I have an ASUS m3a79-t deluxe, with the onboard sata ports set to "RAID" mode in the BIOS. Windows 7 is installed on a single SATA drive, with 4 other SATA drives in a RAID0+1 array. That part works.

However, my eSata port doesn't work now. I can't hot plug in a drive and actually get Windows to recognize it.

How can I make it work?

Thanks!
--Keith

Does your eSata adaptor provide all five wires?

I found by trial and error that this is necessary. At first I was using a 4-wire molex to SATA power adaptor and it was not working.

When I tried one of the 5-wire SATA power connectors directly from the power supply, Windows recognized it right away.

I think the fifth wire provides 3.3 volts. Hot plugging must require that connection.

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Two each: Phenom II x6 1090T on MSI 870A-G-54 with 16 GB DDR3 and Windows Server 2008 R2 x64

Two each: Asroch E350M1 with 8 GB DDR2

Athlon II x4 630 on Gigabyte GA-870A-UD3 with 16 GB DDR3 and Windows 7 x64

With the exact same cable, exact same drive, and exact same computer, it worked fine when I had Vista on there and had the SATA BIOS setting at "IDE." In my upgrade to Windows 7 I also changed the SATA config to "RAID" so that I can take advantage of that feature.

(BTW it's not an eSata adaptor. It's the eSata that's on the motherboard).

I am using Windows 2008 Server R2, aka Windows 7 Server.

All I know is what worked for me, on my ECS mb with 785G chipset and a Jmicron SATA controller for the eSata jack near the USB jacks in the I/O shield.

What do you mean the "the eSata that is on the motherboard"? With what are you providing power to the drive?

ESata uses a different data plug than the data connectors on the drive or on the motherboard. They are not compatible.

For my test, I used a special data cable I got from Newegg. It has an eSata connector for the rear of the motherboard on one end, and a standard SATA connector for the drive on the other end.

-------------------------
Two each: Phenom II x6 1090T on MSI 870A-G-54 with 16 GB DDR3 and Windows Server 2008 R2 x64

Two each: Asroch E350M1 with 8 GB DDR2

Athlon II x4 630 on Gigabyte GA-870A-UD3 with 16 GB DDR3 and Windows 7 x64

>What do you mean the "the eSata that is on the motherboard"? With what are you providing power to the drive?

There is an eSata port on the back of the motherboard. The drive is powered from its own DC power plug.

>ESata uses a different data plug than the data connectors on the drive or on the motherboard. They are not compatible.

I know. I am using a real eSata cable. The same eSata cable that worked before.

>For my test, I used a special data cable I got from Newegg. It has an eSata connector for the rear of the motherboard on one end, and a standard SATA connector for the drive on the other end.

Since my drive is eSata, and my connector on the motherboard is eSata, I am using a normal eSata cable.

In your case, the "adaptor" would be the one in the external enclosure. If it does not provide voltage on the fifth lead, that could be the problem.

If you boght the external drive as an assembled unit, then opening it would probably void the warrantee. Maybe you could take up the issue of Windows 7 compatibility with the manufacturer of your external drive.

I am afraid I cannot help you any further.

-------------------------
Two each: Phenom II x6 1090T on MSI 870A-G-54 with 16 GB DDR3 and Windows Server 2008 R2 x64

Two each: Asroch E350M1 with 8 GB DDR2

Athlon II x4 630 on Gigabyte GA-870A-UD3 with 16 GB DDR3 and Windows 7 x64