Question 1

Does this work with WINDOW 7, 64bit?
I don't plan on using it in a RAID setup, just want to hoock-up 4 sata drives to it.

Accepted Answer

it works on windows 8 and windows server 2012 as I have tested. I have not tried it in windows 7 but assumes it works. Drivers will automatically get installed and then I use the built in storage tools provided to create a software raid via redundant storage pool

Question 2

Can this be used just to connect 1 drive, like a SATA DVD BURNER, all my other SATA connections are in use, I just need one more for the DVD burner that I have?

Accepted Answer

I have not tried to connect a DVD burner to the card. I connected a couple SATA HD's to it and put my SATA burner on the mobo's SATA ports. I also use this card in NON RAID mode. I flashed the bios on the card and made it a SATA link controller, not RAID. That way I can use 4 SATA HD's and not use the raid function. I downloaded the drivers I needed from siliconimage and clicked on the support page. (Newegg won't let me put links in this txt)
You'll have to look around for the drivers but they are there. Hope this helps.

Question 3

can i plug this into a computer with only ide so i can plug sata hard drives into it?

Accepted Answer

Yes you can,  absolutely.    There are a few things to be aware of about this card . . .  the drivers come on a mini disk, so be sure you have an optical drive that can accommodate this (most tray loaders do).   Also AFAIK it does not support 'Advanced Format' drives- so you'll probably want to use hard drives that are less than a terabyte in size.  SSD compatibility is iffy.  2 years ago, I installed an SSD in my aunt's computer using this card thinking it would exponentially improve the performance.  haha.  well,  It 'works' per say, but the performance has never been anything close to what you'd expect from an SSD.  Looking back I should have opted for one of two alternatives:  1.  install four conventional HDDs in a raid-0 array using this card (risky),  or 2.  purchase an IDE SSD from Transcend or Kingspec and just scrap this card altogether.  Anyway,  Included on the drivers mini disk is a flashing utility, which allows you to set the card to raid mode or normal mode.  If you plan to use one of the attached SATA drives as a boot disk,  consider the following process (and get some coffee for the trip):    first start up your system from the IDE drive with the PCI card installed, and flash the card to normal mode using the included windows flash utility.  Next clone your existing OS installation over to your SATA drive using something like Acronis True Image.  Note you will want to copy the SYBA drivers off the mini disk onto a USB thumb drive before your try to start up your OS from the SATA drive.  Uninstall the IDE drive.  Next I would recommend using Acronis universal boot to start up the machine.  This will allow you to apply the SYBA drivers from your thumb drive to the new installation,  as Windows seems unable to find the drivers of it's own accord.  Hey I wish you a whole lot of luck man,  not that you need it,  chances are if you're even looking at a card like this, you are exceptionally intelligent.

Question 4

Packaging claims this card is supported by windows7, as do the ads. Instructions included do not mention windows 7 anywhere. Is there a driver set on the disc ( do I use Vista or other), or do I find drivers elsewhere?

Accepted Answer

I inserted the driver disk after installing the card,  then went to device manager and the device was? Showing a?red x. RIGHT Clicked , pointed it to search on the driver CD that came with it. and no problem….  All done.

Windows 7 Premium.  Should work that way  on any ver.  Windows 7/Vista.

Question 5

Does this work with FreeNAS?

Accepted Answer

It should work with freenas.  I know it works with unraid. but you should use this card for it.  It's only a sata1 card.

Question 6

Would this work for an older computer (2007) running Windows 8.1, to add a 4TB and a 500GB drive, neither as a boot drive? (boot drive and optical drive are connected directly to motherboard)

Accepted Answer

I added a 2Tb and a 500Gb drive on the one I have. But as to whether it will recognize the entire 4Tb of the new drive, I can't say. My comp was built about 2/12 or so and I've had no problems. I added two drives with this card and an external USB drive, and have had no system problems with anything. I hope it works for you, too.

Questions & Answers