Daddy Bob

DADDY BOB'S COMPUTER Q & A

 

February 26, 2006

Q. I was looking at the specs for a new computer and see that it uses something called SATA connections. What is SATA?

A. SATA stands for Serial Advanced Technology Attachment, and is a method to connect devices like hard drives and CD ROM drives to the motherboard. Before SATA, this was done using the PATA, Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment also known as EIDE Enhanced Integrated Drive Electronics.

SATA has several practical advantages over the PATA that has been used in one form or another to connect hard drives since the 1980s. SATA cables are more flexible, thinner, and less massive than the ribbon cables required for conventional PATA hard drives. SATA cables can be considerably longer than PATA ribbon cables, allowing the designer more latitude in the physical layout of a system. Because there are fewer conductors, only 7 in SATA as compared with 40 in PATA, electrical interference is less likely to be troublesome. The signal voltage is much lower as well; 250 mV for SATA as compared with 5 V for PATA.

However, the main reason for using SATA over PATA becomes obvious when looking at the picture below, showing the various different cables used inside a computer.

Starting from left is a floppy cable, a PATA IDE, a PATA EIDE and a SATA. The EIDE has twice the number of wires in the ribbon as the IDE, and has been used to connect hard drives to the motherboard for the past several years. It is easy to see that the SATA cable and its smaller connectors will cost far less to produce than the EIDE, PATA cable. Despite the other possible benefits of using the SATA cable mentioned above, I suspect that cost to produce is probably the main reason for using it.

Q. When I right click my desktop, choose Properties then the Appearance tab, under the Color scheme I only have three choices, Blue, Green or Silver. On a friends computer he has many times more. Schemes like Brick, Desert, Eggplant, and many more. Why does he have so many and I so few?

A. Long question, short answer. Directly above the Color selection is one called "Windows and Buttons". In it, you have selected XP style, and he has selected Classic style. Compare the two pictures below paying close attention to the actual appearance in the windows. Notice yours with the XP style, and his with the older Classic style?

                        Yours                                                          His

 

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