# plugging in SATA drive while PC is on, safe?



## TwoCables

It's not safe to plug the power cable in while the system is on, but it should be safe to plug the data cable in.

So turn the system off first, or else you may kill the drive.


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## lapengu

Its safe, thats why you can hot-swap drives.. But if you plug in the power connector straight from the PSU, its not..


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## iCrap

Eh alright il just turn it off and put it in. Thanks guys.


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## UBERmorrison

I've done it loads of times, power and data. You'll be fine man!


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## TwoCables

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *iCrap;14343669*
> Eh alright il just turn it off and put it in. Thanks guys.


For the future, it's not really safe for _any_ type of power cable to be unplugged while the system is running - not even a fan.


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## Bobicon

Last time I tried hot swapping I ended up corrupting all the data on my drive.

I would say I am just unlucky though.


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## the_beast

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TwoCables;14343709*
> For the future, it's not really safe for _any_ type of power cable to be unplugged while the system is running - not even a fan.


fan's aren't hotswappable - but properly designed SATA is (but not all SATA drives & PSUs actually comply with the specs - if they did, they'd all be safe to hotswap.


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## TwoCables

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *the_beast;14343743*
> fan's aren't hotswappable - but properly designed SATA is (but not all SATA drives & PSUs actually comply with the specs - if they did, they'd all be safe to hotswap.


I thought that "hot swap" only referred to SATA data cables and not power cables.


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## the_beast

nope - it's both.

Check out the power connector on the drive - you (should) see that some of the pins are longer than others. These are the ground pins (the longest), then there should be some mid-length (1 for each voltage, which should have a current limiting resistor inline (which is often missed off), then the shortest pins are the rest of the power connections.

It's so the ground connections are made first, then the current-limited pins, then the rest of them so you don't get any sparks etc (like you do when you plug in a 'Molex' or fan connector.


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## CravinR1

why would there be hot swap bays (power + data) if it wasn't possible with the power connectors?

AHCI is hot swappable??


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