead screwdriver.
3. We take out the hard drive
Now free up the hard drive. Gently pull the hard drive tray towards you and remove it from the bay. If your hard drive is in a plastic or metal case, remove it.
4. Install the disk into the adapter
Install the hard drive into the adapter you purchased. Make sure that the adapter plugs are correctly connected to the drive connectors. Then secure it with screws.
5. Insert the hard drive into the DVD drive bay
Now insert the adapter with the hard drive in place of the removed DVD drive. To secure it, use the screw you removed when you removed the DVD drive.
7. Running hard disk under Windows
It is possible that for using hard disk you will need to activate it from the Control Panel. To do this, click the “Start” button and then “Control Panel”, then “Administrative Tools | Computer management | Disk Management". Select "Action" then "Check disks again." Launch this utility It will also work if you enter the command “diskmgmt.msc” in the “Run” line.
To date optical discs have almost completely lost their relevance. External hard disks and USB drives are replacing them hour after hour. In this regard, many people want to replace an outdated item with a more current one. After all, in desktop computer can be installed additional hard drive, but this number won’t work with a laptop, so we’ll use a disk drive.
There are 3 kind of hard disks:
We take into account several parameters:
Speed
It depends on several parameters:
- connection interface- today almost all laptops are equipped with either SATA 2 (3 Gbit) or SATA 3 (6 Gbit). You can replace one with the other, but if you connect 3 to 2, you won’t be able to maintain high speed;
- cache (memory capacity). The range varies from 8 to 128 Megabytes. When selecting, you should pay attention to the larger volume;
- spindle (rotation speed). It determines how quickly the drive will operate. High speed will provide fast processing information. But each speed has its advantages. So, 5400 RPM is low, but it does not consume much power and your device is silent. With these parameters, the laptop will live longer. High speed is 7200 RPM, with this choice the laptop will get very hot and the power consumption will be significantly high.
Dimensions
For laptops, solid state drives or HDDs are produced standard view— 2.5 form factor (3.5 is produced for stationary personal computers). They differ only in thickness (from 5 to 17.5 mm). The standard value is 9.5, but ultra-thin ones use 5 mm.
Volume
Of course, volume is not an unimportant factor in disc selection. For specific case A certain volume will do:
Each manufacturer can find its own ideal disc, so you should not pay attention to a specific company. It is very important to understand how the drive will be used: just for work, for high-quality games or for data storage. There are quite a few types of hard drives, some may please you with a long service life, others with a large capacity.
In online stores you can familiarize yourself with all the characteristics and understand what kind of work it is suitable for. Also on certain resources there is a description of the purposes for which it is best used.
It is very important to check for motherboard what interface do you need. If you doubt your abilities, it is recommended to consult a specialist.
Reference! When you use 2 disks, PC performance increases significantly. Since HDD is responsible for storing a sufficient amount of information, and SSD is responsible for high-speed operation.
Preparing for installation
The following items are required for this operation:
Important! If your device is under warranty, then after removing the drive you can forget about warranties. Therefore, before deciding to take such a step, you should think it over carefully.
Advice: if you purchase an SSD, it is better to install it on hard place disk, and install the HDD itself instead of the drive. This is explained different speeds ports. It is also necessary to choose the right adapter. If your laptop model is outdated, then most likely you will need an adapter from IDE to SATA during installation (in fact, they differ only in thickness, but there will be fewer problems with the original size).
Find out, useful information, from our article -
Let's start installation
Keep yourself safe. To do this, you need to turn off the power to the device, disconnect the battery, and then remove the voltage from your hands, for example, touch the battery. Because you can damage the motherboard.
Changing HDD to SSD
If you're not going to do HDD replacement, then just skip this point and go straight to the next one.
Remove the hard drive following the instructions exactly:
- Turn the device over and remove the cover by unscrewing all the screws. Then we slightly pry it with a thin object and pull it out.
- Let's start removing the drive: again unscrew all the bolts that secure our device.
- Now carefully move the disk to left side and pull it out of the case.
- We take this disk out of the mount and set it aside; we will install it instead of the disk drive.
- We install a new SSD solid state drive into this mount.
- Old HDD drive you need to install it in an adapter purchased in advance. There should be instructions there so you can install it correctly.
We put the disk in place of the optical drive
The installation is complete, all that remains is to set the parameters in the operating system.
BIOS setup
You must enable recognition of the second drive.
