What drive interface is this?

| Sep 05, 2009 | Comments 1



What kind of drive interface is based on Western Digital’s Integrated Drive Electronics interface, and supports up to two physical drives on a single 40-pin or 80-pin interface?

A) PATA

B) SATA

C) SCSI

D) eSATA


The answer: A) PATA

The Parallel AT Attachment interface was simply called ATA (or IDE) until the Serial ATA interface was introduced. To differentiate between the two, the “parallel” name was added to help clarify the interface type.

Want to know more? Watch “PATA Drive Technology.”

Parallel ATA has evolved from the original IBM AT and IDE standard into the high-speed PATA format that we use today. In this video, we’ll show you what the CompTIA A+ certified professional needs to know about configuring, cabling, and installing your PATA drives.

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  • jeff

    “40-pin or 80-pin interface”

    I thought that PATA has only a 40-pin connector with either a 40-wire cable or an 80-wire cable?