[SOLVED] Can a laptop hard drive enclosure work with a desktop hard drive? Minus the "enclosed" part? :D

[Rabblerouser]

So me and my family are looking into some data recovery from some old hard drives.

We ALREADY have an enclosure sized for laptops, however, my curiosity is learning toward this...
I actually hooked up the laptop "hookup" part to a desktop hard drive and... it connects! The dimensions are standard, I'm guessing! The obvious part is that it won't fit into the provided "enclosure" which... honestly, it's just plastic not necessary for the FUNCTION of the device.

However, I'm curious if the SATA and most importantly the POWER will be delivered correctly. Are there any serious risks involved? I want to make sure everything is safe before I risk burning out any part of the accessing PC or the hard drive.

 

[NightHawkRMX]

However, I'm curious if the SATA and most importantly the POWER will be delivered correctly. Are there any serious risks involved? I want to make sure everything is safe before I risk burning out any part of the accessing PC or the hard drive.

What power connectors does this enclosure need.
If the enclosure only uses 1 USB there won't be enough power for a 3.5in hdd. It won't do damage, it just won't work.

 

[USAFRet]

A much better option i to obtain a USB dock that can handle both 3.4" and 2.5" drives.
Maybe $25. But priceless if your data is at all important to you.

 

[Rabblerouser]

The enclusure itself is a Dynex USB 3.0 SATA hard drive enclosure.. I looked up the model number and got this here. Not trying to plug anything.

I figure if it doesn't have potential to damage anything, it may at least be worth a try. One side is a typical USB connector, however the other side is strangely shaped like you see here. That's the side the plugs into the enclosure.

 

[Rabblerouser]

I... probably should have mentioned it was a USB enclosure from the start. My bad.

 

[NightHawkRMX]

Its not going to work. A single USB port cannot power a 3.5in hdd.

You need a new enclosure to use both 3.5 and 2.5in hdds.

The odd connector is MicroUSB 3.0 superspeed.

 

[Rabblerouser]

Hm.. sad news, then. But thanks for the quick answer!😊 I think I have no further questions and consider this question answered. Thanks and have a great day!

 

[NightHawkRMX]

https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/how-to-award-best-answers-mark-question-as-solved.3450478/

 

[mdd1963]

Do you have a 5.25" external bay open in your case? (i.e, the same type of bays that house CD ROM/DVD/Blue Ray burners, etc.)

These are simply awesome to have!
https://www.icydock.com/goods.php?id=269