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Duke Nukem

Member

Registered: 2018-11-07

Posts: 51  

Running with disconnected SATA cables

Would any harm be done to SATA hard drives or their contents if run with their power cables connected but with the SATA data cables disconnected?  The question applies to both SSD and spinning rust drives.

This is because I want to install Windows on one of my four drives and I don't want it to FUBAR my Devuan installation and data on the other three (one SSD and two spinning rust), which is what installing Windows does if it gets the chance. The Windows installation will think there is only one HDD and that it owns the machine, but afterwards I will reconnect the other drives and update grub.

Of course I could disconnect the power cables too, but despite its huge size my tower case is very cramped inside and it is a pain to reach the power connectors, while the data connectors are easier. All disconnections and re-connections would be while the system is shut down of course.

Last edited by Duke Nukem (2025-11-28 23:35:30)

HardSun

Member

Registered: 2025-07-29

Posts: 36  

Re: Running with disconnected SATA cables

I run a two ssd setup on my pc and have to use windows for work.
When i installed windows i just made sure windows used the correct drive.
The only caveat I think will be the boot sectors and where windows decided to put the uefi.
So in my case i had to fiddle around making a separate partition for windows uefi.
This was so both hard disks have there own uefi partition.
So it may be a good idea to poweroff the devuan drive so windows uses the drive you want exclusively.

To make a long story short, i think in my setup the sda drive is the primary drive windows likes to put uefi, so if i install windows on say sdb or nvme0n1 it will always choose sda to install the uefi software provided that an OS like devuan previously installed a uefi partition there.

This is all dependent on "NOT" having secure boot enabled mind you. I dont trust that setup.

EDIT to add: I dont use grub to enter the windows drive, i just use my bios boot menu for that by pressing F10 as the machine starts up.
You could also have a grub menu option on devuan for choosing the windows installation after you set everything up.

Last edited by HardSun (Yesterday 00:00:19)

RedGreen925

Member

Registered: 2024-12-07

Posts: 214  

Re: Running with disconnected SATA cables

Would any harm be done to SATA hard drives or their contents if run with their power cables connected but with the SATA data cables disconnected?  The question applies to both SSD and spinning rust drives.

This is because I want to install Windows

No harm at all it is the only I will ever install windows on a machine I use. Not that I do it often but when done I never give it the chance of messing up anything in the machine to be installed onto.

steve_v

Member

Registered: 2018-01-11

Posts: 553  

Re: Running with disconnected SATA cables

Would any harm be done to SATA hard drives or their contents if run with their power cables connected but with the SATA data cables disconnected?

No.
That said, a) You needn't worry about data loss because anyone with a shred of sense has backups, and b) It's far easier to simply disable the port in BIOS.

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Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action. Four times is Official GNOME Policy.

GlennW

Member

From: Brisbane, Australia

Registered: 2019-07-18

Posts: 686  

Re: Running with disconnected SATA cables

I often disconnect drives I want to preserve during installation of an unknown OS (like when testing install of a new release).

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pic from 1993, new guitar day.

Duke Nukem

Member

Registered: 2018-11-07

Posts: 51  

Re: Running with disconnected SATA cables

Thanks for the advice and I've done it now, no harm done by disconnecting SATA data cables other than finding the drive device names have changed when I re-connected and went back to Linux - sdd to sdb etc.  The single connected drive on which I installed Windows has become sda from sdd. Doesn't affect much as I use UUID identities in fstab - at least they did not change.

The Windows installation did not work anyway, although it was only to play some old games. I first tried WinXP and it said my BIOS was incompatible, I suppose because my MB BIOS is UEFI not MBR type. I then tried Win7 and it did install but without the mouse working - BIOS issue again I guess. I guess I shall just have to play Solitaire in a VM.

rolfie

Member

Registered: 2017-11-25

Posts: 1,377  

Re: Running with disconnected SATA cables

The Windows installation did not work anyway, although it was only to play some old games. I first tried WinXP and it said my BIOS was incompatible, I suppose because my MB BIOS is UEFI not MBR type. I then tried Win7 and it did install but without the mouse working - BIOS issue again I guess. I guess I shall just have to play Solitaire in a VM.

Yes, WinXP does not know anything about UEFI. If your mainboard still supports CSM you may try to install XP on a MBR/MSDOS partitioned drive, but you won't find any drivers. And have a lot of fun trying to multi boot legacy and UEFI installations.
Win7SP1 can be installed in efi mode, that works. But there are no USB3 drivers included. You have to find a generic driver or use USB2 ports for mouse and keyboard.

Duke Nukem

Member

Registered: 2018-11-07

Posts: 51  

Re: Running with disconnected SATA cables

Win7SP1 can be installed in efi mode, that works. But there are no USB3 drivers included. You have to find a generic driver or use USB2 ports for mouse and keyboard.

That's interesting. I have the mouse plugged into a randomly chosen USB socket, so it could be a USB3. There are about 6 sockets and I expect there are some USB2s to choose from. I will investigate further.

Altoid

Member

Registered: 2017-05-07

Posts: 1,925  

Re: Running with disconnected SATA cables

Hello:

... often disconnect drives I want to preserve ...

Indeed ...
I always disconnect drives I want to protect.
My box has four HDD trays (but no hot-swap), so it is a question of disconnecting them by sliding them out enough to unplug them prior to booting from the installation media.

The other two drives present in a DIY 2.5" drive cage inside the box use SATA data cables so port numbers are written on them with a thin indelible black Sharpie.
ie: no hassle to reconnect properly.

Sporting belt & suspenders is important when working on your main box.

More so when attempting to install something new. eg: a clean Excalibur on bare metal.
As only the destination drive will be seen by the BIOS, it is the only one that could get screwed up.
Hard learned lesson from when, in another life, worked on a daily basis with MS stuff.

Back-ups are (of course) there but the idea is to avoid the hassle of having to resort to them in case of [whatever].

Best,

A.

Last edited by Altoid (Today 12:00:37)