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Internal hd to external
I have an old laptop that I don't use anymore. I was hoping to use
some of the parts so the /whole/ thing wouldn't go to waste. How cheap and easy would it be to convert that into an external hd? Anyone know of a good place to find cases cheap? |
#2
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Internal hd to external
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#3
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Internal hd to external
wrote in message oups.com... I have an old laptop that I don't use anymore. I was hoping to use some of the parts so the /whole/ thing wouldn't go to waste. How cheap and easy would it be to convert that into an external hd? Anyone know of a good place to find cases cheap? Simply pull the HDD out and install it into a 2.5" USB2.0, eSata or Firewire enclosure. There isn't much else useful in an old laptop. I use them for small Linux servers. Already battery backed-up, low power, and can be connected to remotely so I don't have to burden the system with any X-windows load. |
#4
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Internal hd to external
wrote in message
oups.com... I have an old laptop that I don't use anymore. I was hoping to use some of the parts so the /whole/ thing wouldn't go to waste. How cheap and easy would it be to convert that into an external hd? Anyone know of a good place to find cases cheap? How large is the laptop disk? As Noozer has said you could pull it out and put it a suitable enclosure (you might also need to get a 3.5 to 2.5 converter depending on the enclosure). Before you do that I suggest you compare how much the enclosure will cost with the costs of usb disks. You may find that it simply isn't worth it. If you decide that it isn't worth it then if the laptop still works then you might get more satisfaction selling it on ebay or giving it away on freecycle. -- Brian Cryer www.cryer.co.uk/brian |
#5
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Internal hd to external
wrote in message
oups.com... I have an old laptop that I don't use anymore. I was hoping to use some of the parts so the /whole/ thing wouldn't go to waste. How cheap and easy would it be to convert that into an external hd? Anyone know of a good place to find cases cheap? First this is probably not what you want to hear but old stuff is old stuff. You didn't say what size/type the hd is. You could have gotten a usb external 320G hd at a local retailer for $89.95 not to long ago and prices keep going down. A 3.5 in caddy for an ide hd for the better ones runs about $40 - $50 and the cheaper ones are in the $25 range. For a 2.5 in hd the prices are a little higher, smaller is more expensive go figure. HD space along with ram have dropped in price quite a bit lately. Do a minimum install of linux on the laptop and make a single use computer out of it (firewall, router, tiny server etc.....) or sell it for what anyone will offer for it. Shipping a bulkier low cost item on ebay is a killer. Local sales of builkier items like older servers generally tends to be a better deal. later..... |
#6
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Internal hd to external
I've seen cases for less than 10 dollars, that is not much less then I
could get the whole laptop for anymore. And if i sold that, I wouldn't have the hard drive anymore anyway. I'm not looking to have a huge hard drive to download the internet on. I'm just trying to get some more use out of old parts rather than letting it go to waste or selling it for less than a tenth of what I bought it for. I guess what I'm asking is: is it as easy as they make it sound? Buy case, put hard drive in case, connect cables and what not, plug in, download drivers, format it, and your done. Can this be done with a case that is less than about 20 bucks? |
#7
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Internal hd to external
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#8
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Internal hd to external
wrote in message
ups.com... I've seen cases for less than 10 dollars, that is not much less then I could get the whole laptop for anymore. And if i sold that, I wouldn't have the hard drive anymore anyway. I'm not looking to have a huge hard drive to download the internet on. I'm just trying to get some more use out of old parts rather than letting it go to waste or selling it for less than a tenth of what I bought it for. I guess what I'm asking is: is it as easy as they make it sound? Buy case, put hard drive in case, connect cables and what not, plug in, download drivers, format it, and your done. Can this be done with a case that is less than about 20 bucks? If you want to justify that this is cost effective then I'm dubious. If you want to do this for the experience then at 10$ go for it. -- Brian Cryer www.cryer.co.uk/brian |
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