Using externally powered portable 3.5" hdd as Internal desktop hdd.
- Thread starter darksmart
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- Product Systems Windows Vista
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Ubrales
Polypheme
- Dec 3, 2009
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no problem - just remove the HDD from the external case and connect it as an internal drive with SATA power and SATA data cables (assuming it is SATA which most modern drives are).
Restart the computer, get into the BIOS and activate the SATA port that you connected the SATA data cable to. Restart the computer.
Restart the computer, get into the BIOS and activate the SATA port that you connected the SATA data cable to. Restart the computer.
- Feb 20, 2010
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So you mean to say that there will be a normal sata hard drive inside the casing??I am afraid if I rip the external casing and I found a drive inside which I cannot use as internal,then I will loose even the external portable hard disk..
Ubrales
Polypheme
- Dec 3, 2009
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External drives consist of an enclosure and a hard disk.
The newer external drives have SATA hard disks in them. The real old ones have IDE (PATA) hard drives in them.
These drives are exactly the same as the drives used as internal drives. So you most probably have a SATA hard drive inside the external enclosure.
There is one more thing to consider. If the external drive (with enclosure) is one of the compact types then you have a 2.5" drive inside. These are the drives used in laptops. This drive too can be installed as an internal drive, but you will need a front bay adapter so that the drive fits in the adapter and the adapter fits in the front bay of your desktop computer.
JustAnotherNoob
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- Apr 19, 2007
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Yes. As others have explained, an external HDD is actually an internal HDD plus an enclosure.
The powersupply is needed because the enclosure itself consumes power (USB <-> SATA, usually a fan to keep things cool), and because a 3.5" HDD consumes more power than the USB standard allows. That is why 2.5" external HDDs do not need a power brick - they fall within USB specifications because they use less power.
The harddrive you already have in your computer probably looks very similar to what you will find in the external enclosure.
The only reason why you could run into problems is if your computer's power supply is already struggling (usually noticable because your system would be very unstable and prone to crashes for no apparent reason).
The 12V line of your computer's power supply can probably deliver quite a bit more than 10 A (but is shared by all parts in your computer that require 12V to run).
The powersupply is needed because the enclosure itself consumes power (USB <-> SATA, usually a fan to keep things cool), and because a 3.5" HDD consumes more power than the USB standard allows. That is why 2.5" external HDDs do not need a power brick - they fall within USB specifications because they use less power.
The harddrive you already have in your computer probably looks very similar to what you will find in the external enclosure.
The only reason why you could run into problems is if your computer's power supply is already struggling (usually noticable because your system would be very unstable and prone to crashes for no apparent reason).
The 12V line of your computer's power supply can probably deliver quite a bit more than 10 A (but is shared by all parts in your computer that require 12V to run).
Ubrales
Polypheme
- Dec 3, 2009
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Yes the 4-pins Molex connector will provide the power required for the 3.5" hard disk. The hard disk uses about 12 watts of power, so it will not be a problem for your existing power supply.
However, you will need a Molex to SATA power adapter like this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812123119
You can pick this up from your local computer store.
Ubrales
Polypheme
- Dec 3, 2009
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Just make sure that there is an open bay for the hard disk installation. What is the make and model of your computer?
On an old computer that did not have any open bays for an extra HDD, I used the front bay (Optical disk bay) and secured the hard disk by using some tape. I placed a piece of flexible plastic under the hard disk to act as insulation. Working perfectly!
On an old computer that did not have any open bays for an extra HDD, I used the front bay (Optical disk bay) and secured the hard disk by using some tape. I placed a piece of flexible plastic under the hard disk to act as insulation. Working perfectly!
Ubrales
Polypheme
- Dec 3, 2009
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Thank you and good luck!
Don't forget to enter the BIOS and activate the SATA port that you plug in the data cable to.
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/adding-a-hard-drive1.htm
Don't forget to enter the BIOS and activate the SATA port that you plug in the data cable to.
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/adding-a-hard-drive1.htm
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