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How to set a SATA port as external/removable media?

Anonymous
2023-09-07T17:24:58+00:00

AVE...

I have a SATA disk tray in my PC connected directly to SATA port on the motherboard and PSU. I wanted to use it for plugging in 3,5" SATA HDDs to use as backups and temporary storage extensions. Everything works fine: I inserted the HDD into the tray, it was detected, and in Disk Management tool (diskmgmt.msc) I set it up as MBR type with single NTFS volume. This works fine. The problem is that the OS sees it as fixed disk and doesn't allow me to easily remove/eject. To remove it now I have either shut down/reboot and unplug it then, or take it offline by navigating to proper settings menu.

So how to set this disk or SATA port to be seen as external/removable?

From my searches I've seen that people had opposite problem - their internal drives were seen by system as removable. The fix for that problem was to execute in elevated command prompt this command:

"reg.exe add “HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\storahci\Parameters\Device” /f /v TreatAsInternalPort /t REG_MULTI_SZ /d x"

where x is the bus number. I even found solution for my problem that stated I have to use this command but change TreatAsInternalPort to TreatAsExternalPort. This didn't work. In some other place someone claimed this was setting disabled in Windows 11.

So how can I make my disk in a tray work as removable storage?

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Files, folders, and storage

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-09-08T05:31:33+00:00

    Hello Urgon_Cobol,

    Good to see you in Microsoft Community.

    Unfortunately, it is not possible to set a SATA port as external/removable media in Windows 11. The operating system determines whether a drive is internal or external based on the hardware configuration. In your case, since the SATA disk tray is connected directly to the motherboard, the operating system sees it as an internal drive.

    The command you mentioned is used to change the behavior of external drives to be treated as internal drives, but it does not work the other way around.

    Your best option would be to safely shut down the computer and unplug the SATA disk tray before removing the HDD. Alternatively, you can use a USB external enclosure for your SATA HDDs, which will be recognized as removable media by the operating system.

    Additionally, as a reminder, some models of advanced motherboards offer hot-swap technology, which means that SATA disk can be safely removed without shutting down and without security risks. It depends on whether the computer hardware itself supports the feature. For more information, please refer to the user manual (operating guide) provided by your hardware manufacturer.

    If anything is unclear, please do not hesitate to let me know.

    Best Regards,

    Mosken_L - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

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