external hard drive?

neur0x · 07-09-2006, 02:38 AM

hey,

i was just wondering whether it is possible to take an external hard drive apart and make it an internal hard drive. i have a 160GB ext. laying around and thought i might put it to some use since it was giving me a partmgr.sys error upon booting the computer up when it was connect through USB

jp198780 · 07-09-2006, 03:25 AM

it may be possible, i think you can.

**The_Other_One** · 07-09-2006, 04:26 AM

Dude, if you're not sure, don't try and answer the question...

Basically every external USB drive I've seen is just a basic IDE drive, so it should work just fine in your computer. Just be sure the jumper is set correctly(master/slave depending on the channel and what not)

neur0x · 07-09-2006, 08:04 AM

alright, thanks for the info. i think im gonna just take a peek inside and see what i have to work with. the only thing im not sure about is whether ill be needing to put a "shell" or whatever around it or not or if its just going to be a plain, unprotected hard disk when i open it up.

Sacrinyellow5 · 07-09-2006, 06:43 PM

When you open up the external drives case, the HD will be inside protected by its metal shell. There should be a power and IDE cable connected to the HD. It should look the same as the HD already installed in your computer and will connect the same way as well. Just make sure the pins are set correctly and you should have no trouble adding it as an internal drive.

**The_Other_One** · 07-09-2006, 07:18 PM

I've never seen any type of shell other than the plain outside, but most of my experience is with plain enclosures, not premade ones. I would show you what mine looks like, but I'm afraid to open it(plastic tabs breaking and all...) But there are pictures around of these enclosures on the net...

[-0MEGA-] · 07-09-2006, 07:43 PM

Most (or all) external hard drives are simply a normal 3.5" IDE Hard Drive, which is hooked up to a special IDE-to-USB/Firewire converter, which is contained in the plastic or metal shell.

07-09-2006, 02:38 AM	#1 (permalink)
neur0x New Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 8	external hard drive? hey, i was just wondering whether it is possible to take an external hard drive apart and make it an internal hard drive. i have a 160GB ext. laying around and thought i might put it to some use since it was giving me a partmgr.sys error upon booting the computer up when it was connect through USB

07-09-2006, 03:25 AM	#2 (permalink)
jp198780 Diamond Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Deptford, New Jersey Age: 18 Posts: 4,090	it may be possible, i think you can. __________________ My computer:Amd x2 4200+@2.20ghz 1gb ram 200gb 7200rpm hard drive X1950XT xp home

07-09-2006, 04:26 AM	#3 (permalink)
The_Other_One Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lexington, NC Age: 23 Posts: 12,368	Dude, if you're not sure, don't try and answer the question... Basically every external USB drive I've seen is just a basic IDE drive, so it should work just fine in your computer. Just be sure the jumper is set correctly(master/slave depending on the channel and what not) __________________ Desktop * Athlon X2 4200 \| 2G RAM \| 160G HD \| 7600GT Laptop1 * C2D T5550 \| 3G RAM \| 120G HD \| Intel x3100 Laptop2 * C2D T5250 \| 2G RAM \| 160G HD \| Intel x3100

07-09-2006, 06:43 PM	#5 (permalink)
Sacrinyellow5 Platinum Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: St. Louis Posts: 918	When you open up the external drives case, the HD will be inside protected by its metal shell. There should be a power and IDE cable connected to the HD. It should look the same as the HD already installed in your computer and will connect the same way as well. Just make sure the pins are set correctly and you should have no trouble adding it as an internal drive. __________________ Harvey Pekar "Ordinary life is pretty complex stuff" ------------------------------------------------- -Tower /AMD 64x2 Dual Core 4400+ (2.3Ghz) 3 GB DDR2/Geforce 8600GT(SSC)/160 SATA HD/DVD-RW/Vista Home -Laptop /Core 2 Duo T6460 (1.66Ghz)/2 GB DDR2/Intel GMA X3100/250 SATA HD/Vista Premium -Server /P4 2.26 Ghz/1 GB Ram/GeForce FX 5200/80 & 250GB HDx2/DVD-RW/XP -MAC G4(Quick Silver)/768 Mb Rams/40 GB & 2x120GB HD/DVD-RW/OSX Go Cards!

07-09-2006, 07:18 PM	#6 (permalink)
The_Other_One Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lexington, NC Age: 23 Posts: 12,368	I've never seen any type of shell other than the plain outside, but most of my experience is with plain enclosures, not premade ones. I would show you what mine looks like, but I'm afraid to open it(plastic tabs breaking and all...) But there are pictures around of these enclosures on the net... __________________ Desktop * Athlon X2 4200 \| 2G RAM \| 160G HD \| 7600GT Laptop1 * C2D T5550 \| 3G RAM \| 120G HD \| Intel x3100 Laptop2 * C2D T5250 \| 2G RAM \| 160G HD \| Intel x3100

07-09-2006, 08:04 AM	#4 (permalink)
neur0x New Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 8	alright, thanks for the info. i think im gonna just take a peek inside and see what i have to work with. the only thing im not sure about is whether ill be needing to put a "shell" or whatever around it or not or if its just going to be a plain, unprotected hard disk when i open it up.

07-09-2006, 07:43 PM	#7 (permalink)
[-0MEGA-] Diamond Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Concord, NH Age: 19 Posts: 27,069	Most (or all) external hard drives are simply a normal 3.5" IDE Hard Drive, which is hooked up to a special IDE-to-USB/Firewire converter, which is contained in the plastic or metal shell. __________________ Desktop // Laptop Core 2 Quad Q9550 @ 4.0GHz // Core 2 Duo P8400 2.26GHz Asus Rampage Formula X48 // Intel PM45 ATI 4870X2 2GB GDDR5 // 512MB GDDR3 9800M GTS 4GB (2x 2GB) DDR2 940 // 4GB DDR3 800 750GB SATAII w/32MB // 200GB SATAII 7200RPM Creative SB X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty SilverStone 750W +12V@60A 3DMark06: 21391 // 9179

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