Almost lost a client's drive last week at a shop in Austin

I was swapping out a failing HDD on a Dell Optiplex at my bench in Austin, and the SATA cable snagged the power connector loose during a boot test. The drive clicked once then went dead silent, thought I fried it for sure. Turns out the cable was just old and loose, but it scared me enough that I now replace every SATA cable on any system over 5 years old. Anyone else had a close call with cheap old cables?

3 comments

3 Comments

scott.jana19d ago

Did you ever check if the cable's latch was actually broken or just loose? That's exactly what I saw with a old Optiplex 7010, same deal where the drive went dead after a nudge. I swear Dell uses the cheapest SATA cables they can find. @the_susan, your bending trick with a pick is smart, I've been using a tiny flathead to pinch the connector tighter and it's saved me from a few close calls. Once had a client's backup drive fail on me because the cable was so worn it barely held, now I just swap them all out during any job over 4 years old.

the_susan19d ago

Had the exact same thing happen with an old SATA cable on a Dell T3500. The locking tab was worn down so it just popped off when I nudged the case. Did you check if the cable's latch was still intact or if it was just a loose connection from age? I started bending the metal tabs on the connector slightly inward with a pick to get a tighter fit on older drives.

hayden_nelson8511d ago

Saw this same kind of wear on an old extension cord at my place, same idea where cheap plastic just gives up over time.