A strange solution to the USB problem in the T4X series

[lifrancis]

In order to backup my daily work files and carry my reference material whenever I travel, I have a 160 GB SATA harddrive put into an external USB enclosure. The trouble is my T30 only has USB 1.1, and my T41 has the usual problem with USB 2.0. Both machines provide me with sufficient horsepower for my computational need. Therefore, there is really no reason for me to retire either of them and get a new laptop, just for the USB problem.

Like everyone else, I would like to have as much storage capacity as possible. But most PATA drives usually stop at 160 GB. Larger capacity PATA drives are rare and expensive. That was the reason I got the 160 GB SATA drive a couple of years ago. Now, I want to get myself a 500 GB SATA drive.

Before I take the plunge on the harddrive, I thought I could get over the USB problem by using a slim ultrabay SATA tray. So, I ordered one of those from Hongkong, together with a slim ultrabay to USB adapter. That adapter should allow me to have my harddrive in the ultrabay of the T41 most of the time, and still be able to use my ultrabay CD burner. It also allows my T30 to use the same harddrive and burner as the T41.

Those 2 items arrived yesterday. Both of them work exceptionally well. The 160 GB harddrive in the ultrabay gets 45.2 MB/s transfer rate (according to HD Tune 2.54), much higher than when it was in the exernal USB enclosure. The burner also works with the USB adapter without the need of additional power. What really surprise me was when I use the adapter to connect the harddrive to the USB port of the T41, there was no rejection as USB 2.0. It seems to me that the original problem with the USB is the incompatibility between the external enclosure and the USB port of the T41. Whatever the reason, I am happy that the system is now working and I can go ahead and shop for a 500 GB SATA drive.