How to Connect a Hard Drive to a PC

Learn how to connect a hard drive to a PC via a USB to SATA adapter, an external enclosure, or a docking station with the specific steps on this page.

Want to connect your hard drive to your PC but without ways? If you're also bothered by this issue, please read this article from EaseUS to learn how to connect a hard drive to a PC.

#1. Preparations and Connect a Hard Drive to PCs via a USB to SATA adapter

You're supposed to check the preparations before connecting your hard drive to your PC via a SATA adapter.

Part 1. Preparations

Please get an overview of the following preparations.

• An adapter cable such as USB to SATA adapter or a USB to SATA adapter with an included power adapter
• AC/DC power adapter
• A working PC

Part 2. Connect SATA drives to a PC with a SATA adapter

SATA is still the most used connection protocol for internal hard drives found in desktop computers, laptops, servers, and other devices. Thus, a specific to SATA adapter allows for communication between these two interfaces.

Step 1. Plug your SATA HDD or SSD into the combined SATA connector on the adapter.

Step 2. Insert the connector from the AC/DC power adapter cable into the USB to SATA adapter's designated power port > plug the power adapter into an electrical socket.

Step 3. Connect your USB to SATA adapter to the PC's USB port.

Step 4. Please check your drive with these operations: turn on the switch on the USB to SATA adapter and wait for the drive to boot. Listen to its start and initialization: there should be no unusual sounds.

Step 5. Press Win + X > select Disk Management to check whether your drive has been detected or not.

#2. Preparations and Connect a Hard Drive to PCs via an External Enclosure  

Please refer to the following content in order.

Part 1. Preparations

Please get an overview of the following preparations.

• A single-drive external enclosure
• 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch hard drives
• An AC/DC adapter
• A screwdriver
• A working PC

Part 2. Connect SATA drives to a PC using an external enclosure

The following steps describe how to connect SATA drives to a PC using an external enclosure.

Step 1. Remove extra brackets, screws, or cables from your SATA drive.

Step 2. Slide off the cover to open up your external enclosure directly if you have a tool-less model. If not, please use a screwdriver to open up it.

Step 3. Put your SATA drive into the external enclosure > close your external enclosure.

Step 4. Connect the AC/AD adapter to an electric outlet > plug the cord coming out of it into the power input on the external hard drive. You can skip this step because a 2.5-inch drive is USB-powered.

Step 5. Connect one end of the USB (FireWire, Thunderbolt, etc.) cable to one port on the external enclosure > attach the other end to your PC.

Step 6. Turn on the power button if your external enclosure has one. If not, you can open Disk Management to confirm whether the drive has been detected.

#3. Preparations and Connect a Hard Drive to PCs via a Docking Station   

This method is relatively easy. Let's show how it works.

Part 1. Preparations

Please get an overview of the following preparations.

• A docking station
• An adapter cable
• A working PC

Part 2. Connect a hard drive to a PC via a docking Station  

Connecting a hard drive to a PC using a hard drive docking station is straightforward.

Step 1. Insert your hard drive into the dock, then connect it to your computer using the supplied interface (USB, eSATA, etc.).

Step 2. Your computer should identify the drive and allow you to access and transfer data.