Question 1

Will this dock turn on and off as you need it in Windows 8.1? Or will I have to reboot every time I need to use it? I like the idea of turning it on before shutting down for the day and doing a backup. Any motherboard specific must haves? My MB -Asus Z87 Plus. I want to use it with WD 1TB HD.

Accepted Answer

I have Win7.  It will turn on and off through the switch, but in order for the drive to show up without restarting the computer, you need to enable hot swap in your BIOS.  In ASUS UEFI BIOS, you need to go into advanced mode and look for "SATA Config."

Question 2

Do I need to have a SATA cable plugged into both ports in order to make it work with both 2.5" and 3.5"? Or does only one port need to be plugged in?

Accepted Answer

Yes, each drives requires it's own SATA cable so make sure you have enough SATA ports on your motherboard before buying.  Should your motherboard also have SCU/SAS headers, those also accept SATA cables and are perfectly interchangeable for this application.

Question 3

I have few 2.5" hard drives that I took from my old laptops. I also have an old SSD (Crucial C300 128GB). Will this product fits my 2.5" drives? Can I use both 2.5" & 3.5" hard drives at the same time?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it works perfect with 9.5mm height SSD/HDD. However, I saw the product description on their website that "2.5" hard drive or SSD with 7mm height are compatible, however, the ejection button will not work with these drives. The drive must be ejected manually in order to be removed or swapped." Also, If you have 12.5mm or 15mm height SSD/HDD, you can still use it but the 3.5" HDD on the top bay will not be able to insert at the same time because 12.5mm and 15mm height SSD/HDD are too tall.

Question 4

Does this thing come with two sata cables?

Accepted Answer

No, you will need 2 separate cables - check to see if you have 2 unused ports. It is GREAT!!!!
I can use a SSD and 'regular' hard drive at the same time. Easy to install, easy to use. I highly recommend the product for using removable drives.

Question 5

I undertand that it can take both a 3.5" and 2.5" at the same time. But can this unit support two 2.5" drives simultaneously as well?

i.e. drive cloning.

Accepted Answer

I am not sure how to answer your question with regards to using the ICY Dock for cloning hard drives, but if you are cloning a drive from a laptop or desktop computer and want to clone a drive with it you might consider an Apricorn Drive Wire. You can find it here on Newegg. I have one and use it on a Mac and PC. I have also used it to slave drives. It comes with software for both Mac & PC. It is worth it's weight in gold.

I like the ICY Dock as I can use an internal SATA hard drive pretty much like a USB Flash Drive.

Question 6

could someone please provide accurate measurements of how far the ejection button is sticking out from the front bezel?

i'm asking in the context of it fitting chassis that sport a front door.

Accepted Answer

The button and the round knob both stick out the same distance, about 8mm (5/16").  This unit has no issues fitting behind the front door of my Antec tall case, the drives are recessed a bit.  Hopefully most cases with doors do this as well.  Good luck

Question 7

Will dvd sata laptop drive in this dock function?

Accepted Answer

Nope. DVD has different connectors and size is different.

Question 8

if you keep your OS cloned to one of the drives in this, can you boot to it? Thanks, Bob

Accepted Answer

If you clone your OS to a drive in the caddy and then disconnect the other boot drive, yes you can.

I periodically clone my boot SSD to a backup in the 2.5 inch slot and have tested it a number of times to insure that I can boot to it and it always works if the primary OS drive is disconnected.  Occasionally, Windows 7 will need the system repair disk inserted (probably 10% of the time) when swapping the boot drive out.

Question 9

Is it possible can you put a 2.5" hard drive in the 3.5" bay without losing it do to drooping through to the other bay because they don't have a floor plate under the 3.5" bay? Also, does each door operate independently or does the 3.5" bay also uncover the 2.5" bay and look tacky?

Accepted Answer

1. It doesn't look like that is possible, and I'm not going to try it on mine. I suggest you use it the way it was intended.
2. The 2.5" door is a flap in the bottom of the 3.5" door. When the 3.5" door is opened, that also lifts the 2.5" door. Tacky? Really? Get over it.
By the way, my device works fine, for either size drive, tacky or not.

Question 10

What is the maximum transfer rate of this drive caddy?

Accepted Answer

The maximum transfer rate of this drive caddy is up to 6 Gbit/sec, depending on hard drive speed.

Brand	ICY DOCK
Model	MB971SP-B
Color	Black
Part Number	1 x 2.5" SSD/HDD + 3.5" HDD

Conversion Tray	1 x 3.5" Drive to 5.25" Bay
Mobile Rack Drives Support	2.5" & 3.5" Drives to 1 x 5.25" Bay
Mobile Rack Interface	SATA I/II/III
Protection Case	Single Drive
Specifications	Host Connection: 7 pin SATA port x 2 Device Space: 5.25" half height device bay Drive Fit: 2.5" SATA HDD or SSD x 1 3.5" SATA HDD or SSD x 1 Transfer Rate: Up to 6 Gbit / sec. (depending on hard drive speed) Insert& Extract connection Via: Direct SATA hard drive connection Structure: Metal body w/ partial plastic Power Connector: 15 pin SATA Power Drive Cooling: Metal heat dispersion Power Indicator: Solid Green LED HDD Access Indicator: Flashing Amber LED Dimension (L x W x H): 147.8 42 178.2 mm Weight: 621g

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