All in One HDD Docking

The "All in One HDD Docking" is a docking station, which accepts 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch IDE and SATA hard disk drives (HDD) up to 2 TB in size. It is a backup and cloning solution with an integrated card reader, supporting CF, SD, XD, MS, and Mini SD, T-Flash, and Micro SD formats up to 32 GB in size. Model 875D is the basic version known simply as "IDE / SATA Docking". It connects through a USB 2.0 port, and does not have an integrated card reader. These docking stations are compatible with XP, Vista, Windows 7, MAC, and Linux operating systems. Models 871, 872, 875, 876, 876C, and 875C have a USB 2.0 port and eSATA, whilst 875U3, 876U3, 875U3C, and 876U3C have a USB 3.0 port. If you have never heard of eSATA, then it is simply SATA with a special plug and socket arrangement for connecting external storage devices. Many computers provide a socket such as this for connecting external mass storage devices. All the models have a one touch backup (OTB) facility, however not all have the one touch cloning (OTC) facility. Please refer to the table below, which shows the models and their capability.

When buying this product on eBay, be aware that there are two main versions of this docking station, which look identical. One version has "All in One HDD Docking" written on it, whilst the other version has "IDE / SATA Docking" written on it. Only the former model has the memory card slots and the integrated card reader. The latter model is the basic version only for hard drives. It can be confusing when buying because the manufacturer uses the same box for all the versions, and some sellers show a photograph of the version with memory card slots. Therefore, you may do well to ask the seller precisely which model it is that they are selling.

These docking stations are usually black and red and made of plastic. Their size is approximately 180 mm × 111 mm × 98 mm, and mass 262 g.

Dock Station Models

User Manual

The product is great however; the paper-based user guide was very sparse and about the cloning and OTB facility only. On the front cover of the manual, there is a clear title, "Hardware cloning manual". You can download it here: hardware-cloning-manual.zip

At first, when I connected the docking station to the PC, I did not see any new drives appearing in My Computer, therefore I assumed I may need to install a driver. Therefore, I inserted the accompanying software CD and decided to read the instruction file, however, all it had was a list of OTB programs. After a while, I managed to figure out that the software was for the one touch backup (OTB) and cloning facility only. I decided to connect through another USB port on the front side of the PC and that seemed to work fine. Windows 7 detected the docking station and installed the USB drivers automatically, and all the partitions on the drive appeared as individual drives.

Since this is a very simple plug and play product, they probably thought that instructions would not be required. The average Chinese person in Shenzhen usually has a high IQ and can figure things out, however we Brits need clear instructions for this.

USB 3.0

• USB 2.0: 480 Mbps
• USB 3.0: 3.2 Gbps
• SATA I: 1.5 Gbps
• SATA II: 3 Gbps.

As you can see, connecting the docking station through a USB 3.0 port and compatible cable provides extremely high data throughput speeds. If you were cloning very large hard drives, then this facility could save you many hours. However, be aware that only some of the models have a USB 3.0 capability. The basic model 875D, shown above, has USB 2.0 interface.

Applications

• It provides full access to stored data in a 2.5-inch laptop HDD.
• It provides full access to stored data in a 3.5-inch PC / MAC HDD.
• The provision of access is by way of a drive icon in the "My Computer" window. Usually drivers are not required when the connection is through the USB port.
• You can transfer files between HDD and memory cards.
• It could provide hard disk storage for Raspberry Pi or Linux based operating systems.

Price

These are available on eBay and Amazon, and many other online shops at greatly varying prices. I needed a cheap solution and bought the cheapest one, which was £12.00 on eBay.

There are eleven models with differing functionality, and many sellers forget to mention the precise model number, which can be confusing. It was only when I received the box that I realised that the one I bought was model 875D, which has only the USB 2.0 connection, and no eSATA or memory card slots. Therefore, I am including the model list printed on the box so that you can make an informed decision when buying. I thought this was a great product that will be extremely popular in due time.

Elementary, my dear Watson!

The basic version known as "IDE/SATA Docking" is model 875D. It has only a USB 2.0 interface and one touch backup (OTB) facility. It requires a 12 V DC power supply through a mains adapter, and it is made in China.

One Touch Backup

All models have the one touch backup (OTB) function, which allows the user to backup their laptop notebook or desktop computer. This functionality is available only through a USB connection.

Review

I just recently bought a refurbished Windows 7 computer on eBay and wanted a way to be able to access the data on my old drives without permanently transferring them to the new PC, and thought this dock station was a great solution that worked well. After connecting the unit, all the partitions on the docked drive appeared as individual drives in the "My Computer" window. I also found it extremely useful for backing up my data, and an advantage of this system is that you switch ON the drive only when you need access to the data, thereby reducing the wear on the disk drive. Overall, it works fine and I have been using it for a few years without any problems, however the only down side is that the documentation and user guide require some improvement! You should also be aware that there was a time in the development of very early PATA interface standards, when all the manufacturers did not follow the same interface dimensions and location, and consequently there will be some early drives that will not fit the dock. When I come across those types of drives that do not fit, I usually use my PATA to SATA converter and connect the drive directly to my modern computer which has only SATA ports.

Memory Slots

According to the manufacturer, the All in One HDD Docking supports up to 64 memory cards.

• CF Slot
• CF 1
• CF 2
• Extreme CF
• Extreme III CF
• Ultra II CF
• HS CF
• MD

• MS Slot
• MS
• MS DUO
• MS PRO
• MS PRO DUO
• MS MagicGate
• MS MagicGate PRO
• MS MagicGate DUO
• MS MagicGate PRO DUO
• Extreme MS PRO
• Extreme III MS PRO
• Ultra II MS PRO
• HS MS MagicGate PRO
• HS MS MagicGate PRO DUO
• MS ROM
• MS Select

• SD Slot
• SD
• Mini SD
• Extreme SD
• Extreme III SD
• Ultra II SD
• MMC 1
• MMC 2
• MMC 4
• RS MMC
• HS RS MMC
• Micro SD (T-Flash)

• X-Memory
• TF Memory

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