There is difference between SATA and PATA HDD but no difference between the formatting..
I'm pretty sure for a PATA you have to set a jumper.
There are many different features that are special about the Pata Hard Drive. These special features include, but are not limited to, they are older, and their max capacity is 250 GB.
Not much. Different name mostly.
yes. pata and ide are the same thing.
Yes. If your computer does not support PATA directly, you will need to purchase a PATA to SATA adapter board.
A serial hard drive is the same as a SATA hard drive. SATA is Serial ATA, and PATA is Parallel ATA.
A PATA connector
Sata is a different kind of disk. If your computer onlyhas a PATA drive connection you won't be able to run SATA. You should be able to find a SATA disk controller or upgrade your motherboard.
The most important reason the PATA connector is present is the PATA connector can be used for EIDE drives such as a CD or DVD drive.
Rear of the drive
yes
1.44MB drive is a floppy drive and not a DVD drive. DVD and CD drives are bigger in size and connect with a different cable (same as a PATA harddisk cable) on the motherboard. - Neeraj Sharma