VERY Cool Storage Option for PC (with amazing results)

[iamdmc]

First buy an SD-IDE Adapter (~$12)
http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... :IT&ih=005

Second, buy a few 8GB SD cards ($40 each for OCZ 8GB Class 6 cards)

Third, Load your desired operating systems (ie. Windows Vista, OS X 10.5.2, Ubuntu, etc.) on the SD cards.

Fourth, format your HDD storage device so it is "data-only"

Now, enjoy all of your favorite OS's and OS-specific applications. No Virtual machine, boot camp, etc. required!

For added benefit, use an old 3.5" drive bay cover and cut/melt out a slot for the SD card just large enough, then mount it so it is front-load.

This can also be done with CF-IDE adapters

Pros:
-Load any OS your PC can support without worrying about
-Portable and light-weight "My PC" with all of your settings, some programs, some documents, depending on your setup
-Low Power usage, low noise
-Fast load times with the right cards
-SSD "on the cheap"
-True Plug-N-Play OS

Cons:
-Slow with the wrong cards (can anyone confirm that the OCZ class 6 is a good card?)
-IDE (anyone know the max transfer rate on IDE?)
-Expensive in a GB-to-GB comparison with an HDD


I'd enjoy input and feedback from forum members!

[Miller88]

I thought about doing that with my server. I have over ~900 gigs of external storage ... the external drives are always being accessed and I rarely use the OS drive ... only to reboot.

I'm guessing this uses less power than a 3.5'' hard drive.

Is there an IDE or SATA to USB? I could use one of those to boot off of my 8gb thumbdrive.

[iamdmc]

No SD or CF to SATA adapter that I've seen...

However, there are IDE-SATA150 adapters... but then you're dealing with compound adapters and very likely problems.

As for booting from USB, some Mobos can do this, but it depends in the mobo and bios.

[Miller88]

My problem is I want to boot XP from a thumbdrive. Which can't really be done since XP kills USB while it's booting.

[iamdmc]

snip...No SD or CF to SATA adapter that I've seen...snip

Scratch that, you can get CF to SATA on eBay for $15 - BUT it's 2.5" SATA not 3.5"/5.25" SATA

[qviri]

snip...No SD or CF to SATA adapter that I've seen...snip

Scratch that, you can get CF to SATA on eBay for $15 - BUT it's 2.5" SATA not 3.5"/5.25" SATA

SATA plugs are the same for all sizes. It's just the container/caddy that would be different, and that can be adapted very easily.

[iamdmc]

Are you sure? If so, sweet.