converting external hard drive to internal

[jjsan1066]

can any external hard drive be converted to an internal hard drive or does it have to be one that has a power supply

 

[lodders]

HDD whether internal or external are the same basic product.
However, for a HDD to work as an internal drive, it needs to connect inside the PC, which means it needs a standard PC SATA connector and a PC power connector.
If you open the outer case of your external HDD, and you find that the HDD has the relevant connectors, you are good to go.

 

[D_Know_WD]

Hi there jjsan1066,

In most cases, you will be able to convert an external to internal drive. You will need power and SATA cables as lodders suggested.
Yet, you will need to keep in mind several things:
- Some external devices have proprietary connectors. This means that you will not be able to attach it with a SATA cable internally.
- Some devices have hardware encryption. You will not be able to access the data stored on the drive in case it is outside the enclosure.
- You should always back up the data stored on the drive before taking it out of the enclosure.
- Of course, this will void the warranty.

Let us know in case you have some more questions,
D_Know_WD

 

[GidtheGrim]

What is the brand of the external hard drive that you are thinking of using as an internal hard drive and or do you know the RPMs of the drive? Also will you be using this as an internal disk for extra storage or an OS drive? Does the external drive have a SATA port and power connector on the HD when you open it up?

Honestly I would recommend just using your external hard drive as an external drive and investing in an internal drive. You will find out that external hard drives aren’t really meant for running a system or running things off of them. I had an external hard drive die on me from watching long videos off of it, and using it all the time.