I wou;d like to build one. What do I have 2 do. I';m a newbie. Please forgive me if this is the wrong forum.
To build an external hard drive you will need... *An internal ATA or SATA PC HDD (depending on the enclosure you get) *An external enclosure *Software that came w/ the hdd or partioning software like "Partition Magic --> Software may not be needed if you connect the drive you plan on making external to the inside of your PC first. With you motherboard's BIOS up to date, there are quite a few various size hard drive your PC "could" handle. Right Click on the drive and format. LET'S JUST SAY YOU HAVE OPTIONS WHEN IT COMES TO THAT. You can get the "external enclosure" from places like Tiger Direct or New Egg to name a few. I just built 2. Here are the ones I bought. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1222405&CatId=1204 For ATA Drives And then this one for SATA Drives http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1222408&CatId=1204 All hard drives come with setup software (easiest way). Plug up the HDD inside the enclosure, power it on and load the software in your PC. Different hard drives of course have different software but the main thing want to remember is to *format the drive for storage capability. NOTE: The jumper setting on the HDD can be set at cable select and you shouldn't have any issues. Sometime more than one setting will work too. VERY IMPORTANT: Make sure that whatever HDD you choose, especially large capacity (i.e. 300 or more) is compatible with the enclosure you've chosen. The one I gave you the picture and link of is good for 400GB. "Features" 3.5" SATA HDD aluminum black external enclosure. Compatible w/ high capacity HDD up to 400GB. Plug & Play. Ball bearing cooling fan included to improve HDD performance. Newest Prolific chipsets included. Stackable with multiple external enclosures. Light weight aluminum alloy material. Fan failure alarm system w/ red LED indicator. Over current protectionn prevents over current damage to HDD. Power supply included. Once the format is done with the hard drive just plug it up to the external enclosure, the enclosure to your PC, and power the device on. Your operating system should recognize it within a few seconds. If any of that was unclear, just let me know.
Easy...You need the same thing "external enclosure" I don't think software is that important on this if you're working with XP but I could be wrong. The enclosure you need "doesn't matter from where" just needs to be a 5.2" Laptop drives: 2.5" Internal PC Drives: 3.5" CD/DVD Drives: 5.2" Keep that in mind when you're searching for enclosures. You can find a 5.2" that does it all. The only thing that may be sold seperately is the cable adapter for laptop HDDs and SATA. It just depends on what/where you buy it. Here is a 5.2" LINK: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1116585&CatId=0 Again, if any of that was unclear, just let me know.
WoW, Thanks for all that good info but IM still a little lost. Whats the differnce between ATA and SATA ? Here is my problem, I bought A external lite up case with a DVD burner it worked ok but I decided to put it in my PC and take out my CD burner and put that in the enclosure and it kinda works but the lights flicker(when in use) and you can tell there is not anuf power or something, the disk spins very fast and loud. Well the heck with the CD burner, The enclosure guide says I can put a 3.5 HDD in it but it dont have a fan in the case(does this matter?) is this still possible to install and how do I know the HDD wont mess up like it did with the CD burner? I Have A 5.25 Galaxy metal gear box enclosure and I want to put a internal Seagate 160GB in it What specs have to match up? Thank you so much for any info you can provide.
In short, the type of cable used to connect the hdd to the motherboard. ATA is the parallel cables that come with normal IDE drives (slim, grey, a MB connection, and 2 for hdd's) SATA is a serial cable connection. I think most factory ones are red with black connectors. SATA is much faster and usually more expensive in comparison to an ATA drive of the same size. There are never any guarantees. 5.25 is as large as external enclosures come. They can hold everything, ATAs, SATAs, Disc Drives, even laptop hdd's if you have the right adapter. If your 160GB HDD is a regular ATA cable, 9.9/10 it will be compatible with your case. As for no fans, heat is always an issue. If it's the case I'm thinking of, the sdes are removeable...if you're worried about heat take them down periodically. If it doesn't have fans I'm sure the casing is something like Aluminum alloy (big helper on keeping components cool). Lastly, read the box or check your enclosures website to see if it can manage a 160GB HDD. Once again, if it's the model I'm thinking of it's max hdd capacity may be between 250GB-350GB. Which means you're in the clear. If you can't find the info, plug it and see it it's recognized by your PC/Laptop. (Man, my wrist hurt, LOL!) Good Luck.
lol, Well that clears things up thank you again. Also thank you for the fast response, that was really fast. Quote: ATA is the parallel cables that come with normal IDE drives (slim, grey, a MB connection, and 2 for hdd's) What do you mean 2 for HDD's? So I guess the screws will line Right up then? Also why does the HDD in my DELL look so differnt then the HDD in this pic? http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Seag...sem/rpsm/oid/118284/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do Sorry,Thanks again,Im shure this thread will help many people. When I get it togather,I will tell you about it and thank you some more.
I should clarify that I guess. A parallel cable has a primary and a master connection and of course the connection that goes to the motherboard. The motherboard connection is normally blue. The other two are usually black and closer together. Looking at the entire cable, the connection in the middle is the secondary connection. It doesn't have to be hdd's connected to it. Cd Drives, DvD Drives, and hdd's any combination not exceeding two could be utilized by the primary and secondary connections. LOL!! It looks the same on the inside. That's a pic of what a hdd looks like on the inside. Is that they one you plan on buying?? I saw that Tiger Direct has a good deal on the Seagate 25oGB Internal HDD. Check out this link:http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=1265028&sku=THD-250A
LOL, Yeah I was thinking that was the inside but I didnt know. I hate to do this to you but Im so new to this I still dont got it. My internal harddrive is only hooked up by the 4 pin power wire and a gray 41 pin ribbon wire connected to the IDE drive connector on the motherboard. Same as my external box it has the 4 pin power cord and a tiny 41 ribbon connector. Yeah well , I have to look in to it more I plan to learn alot more about my pc in months to come.(I cant put down the mouse I'm hooked) I hope one day I return the favor and help you with something, Thanks again
So the ribbon is the ATA cable? How would SATA hook up differnt? Why do I need a certain enclosure for ATA ? Im lookin at my pc trying to understand its not very important tho you allready told me what I need to do. You were talking about a blue wire There a blue ribbon cable but it dont go to anything.it comes out of myhd and goes back into it.
So the ribbon is the ATA cable? Yes How would SATA hook up differnt? Different cable but it goes directly to the motherboard as well. GREY: ATA RED: SATA (MB must be compatible) Why do I need a certain enclosure for ATA ? Compatibility There are 3 kinds/sizes Laptop drives: 2.5" Internal PC Drives: 3.5" CD/DVD Drives: 5.2" 3.5 is intended for HDDs but they can also fit in 5.2 NO. Not blue wire, blue connection. It will be found on one end of the IDE cable (grey) in the picture. It's the connections that would connect to the motherboard if utilized inside the PC. But don't worry about that when it comes to enclosures, they all come with their own cables.
WOW, Please dont respone to this, I just wanted to thank you again on making it easy for me to understand. One day I plan on building my own PC and this info helped I no how to put it togather(somewhat) I just dont know whats compatible with what.
One thing to be aware of is that there are different chipsets in external cases and only some will support DVD burners above 8X and some will not work at all. The most reliable chipset seems to be the Prolific 3507. Dealsonic.com has a wide range of cases with this chip and has tested it with various drives.
Uniique, I just wanted to thank you again for all the help. I got it togather, the AtA cord that came with the case was just long anuf to reach to the screw holes. Everything works great except when I use it the light flickers due to the power specc not being right or like this guy said the chipset. It also makes a little bit of noise clicking here and there and you can hear the disk spinning sometimes,(when reading or writeing a DVD), Its seems to make more noise then my master HD. I have the metal Gear box that the lid screws off and there are lights around the sides and it also has the CD/DVD eject door. And I went with the seagate 160. Just wanted to let future readers know. well uniique1, I been seeing your posts around latelly, Thank you for helping make afterdawn My fav Site. Thank you
Appreciative members like you make it worthwhile. You're welcome NINVIN21. The noise you are hearing from your disc spinning really depicts what type of hdd you have quality vs. quality. I really can't say but it is normal for a disc to work/spin harder when it's being written to or accessed but I'm not hearing it so I won't make any determinations one way or another. Just make sure you back up your info and if you ever hear steady clicking come form the drive, take it to a professional, it could be going bad. If your is new, keep the warranty close by. Take Care.
Reading your posts as I am comtemplating building an external 2.5 drive. I am not going with a laptop drive over 100gb, but what i wanted to know is I saw a case on tigerdirect which is both USB and Firewire... do these cases come with fans and are fans needed? If no fan is present is it easy or advisable to get one for the case? [bold]http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=664945&sku=U92-2018[/bold]
I haven't seen one made for 2.5in drives with fans but then again, I haven't searched for those either. If the case does not come with a fan it's usually due to the material used to make the case therefore it could go without it. I doubt if you could get one for the case simply because it wasn't constructed for that purpose. You could get a 5.25in enclosure that is multipurpose. A lot of them are made to use disc drives, internal IDE HDDs, SATA HDDs, and an adapter for 2.5in drives, etc. and many are also equipped with fans. You can search sires like Tiger Direct, New Egg, Directron, or even MWave (to name a few) and compare specs and prices. The very first picture I posted in the thread is made for internal IDE HDDs only. There is no fan but I can remove the sides or take away the sides and top so the drive can breathe. You just have to search and see what's right for you and if you plan on using the drive for long periods of time...make sure it has a way to be cooled.
I want something compact, I had an external 3.5 hard drive it was bulky, although I will not be travelling with the 2.5 I like it cuz it easier on space/storage....but i guess i will have to compare the 2.5 and the 3.5 and see which is more benificial.
