T23 BIOS limit on second HDD adapter?

[Edward Mendelson]

Thanks (again) to RealBlackStuff, I've been spending some time putting together a multiboot T23 system. One thing puzzles me: I've got a 64GB mSata SSD in an adapter in the main hard disk bay, but when I try to put a 64GB identical disk in the second HDD adapter, the machine takes a very long time to boot, and then doesn't see the second disk. There is no problem when I put a 32GB disk in the second HDD adapter. Is there a BIOS limit on the second disk? Or does the adapter circuitry have a limit?

I realize that probably no one knows the answer to this one, and that there's nothing that can be done about it, but I'll be grateful for any pointers.

[RealBlackStuff]

I've only ever put "real" IDE HDDs in that adapter, IIRC the last time I used a Samsung HM160HC for storage, using 2x80GB partitions.
Could it be that the IDE-to-mSATA adapter is too modern for the Ultrabay?

[Edward Mendelson]

I've only ever put "real" IDE HDDs in that adapter, IIRC the last time I used a Samsung HM160HC for storage, using 2x80GB partitions.
Could it be that the IDE-to-mSATA adapter is too modern for the Ultrabay?

I don't see a >32GB 2.5 inch IDE HDD in my closet that I can use for testing, but I may have one in a file cabinet in my office. Will check on this and report. You're probably right about the IDE-to-mSATA adapter being too twenty-first-century for the UltraBay 2000.

[cadillacmike68]

If I remember correctly I've booted 60GB and 80GB HDDs in a T22. and used larger ones in the ultrabay, but only traditional spinning platter HDDs.

[rkawakami]

Another point of reference... I currently have a 100GB drive in the left Ultrabay of a A31p on my desk. It's a normal PATA spinning platter. Works fine. I'd be very surprised if a T23 couldn't handle something like it. I can't remember the last time I had a second HDD in the Ultrabay but I did do normal backups (clones) of the main HDD in my T23 systems onto ones in the Ultrabay for years. As far as the size of the drives, I believe some of them were at least 120GB drives.

I've even had SATA drives in an Ultrabay and not had any problems. Never tried a mSATA however.

[cadillacmike68]

I have Hitachi TravelStars (the preferred HDD for ThinkPads of this era) in PATA up to 160GB. WD made 250GB and 320GB drives, but they are over the boot limit for T20 series and T30s which have a 128GB boot drive limit - possibly less for the T20 series with w98SE.

[Edward Mendelson]

And it turns out that a cheap plastic mSata to IDE adapter works perfectly well in the Second HDD Adapter in the T23 with the same 64GB mSata disk that did NOT work in the fancier aluminum Ableconn adapter. As RBS suggested, the Ableconn may be too modern (or too something) to work well in the adapter.

The cheap plastic one is here:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/111993632883

Unfortunately, this works perfectly well in the Second HDD Adapter but won't fit into the standard hard disk slot. Something seems to get in the way of the pins or the casing. I've widened the plastic opening on the adapter, but it still won't fit. Perhaps the pins are too high (or too low) above the base of the adapter case. Still looking for an alternative.

[Edward Mendelson]

And it turns out that a cheap plastic mSata to IDE adapter works perfectly well in the Second HDD Adapter in the T23 with the same 64GB mSata disk that did NOT work in the fancier aluminum Ableconn adapter. As RBS suggested, the Ableconn may be too modern (or too something) to work well in the adapter.

The cheap plastic one is here:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/111993632883

Unfortunately, this works perfectly well in the Second HDD Adapter but won't fit into the standard hard disk slot. Something seems to get in the way of the pins or the casing. I've widened the plastic opening on the adapter, but it still won't fit. Perhaps the pins are too high (or too low) above the base of the adapter case. Still looking for an alternative.

And the solution to the problem described above is to remove the metal tray and simply connect the cheap plastic adapter to the black plastic-and-metal lid. Then the drive pins fit into the connectors in the machine.

EDIT: To clarify, I'm talking about a cheap plastic mSata-to-IDE adapter that would not fit into the primary boot bay of the T23 until I removed the Swiss-cheese metal caddy from the adapter, and used the screws to attach the drive to the black plastic lid. It seems that the Swiss-cheese metal caddy lifted the adapter so that the pins on it would not fit into the drive bay connector. This isn't a problem with the UltraBay 2000 second HDD tray; I simply plugged the mSata-to-IDE adapter into the tray and it worked.

[cadillacmike68]

Ed,

Are you referring to an Ultrabay 2000 2nd HDD tray or the primary boot bay of the T23? And what was sticking out? Something on the adapter?
When you noted removing the metal tray are you referring to the thin plastic covered swiss cheese caddy? Or the bottom of the 2nd HDD tray?

[Edward Mendelson]

Are you referring to an Ultrabay 2000 2nd HDD tray or the primary boot bay of the T23? And what was sticking out? Something on the adapter?
When you noted removing the metal tray are you referring to the thin plastic covered swiss cheese caddy? Or the bottom of the 2nd HDD tray?

See edited post above.

[cadillacmike68]

Thanks, that clarifies it.

I have two 2nd HDD adapter trays, only 2, that take a SATA HDD and go into Ultrabay 2000 bays. They are UB 2000 DVDRW shells that have a SATA to IDE/PATA interface built in. You can just slide the SATA HDD (or probably SATA SSD) into the tray and slide it into the Ultrabay. No caddy is used because it has a slightly thicker plastic base on the bottom of the tray. I used these for years in the T30 and Dock II, but I never saw them for sale again. And I have several original IBM UB 2000 2nd HDD trays.

[Edward Mendelson]

I have two 2nd HDD adapter trays, only 2, that take a SATA HDD and go into Ultrabay 2000 bays. They are UB 2000 DVDRW shells that have a SATA to IDE/PATA interface built in. You can just slide the SATA HDD (or probably SATA SSD) into the tray and slide it into the Ultrabay. No caddy is used because it has a slightly thicker plastic base on the bottom of the tray. I used these for years in the T30 and Dock II, but I never saw them for sale again.

It sounds like those were non-IBM trays - is that right?

[cadillacmike68]

I have two 2nd HDD adapter trays, only 2, that take a SATA HDD and go into Ultrabay 2000 bays. They are UB 2000 DVDRW shells that have a SATA to IDE/PATA interface built in. You can just slide the SATA HDD (or probably SATA SSD) into the tray and slide it into the Ultrabay. No caddy is used because it has a slightly thicker plastic base on the bottom of the tray. I used these for years in the T30 and Dock II, but I never saw them for sale again.

It sounds like those were non-IBM trays - is that right?

The shells that were definitely taken from optical drives look like they were originally IBM (same wording, shape of bezel, etc.), but the modifications were Not made by IBM. Some enterprising soul thought it up and must have sold his entire production run. I haven't seen them on ebay (where I bought them) for years. I've put in 500GB drives and they work fine. Never bothered to put a 1GB in, but it will probably work as well.