Help Needed:converting Internal drive to External

Hi guys,
I need a little advice please.
(Apologies in advance if I'm in the wrong place.)

I was shopping for an external storage device on Ebay,and I accidentally
bought an internal drive instead.(Dopey me realised my mistake 5 seconds
after I bid,& alas no one out bid me.As I don't want an unpaid strike,I had
to buy the **** thing.)
I was going to sell it back on Ebay after it arrives,but a little reading
revealed to me that you can turn an internal drive into a USB external drive
with a 3.5" hard drive case enclosure.
So I ask,can I convert the following:
Seagate 200GB 7200RPM 8MB IDE Internal Hard Drive
-into an external hard drive?
Specs are :
200 GB capacity
7200 RPM spindle speed
8 MB buffer
UDMA/100 transfer rate
4.16 ms average latency
IDE interface
3.5-inch form factor

What type of enclosure would I need?There seem to be several types(Sata,IDE
etc) & I'm confused as to which I need. I spent $AU62 on the thing(plus 22
bucks postage) so while I want a decent one that does the job & doesn't
overheat,I don't want to spend a fortune on it.Brand/price recommendation
would be welcome.
Also,will it work with a laptop?I have a DellInspiron6400.E1505 with 1 G
memory & 80G hard drive with Windows Vista Home Basic.It's an excellent
little laptop that has given me no hassles in the year that I've owned
it.(So I don't want to f**k it up!):-)
I originally wanted the drive to store my music on.I got an ipod for Xmas &
Itunes & mp3s are a memory hog.

So,can I convert this drive without too much trouble?
Any advice appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Artemis.

Artemis <feralladybug@SPAMTRAPoptusnet.com.au> wrote

> I need a little advice please.
> (Apologies in advance if I'm in the wrong place.)

It is the right place.

> I was shopping for an external storage device on Ebay,and I
> accidentally bought an internal drive instead.(Dopey me realised my
> mistake 5 seconds after I bid,& alas no one out bid me.As I don't
> want an unpaid strike,I had to buy the **** thing.)
> I was going to sell it back on Ebay after it arrives,but a little
> reading revealed to me that you can turn an internal drive into a USB
> external drive with a 3.5" hard drive case enclosure.
> So I ask,can I convert the following:
> Seagate 200GB 7200RPM 8MB IDE Internal Hard Drive
> -into an external hard drive?

Yep.

> Specs are :
> 200 GB capacity
> 7200 RPM spindle speed
> 8 MB buffer
> UDMA/100 transfer rate
> 4.16 ms average latency
> IDE interface
> 3.5-inch form factor

> What type of enclosure would I need?

One that accepts IDE/PATA 3.5" drives.

> There seem to be several types(Sata,IDE etc) & I'm confused as to which I need.

You said its an IDE drive. If you want to check that, give the full model number of the drive.

> I spent $AU62 on the thing(plus 22 bucks postage) so while I want a decent one that does the job & doesn't overheat,I
> don't want to spend a fortune on it.Brand/price recommendation would be welcome.
> Also,will it work with a laptop?I have a DellInspiron6400.E1505 with
> 1 G memory & 80G hard drive with Windows Vista Home Basic.It's an
> excellent little laptop that has given me no hassles in the year that
> I've owned it.(So I don't want to f**k it up!):-)
> I originally wanted the drive to store my music on.I got an ipod for
> Xmas & Itunes & mp3s are a memory hog.

> So,can I convert this drive without too much trouble?

Yep. Tho it wouldnt be quite as convenient to use as a laptop drive of the same
size in an external housing. And that is less likely to be an overheating problem.

"Rod Speed" <rod.speed.aaa@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:5v31nbF1j29s8U1@mid.individual.net...
> Artemis <feralladybug@SPAMTRAPoptusnet.com.au> wrote
>
>> I need a little advice please.
>> (Apologies in advance if I'm in the wrong place.)
>
> It is the right place.
>
>> I was shopping for an external storage device on Ebay,and I
>> accidentally bought an internal drive instead.(Dopey me realised my
>> mistake 5 seconds after I bid,& alas no one out bid me.As I don't
>> want an unpaid strike,I had to buy the **** thing.)
>> I was going to sell it back on Ebay after it arrives,but a little
>> reading revealed to me that you can turn an internal drive into a USB
>> external drive with a 3.5" hard drive case enclosure.
>> So I ask,can I convert the following:
>> Seagate 200GB 7200RPM 8MB IDE Internal Hard Drive
>> -into an external hard drive?
>
> Yep.
>
>> Specs are :
>> 200 GB capacity
>> 7200 RPM spindle speed
>> 8 MB buffer
>> UDMA/100 transfer rate
>> 4.16 ms average latency
>> IDE interface
>> 3.5-inch form factor
>
>> What type of enclosure would I need?
>
> One that accepts IDE/PATA 3.5" drives.
>
>> There seem to be several types(Sata,IDE etc) & I'm confused as to which I
>> need.
>
> You said its an IDE drive. If you want to check that, give the full model
> number of the drive.

Thanks,Rod.It's a Seagate ST3200826A IDE hard drive.
>
>> I spent $AU62 on the thing(plus 22 bucks postage) so while I want a
>> decent one that does the job & doesn't overheat,I don't want to spend a
>> fortune on it.Brand/price recommendation would be welcome.
>> Also,will it work with a laptop?I have a DellInspiron6400.E1505 with
>> 1 G memory & 80G hard drive with Windows Vista Home Basic.It's an
>> excellent little laptop that has given me no hassles in the year that
>> I've owned it.(So I don't want to f**k it up!):-)
>> I originally wanted the drive to store my music on.I got an ipod for
>> Xmas & Itunes & mp3s are a memory hog.
>
>> So,can I convert this drive without too much trouble?
>
> Yep. Tho it wouldnt be quite as convenient to use as a laptop drive of the
> same
> size in an external housing. And that is less likely to be an overheating
> problem.

Thanks so much,Rod.I probably will buy a portable drive,but I just didn't
want to think I'd wasted all that money on something I can't use.I seldom
miss details like that,but I was tired and had bid before I saw my error.I'm
thinking it might also be handy for injecting life into my old HP desktop.
I've heard good things about Cooler Master xcraft boxes.Thoughts?
Also,I've heard unlike a portable drive,it assigns the drive its own
letter.Will that make unplugging it from laptop a hassle?Or does it need to
be connected all the time?That would be very inconvenient.
Any other brands(say under 50 bucks )you can recommend?
Thanks again
Artemis

"Artemis" <feralladybug@SPAMTRAPoptusnet.com.au> wrote in message
news:478c437d$0$26468$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.a u...
> Hi guys,
> I need a little advice please.
> (Apologies in advance if I'm in the wrong place.)
>
> I was shopping for an external storage device on Ebay,and I accidentally
> bought an internal drive instead.(Dopey me realised my mistake 5 seconds
> after I bid,& alas no one out bid me.As I don't want an unpaid strike,I
> had to buy the **** thing.)
> I was going to sell it back on Ebay after it arrives,but a little reading
> revealed to me that you can turn an internal drive into a USB external
> drive with a 3.5" hard drive case enclosure.
> So I ask,can I convert the following:
> Seagate 200GB 7200RPM 8MB IDE Internal Hard Drive
> -into an external hard drive?
> Specs are :
> 200 GB capacity
> 7200 RPM spindle speed
> 8 MB buffer
> UDMA/100 transfer rate
> 4.16 ms average latency
> IDE interface
> 3.5-inch form factor
>
> What type of enclosure would I need?There seem to be several
> types(Sata,IDE etc) & I'm confused as to which I need. I spent $AU62 on
> the thing(plus 22 bucks postage) so while I want a decent one that does
> the job & doesn't overheat,I don't want to spend a fortune on
> it.Brand/price recommendation would be welcome.
> Also,will it work with a laptop?I have a DellInspiron6400.E1505 with 1 G
> memory & 80G hard drive with Windows Vista Home Basic.It's an excellent
> little laptop that has given me no hassles in the year that I've owned
> it.(So I don't want to f**k it up!):-)
> I originally wanted the drive to store my music on.I got an ipod for Xmas
> & Itunes & mp3s are a memory hog.
>
> So,can I convert this drive without too much trouble?
> Any advice appreciated.
> Thanks in advance.
> Artemis.
You should have no problem converting it to an external drive using a
separate enclosure. As for enclosure choice, you will need an IDE enclosure
for an IDE drive. Unless you need the external drive to have firewire, just
go with USB 2.0 to save money. As for cooling, it's important to have
sufficient capacity but it depends a bit on how you will be using the
external drive. If it will be running all the time, then you might be better
with one with active cooling (i.e. fan). If you're only using it as a backup
drive where you have it running only an hour or so every week like I do,
then a cheaper fanless design should be adequate. Newegg has many to choose
from along with reviews from users:
http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCateg...nal-Enclosures
Many, no doubt will be available in Australia too.

Artemis <feralladybug@SPAMTRAPoptusnet.com.au> wrote
> Rod Speed <rod.speed.aaa@gmail.com> wrote
>> Artemis <feralladybug@SPAMTRAPoptusnet.com.au> wrote

>>> I need a little advice please.
>>> (Apologies in advance if I'm in the wrong place.)

>> It is the right place.

>>> I was shopping for an external storage device on Ebay,and I
>>> accidentally bought an internal drive instead.(Dopey me realised my
>>> mistake 5 seconds after I bid,& alas no one out bid me.As I don't
>>> want an unpaid strike,I had to buy the **** thing.)
>>> I was going to sell it back on Ebay after it arrives,but a little
>>> reading revealed to me that you can turn an internal drive into a
>>> USB external drive with a 3.5" hard drive case enclosure.
>>> So I ask,can I convert the following:
>>> Seagate 200GB 7200RPM 8MB IDE Internal Hard Drive
>>> -into an external hard drive?

>> Yep.

>>> Specs are :
>>> 200 GB capacity
>>> 7200 RPM spindle speed
>>> 8 MB buffer
>>> UDMA/100 transfer rate
>>> 4.16 ms average latency
>>> IDE interface
>>> 3.5-inch form factor

>>> What type of enclosure would I need?

>> One that accepts IDE/PATA 3.5" drives.

>>> There seem to be several types(Sata,IDE etc) & I'm confused as to which I need.

>> You said its an IDE drive. If you want to check that, give the full
>> model number of the drive.

> Thanks,Rod.It's a Seagate ST3200826A IDE hard drive.

Yes, you got that correct.

>>> I spent $AU62 on the thing(plus 22 bucks postage) so while I want a
>>> decent one that does the job & doesn't overheat,I don't want to
>>> spend a fortune on it.Brand/price recommendation would be welcome.
>>> Also,will it work with a laptop?I have a DellInspiron6400.E1505 with
>>> 1 G memory & 80G hard drive with Windows Vista Home Basic.It's an
>>> excellent little laptop that has given me no hassles in the year
>>> that I've owned it.(So I don't want to f**k it up!):-)
>>> I originally wanted the drive to store my music on.I got an ipod for
>>> Xmas & Itunes & mp3s are a memory hog.

>>> So,can I convert this drive without too much trouble?

>> Yep. Tho it wouldnt be quite as convenient to use as a laptop drive of the same
>> size in an external housing. And that is less likely to be an overheating problem.

> Thanks so much,Rod.I probably will buy a portable drive,but I just
> didn't want to think I'd wasted all that money on something I can't
> use.I seldom miss details like that,but I was tired and had bid
> before I saw my error.I'm thinking it might also be handy for
> injecting life into my old HP desktop. I've heard good things about
> Cooler Master xcraft boxes.Thoughts?

Fraid not, never tried one myself.

> Also,I've heard unlike a portable drive,it assigns the drive its own letter.

Not clear what you mean there. The OS should give it a letter with all portable drives.

> Will that make unplugging it from laptop a hassle?

Shouldnt.

> Or does it need to be connected all the time?That would be very inconvenient.

Yeah, specially with a 3.5" drive.

> Any other brands(say under 50 bucks )you can recommend?

Fraid not, I dont bother with brands for stuff like that.