MaxTheFast wrote:
I've spent a while today to "study" Paul's replies but honestly I've not understood so much. As far as I can understand it's a fantec's issue/feature and that avoids me to use just an esata-sata cable but I've to use a PCI interface between my mobo and the fantec, isn't it? Before buying the above linked PCI and an esata-esata cable I'd like to know if there could be a workaround/trick to do with this (likely)useless esata-sata cable I've got. In other words, if it's a signal matter can't we just "simulate" anyhow the proper signal coming from the PCI to trick the fantec? I'm not skilled but I guess if the signal is not complex and it's just something like a low value DC or Ohm or other basic signal, we can use capacitors, resistances, etc. either working on the cable or on the fantec.

Another idea to save this esata-sata cable from the trashcan and to avoid installing a PCI. We know fantec + usb has no issue so I think I could use a usb-esata adapter + this esata-sata cable to connect the fantec to a mobo's sata port. I've seen some of these adapters and I guess they're more likely converters because they've got a "fat" body and I guess there're some electronics inside. Therefore I think the answer will be "it depends on what happens to the signal we're talking about when it's processed inside the converter", right? I don't know the answer but maybe you do.
I think we can take the experience of the CPU led error to say the mobo understands there's something strange connected to one of its sata ports when esata-sata cable is used, therefore I bet the adapter-converter would not work.

Some last details I missed to say:

1) as far as I remember each of the 6 sata
ports entries can be set to "hot plug"
(or something similar) in the bios;

2) it's not fundamental for me but it could be interesting to see if a
OS booted from this external enclosure via sata, do you think it's possible?

Yes, you can boot an external ESATA, just like any other
SATA. There is no marking at BIOS level to differentiate
the types.

And "Hot Plug" could help with some of the tests
you're running right now.

Without Hot Plug enabled, I think the OS can still detect
a drive at boot time.

Windows at one time, would include Hot Plug drives in the
Safely Remove menu. It would even show C: in that menu!
But of course, any attempt to Safely Remove C: would lead
to an appropriately snotty error message (files busy, that
sort of thing).

Paul