How can I make 1TB Hard drive readable from USB: Can someone tell me if there is a USB case that I can put a 1tb Hard drive in, and make it readable. This drive come out of an old...

kfcam Loc: Fort Myers Florida

Can someone tell me if there is a USB case that I can put a 1tb Hard drive in, and make it readable.
This drive come out of an old computer. I will like to use it as an external drive for my Lightroom Photos.

RichinSeattle

1) Identify the HDD brand (e.g. Seagate, Toshiba, Western Digital) and interface type (IDE or SATA); 2) Go on eBay and search for one; 3) Buy it. Easy peasy.

Hint: If your present computer has USB 3, you'll be fine. Otherwise, be prepared for lo-o-o-ng transfer times.

kfcam Loc: Fort Myers Florida

Never thought of looking on ebay. Thanks, I got it.

jefflane

You can get something like this:https://www.amazon.com/SATA-Drive-Adapter-Cable-Black/dp/B07FDTY299/ref=asc_df_B07FDTY299/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309777534894&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7203361498017175162&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9052182&hvtargid=pla-572925725652&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=58425267301&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=309777534894&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7203361498017175162&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9052182&hvtargid=pla-572925725652

This is for 2.5 inch drive, if yours is 3.5 inch, just check Amazon for "Hard Drive to USB adapters".

RichinSeattle

RichinSeattle wrote:

1) Identify the HDD brand (e.g. Seagate, Toshiba, Western Digital) and interface type (IDE or SATA); 2) Go on eBay and search for one; 3) Buy it. Easy peasy.

Hint: If your present computer has USB 3, you'll be fine. Otherwise, be prepared for lo-o-o-ng transfer times.

EVERYTHING (legal) is available on eBay. I love 'em.

pendennis

I purchased four of the cases, both on eBay and Amazon. They're all USB3, and the drives literally plug in to the cases, and you have to tighten a few screws. I have two from laptops, and two from desktops. I opted to leave the O/S in place, and delete the data. You can also fully format depending on your needs.

I ended up with spare drives when I went to SSD, and when I scrapped a couple of units. These spin-ups are perfect for temp backups. However, for permanent solutions my primary backup is the cloud.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I purchased this drive dock a few years ago. It accepts regular SATA internals as well as thin drives.
Works great!
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1288284-REG/owc_other_world_computing_owcu3drvdck2_drive_dock_usb_3_1.html
(You didn't say if the drive was SATA or IDE.)

FatCatPeter Loc: Shanghai

Longshadow wrote:

I purchased this drive dock a few years ago. It accepts regular SATA internals as well as thin drives.
Works great!
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1288284-REG/owc_other_world_computing_owcu3drvdck2_drive_dock_usb_3_1.html
(You didn't say if the drive was SATA or IDE.)

I second this solution. You can put two drives, good for making the necessary backup. You should always have a backup of your data (best practice). I have several “plain” HDDs, for pictures, videos, music, all in pairs. The dock(s) save a lot of space and money, as I usually do not need to access all the data at once. And if needed, with two docks you could place four different HDDs, should be enough for most use cases.

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

kfcam wrote:

Can someone tell me if there is a USB case that I can put a 1tb Hard drive in, and make it readable.
This drive come out of an old computer. I will like to use it as an external drive for my Lightroom Photos.

Find a compatible USB housing, install the drive and voila, external drive.

bwa

radraves Loc: Hudson River Valley

kfcam wrote:

Can someone tell me if there is a USB case that I can put a 1tb Hard drive in, and make it readable.
This drive come out of an old computer. I will like to use it as an external drive for my Lightroom Photos.

It is about 10 years old, I have a Rosewill SATA/IDE to USB. I do not have a link to share, but a search for the brand name "Rosewill" should turn up newer models. Just a thought!

juan_uy Loc: Uruguay

kfcam wrote:

Can someone tell me if there is a USB case that I can put a 1tb Hard drive in, and make it readable.
This drive come out of an old computer. I will like to use it as an external drive for my Lightroom Photos.

I would be worried by the "old computer" part of your post.
Nowadays an external 1TB HDD is really cheap or affordable at least. I think I wouldn't trust any type of data to an old drive unless is considered temporal storage that is backed up somewhere else.

Although the "old" part could be not that old

peterg Loc: Santa Rosa, CA

Check out "Other World Computing": https://www.macsales.com and Amazon.

John_F Loc: Minneapolis, MN

Every hard drive case has a circuit board and wiring to accommodate the plater housing. The hitch is there is no circuit board/wiring standard, so that you need to carefully assess specifications. I would not guess this is a task for the faint-hearted, like me. Good luck.

chikid68 Loc: Tennesse USA

Longshadow wrote:

I purchased this drive dock a few years ago. It accepts regular SATA internals as well as thin drives.
Works great!
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1288284-REG/owc_other_world_computing_owcu3drvdck2_drive_dock_usb_3_1.html
(You didn't say if the drive was SATA or IDE.)

I have a similar dock although mine has a third slot for an IDE drive and uses an external power cord.
I have used it many times for transferring pictures and documents when a client upgrades their computer but wants to keep the old files. It also let's me use any drive to do regular backups as well as use it for external storage.
I have several loose hard drives sitting around for different uses.

BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA

kfcam wrote:

Can someone tell me if there is a USB case that I can put a 1tb Hard drive in, and make it readable.
This drive come out of an old computer. I will like to use it as an external drive for my Lightroom Photos.

Here is one example for a USB HDD docking station. There are many others available. Be sure of HDD type (eSATA, SATA, etc). If you have USB 3.0/3.1 on your computer, be sure to get a USB 3.0/3.1 station with the appropriate cable or adapter.

I use these all the time.