Question 1

Does this come with cloning software?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it does. Kind of.  You need to go to Acronis web site to download the installation package, register with a short key included in the SSD package, and then you'll receive a full key from Acronis which you can use to activate the software.  I've used it to clone Windows 7 system disk to my new SSD.

Question 2

Can I use my current hard drive power and data cable to connect the SSD hard drive?

Accepted Answer

Hi, Gene. As an internal driver, it's designed to use a sata 6 (thin blue) cable, but I believe it works with (thin red) sata 3 as well. (It's possible it won't transmit data as fast as when you use sata 6. That's what I use in my computer and it works flawlessly. Those old ribbon cables won't fit this drive. The power cable on this drive is the same used for all drives manufactured on the last years. It's a modular connector. Please notice that the power suppliers manufactured from the last 5 years has two different types of connector for hardware, and you will be able to identify the one you need for this drive, even if you're using a different one for your present hard drive. I have a second hard drive that I use as an external drive.  It fits inside a ultra box, designed for ssd drives. The box has an USB connection that I plug on a USB 3.0 port on my computer. For an external use that's all I need.

Question 3

Should I assume I need to purchase a 2.5 - 3.5 HDD adapter so it will fit into my desktop fine?

Accepted Answer

That's a loaded question. Most modern aftermarket ATX cases have the necessary bays to accept this drive without an adapter. However OEMs tend to use the cheapest case they can find, so companies like HP and Dell are notorious for not having 2.5" bays. That said, it's very cheap 'peace of mind' to buy one just in case you need it. I'm usually not a fan of that type of thing, but it's a horrible feeling to be waiting a couple days to put your SSD in just because you don't have an adapter. Good luck with the upgrade, SSD's are the best money you can spend when it comes to speeding up a PC, IMO!!!

Question 4

Does this have a 3.5" adaptor?

Accepted Answer

No... It is 2.5 and has a plate to make it work in laptop because it is thinner than normal 2.5. I have one in my pc and one in my laptop... It was the best thing I have ever did to both machines... It is so fast. The one in my pc is just floating cause it's so light it just hangs by the cables... No issues.

Question 5

On a Dell Precision M4700 the hard drive sizes are 2.5" and 9mm

The Crucial drive states 2.5" and 7mm.

Would that make it impossible to install into the system?

Well, I shouldn't say "impossible"... but will it install easily?

Accepted Answer

Yes. It will install easily. As the 7mm mx100 is thinner than the old drive... you will use the included plastic rectangular spacer/shim to take up the extra space. Also... verify you don't have a mSATA slot on that laptop so you could use an SSD card. That would be a good option to use also.

Question 6

Does this come with replacement service that transfers disk data? Forgive me lack of term knowledge.

Accepted Answer

I don't remember whether the drive came with disk cloning software or not, but, if it doesn't, there are numerous freeware downloads that will do the trick.  Just Google "disk copy freeware" and you'll find numerous examples.

Question 7

Can this be used with an actual tower? or is it for laptops only?

Accepted Answer

It's a SATA III interface, so it will plug into any laptop, notebook, desktop, tower or server computer.  And SATA III is backwards compatible with SATA II and SATA I, so it will even work with ten year old computers, but of course, read/write speeds will be slower on SATA I or II, because the data transfer speed doubles with each generation.

In short, as long as your computer has a SATA cable and SATA power connector (or an old Molex connector with a Molex-to-SATA converter plugged into it) the device will work just fine.

Question 8

Does this drive come with an adapter to mount it in a 3.5 inch bay?

Accepted Answer

No but most newer cases have a mounting solution for a SSD. Mine mounts in the bottom of a 3.5 tray. Look up your case it might have a mount already.  If not you'll need an adapter for  a 3.5. All that comes in the box is the SSD and a 2mm spacer. (For notebooks) Good luck.

Question 9

If I clone from a smaller magnetic hard drive, will this product work?  Maybe there's info on the SSD that is needed to run the unit but would get overwritten?

Accepted Answer

No, the firmware on the SSD will not get overwritten, and can only be altered with a firmware flash. Many people enjoy a good system after cloning from a mechanical hard drive. However you have to be careful when copying an image or cloning to the SSD to ensure the software that carries this task out aligns the SSD properly. If it doesn't you will lose speed on the new purchase. Just google SSD alignment to read up on this. I ended up re-aligning and reformatting for a clean install of windows after getting it wrong the first time with cloning software. (Not the included software, I didn't try that)

Question 10

how do i know this will fit in my computer?

Accepted Answer

That depends.  This drive is 2.5" so about the size of a regular laptop harddrive, so it will fit in just about any computer provided:

1) you have an extra slot to mount it in, or are replacing an existing drive.
2) your computer's motherboard has an available SATA III Port.

Bare in mind, if you're installing this into a desktop case, you probably won't have a 2.5" expansion slot.  However, that's no big deal.  See what slots you have available (probably a 3.5" or 5.25") and look for a bracket adapter to go between 2.5" to whatever you need.  I bought the "Rosewill RDRD-11004 2.5 to 3.5" for 7 bucks, and it worked just fine.

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