booting from live cd, turn off system hdd

frankg · 05 Dec 2012

I am booting a Linux fatdog64 live cd from the optical drive without any problems.
However, the Linux desktop icons show my NTFS partitions (system reserved and c: system partition) and will mount them without difficulties.
I am looking for ways to turn off the hard disk without physically disconnecting from the mobo.
Is there a way to accomplish this via BIOS setup? Disable chipset SATA controller ?
Setting the hard disk in CMOS to NONE will not show the disk, but Linux still picks up the the partitions. Any ideas?

bobafetthotmail · 06 Dec 2012

If the disk drive is on SATA , you'll kill it off as well if you disable SATA controllers. If I'm not mistaken though, fatdog is Linux Puppy at the core, so you can install it on a usb thumbdrive after you booted the livecd (it has its own installer). Afterwards you can simply disable SATA and use the USB pendrive to boot.

I did make a switch with molex connectors, that would cut the power to the device if I wanted to. It's pretty easy to to if you know how to solder and have a dual (male-female) molex power connector. If you have only sata power connectors coming from the PSU... it's more complex.

frankg · 06 Dec 2012

Good job, bobafetthotmail, I think you know just what the problem is. That Puppy Linux is quite intrusive and will ferret out the NTFS partitions even if they're hidden.
I have been able to set the Linux NTFS-3g file to read-only, but even this is not the preferred method, because I just dont like anybody to poke around in my System and Data Volumes.
I think the best way to go is via a SATA power switch to totally disconnect the SATA drive, then boot Linux fatdog64 from the live cd or live USB device.
Do you know of a commercially available power switch ?

bobafetthotmail · 06 Dec 2012

Do you know of a commercial vendor for the switch?

there are quite a few. This for example is a fancier version of my DIY cut-and-solder thing, that fits in a floppy drive bay.
You can go deluxe with something like this which is much more complex (and expensive).

The first is just a fancier power switch, the latter switches the SATA connection as well (so you have only one SATA cable from the mobo for the devices connected to it).

You can easily find more (and maybe cheaper) by googling. You may want to look for hot-swap bays as well, although that is a bit more annoying as you will have to pull out the HDD in the bay every time you want to turn it off.

If you want to DIY your own (it is significantly cheaper) this is a image-only tutorial that will guide you.

essenbe · 06 Dec 2012

Something like this is good. It's a hot swap bay with a power button.Newegg.com - SNT SNT-125B Black 3.5" SATA Hard drive to 5.25" Bay SATA Mobile Rack Removable Hard drive kit