how to tell if motherboard is SATA or IDE friendly?

[Eberhard Roloff]

David Armour wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> I'd like to add a second hard-drive to my Gutsy system. And I've read that SATA
> drives are nominally 'easier' to self-install (don't need to set jumper
> switches), although I've also seen various messages that suggest Ubuntu & SATA
> don't always play 'nice' with each other. (!)
>  
> But my dealer asked me if my motherboard supported SATA, and I haven't been able
> to find a on-line source for determining that. System/Preferences/Hardware
> Information and System/Administration/System Monitor supply lots of info that
> might mean something to someone, but apart from telling me that I've got a
> "Duron(tm)" processor rated at 1.6 GHz... 
> 
> Do I have to look for something on the motherboard? 
> 
> Any suggestions gratefully received.
> 
> 
You may open up your case and either look for red or black SATA
connectors (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bild:SATA_ports.jpg)

and/or

look for the exact type of your board. With the type and manufacturer,
you can track down the specs via www.

Alternatively, you might also look into your BIOS. There should be
something about SATA around there, if you have SATA.

Imho chances are that your Duron does not have SATA ports, but I may be
wrong.

Kind regards
Eberhard