Solved My freeagent 750gb just died , suggestions welcomed

[snoko]

I think the idea is to insert the seagate drive into the desktop PC (changing the enclosure in the desktop casing IF REQUIRED to accommodate the seagate drive) and see if you can access the data that way. There's no intention for you to change the enclosure of the existing drive in the desktop PC (you're right, that would do nothing). The other idea was to change the external drive enclosure and put the seagate drive into the the new enclosure to see if the problem was the enclosure and not the drive (but testing it first in the computer would verify it works and increase the chances that buying a new enclosure will solve external problem).

The drive in both my pc and external drive are seagate.

What confuses me is how I insert the seagate drive into desktop as this would involve surely removing the casing / shell ?


I think someone mentioned something about using a cable , but the way you describe it sounds to me more like you mean the whole the drive itself i.e. as though i where putting in soundcard or memory ( no offence ) its just how i percieve it.

Also you mention changing the enclosure of the external drive too , but wouldnt that just basically be the same as what I mentioned before i.e. taking the drive out of its casing /body ( what i assume the enclosure to be ) and swapping it for a new one ?

Or put it another way like finding a clone of someones body and taking the brain out of the damaged body and putting into the clone - well thats how i see it.

I have looked descritions of enclosures and pics and really dont see the difference between what im thinking it is and what Im seeing described and pictured as enclosure.

Sorry if this seems bit dense on my part , I tend to perceive things a bit differently than most.

Heres link of how to open the external drive ,as you can see most have had to break the clips which worries me a bit as i dont want to damage the drive.

http://thydzik.com/how-to-disassemble-a-seagate-freeagent-pro/comment-page-2/#comment-41410

thanks

snokol

 

[snoko]

And heres a video a found , but its hard to see whether he breaks the clips or not when hes doing it .

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIs3Pz15OFU&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]

snoko

 

[Lorien]

Hi snoko,

Yes, it involves removing the drive from the casing (both options do) though I'm not certain if that requires breaking anything (I read the article and it seems some broke the clips while others did it successfully and broke nothing - I suspect it's a matter of using caution, doing it slowly and with the right tools, and not forcing anything as the correct way probably doesn't require that). And yes, it's then just like installing memory or a sound card (or more accurately, a CD-Drive) into the computer. When I made my external drive using an external drive enclosure and a regular internal hard drive, nothing I did would not come apart again without breaking. I'm not certain if the same holds true of pre-created external hard drives in enclosures - I've never tried to take a pre-made one apart. I suppose it is possible (if they wanted to prevent people from ever doing so or using the enclosure again), but I simply don't know - but it seemed possible to do it from the article you included in your post (at least some others did so and were then able to reassemble it).

I'm also not 100% certain if the drive will accommodate normal railings like standard internal drives, but most drives do (and you should at least be able to test it without the railings, being careful to secure the drive some other way, even if you wouldn't want to leave it that way).

I'm sorry, but I can't access the video - it didn't attach properly to the post.

So you do now apparently understand what is being suggested here (by me now and earlier by others). I'm not sure how else to test the drive to see if the problem is the enclosure without removing it from the enclosure.

The choice, of course, is yours.

Good luck!

 

[snoko]

Hi Lorien,

Sorry for these delays in getting back to you ( bit under the weather so to speak )
I dont really recall any specific tool other than flat / thin screwdriver being used unless I missed something , are there tools designed to open these things ( im guessing not ) ?

Im still waiting for my ac adapter just to test the drives once more before i do anything .

thanks,

snoko

 

[Lorien]

Hi Lorien,

Sorry for these delays in getting back to you ( bit under the weather so to speak )
I dont really recall any specific tool other than flat / thin screwdriver being used unless I missed something , are there tools designed to open these things ( im guessing not ) ?

Im still waiting for my ac adapter just to test the drives once more before i do anything .

thanks,

snoko

No, that's pretty much all that's needed unless electronic testing or replacing wires or dealing with more seriously connected parts is needed - but that's pretty much best left to professionals anyway - (and a lot of caution and care to not lose the parts and remember how to re-assemble them).

Thanks for the update. I hope the adapter turns out to be the answer.

Good luck!

 

[snoko]

Lorien,

Ive just started opening the drive ( adapter came but wouldn't work ) to see if it fits in my pc , I will take pictures and put them up to show you - hopefully soon.

snoko

 

[snoko]

Hi Lorien,

I managed to the case open eventually ( i missed 2 screws that were concealed ) which a pc shop annoyingly managed to find .

Apparently its just normal 3.5 sata drive thats in there , so i guess any of these would be fine 3.5" Hard Drive Enclosures, Hard Drive Caddys and Hard Drive Cases - USBNow.co.uk

Or is there any particulair brand youd recommend ?

thanks,

snoko

 

[snoko]

Here 2 pictures I took of the inside of my pc

I didint count but i take it the long white ports are the 44 pins one and the two to the far right ( that have red cable below it ) are the sata ones ( sorry I couldnt get the pics on here so I just used links )

pc1 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

pc2 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

snoko

 

[Lorien]

Hi Lorien,

I managed to the case open eventually ( i missed 2 screws that were concealed ) which a pc shop annoyingly managed to find .

Apparently its just normal 3.5 sata drive thats in there , so i guess any of these would be fine 3.5" Hard Drive Enclosures, Hard Drive Caddys and Hard Drive Cases - USBNow.co.uk

Or is there any particulair brand youd recommend ?

thanks,

snoko

Just make sure they are for 3.5" drives, that they work with SATA drives (have the proper connections and such), and that they have USB connections. Most of the 10 items listed seem to be OK, but some weren't actually enclosures (but cables), one is for 5.25" so that one is out, and I'm not sure about the one that handles 2.5 or 3.5 as I don't know how they do that and I'm not sure it would be as safe as one specifically designed for 3.5" SATA drives. I don't think the brand matters for something like this - I certainly have none to recommend over any other. Mine are German-made and I can't read anything about them as it's all in German (and I no longer have the paperwork) - so I don't know the brand or anything and they've been perfectly fine for years. I guess I'm suggesting it really doesn't matter as long as it is configured properly for your drive and connection method.

Good luck!

 

[Lorien]

Here 2 pictures I took of the inside of my pc

I didint count but i take it the long white ports are the 44 pins one and the two to the far right ( that have red cable below it ) are the sata ones ( sorry I couldnt get the pics on here so I just used links )

pc1 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

pc2 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

snoko

There should be SATA cables inside the PC if it handles SATA drives - if not, then it either doesn't support SATA or wasn't designed with SATA in mind but possibly can support SATA (though some changes may be required in BIOS and/or on jumpers on the motherboard assuming it can be done at all - though if SATA connectors exist on the motherboard, the probablility the PC can accommodate a SATA drive eventually - perhaps after some configuration or other changes - is fairly good).

I can't really tell from the pictures, but if they are SATA connectors then it should be obvious beyond any doubt when you compare them to the SATA cables. There's no way to mistake them. IDE connectors are totally different. If correct, the cable will fit in easily and snugly - nothing else in there will even be close to the right connection (you CANNOT make a mistake).

I'm not sure why it matters if you're putting it in an external enclosure, but that's as good an answer as I can give you. If you can get a diagram of the motherboard from the motherboard manufacturer or the PC manufacturer, it should show you clearly where everything is located - but again, you really can't make a mistake as the SATA cable will either fit somewhere (the SATA connector or one of several if that's the case) or if the cable fits into nothing, there is no SATA connector and SATA isn't supported. When you get the enclosure, you'll see what a SATA connector looks like and then you'll know just by looking.

Good luck!

 

[snoko]

HI Lorien,

Yes that red cable Im positive is a sata and now I looked closer those ports actually say sata next to them i.e. sata 1 / sata 2.

I do have some slots there under the dvd drive but i dont think they would fit my hdd - plus their behind wires and dusty as sin , so I think an external enclosure is better idea.

The sata is much faster than the usb and less prone to fail in transferring files , that is why I why Im primarily interested in sata as they seem to bypass a lot of other the other issues that can slow things things down.

From what I see most of the externals enclosures are usb to sata or ide , in fact I dont know even see usb ones unless their those adapters that dont require you to open up the pc .

BTW ** How could I make mistake if the cable doenst fit ?

Do you mean if i bend the pints trying to force it in or something else ( just curious )

I'll contact compaq just to confirm what connections the motheboard has .

thanks again ,

snoko

 

[Lorien]

HI Lorien,

Yes that red cable Im positive is a sata and now I looked closer those ports actually say sata next to them i.e. sata 1 / sata 2.

I do have some slots there under the dvd drive but i dont think they would fit my hdd - plus their behind wires and dusty as sin , so I think an external enclosure is better idea.

The sata is much faster than the usb and less prone to fail in transferring files , that is why I why Im primarily interested in sata as they seem to bypass a lot of other the other issues that can slow things things down.

From what I see most of the externals enclosures are usb to sata or ide , in fact I dont know even see usb ones unless their those adapters that dont require you to open up the pc .

BTW ** How could I make mistake if the cable doenst fit ?

Do you mean if i bend the pints trying to force it in or something else ( just curious )

I'll contact compaq just to confirm what connections the motheboard has .

thanks again ,

snoko

By not making a mistake, I mean that there's nothing inside the PC that even vaguely resembles a SATA connector - so it's not a matter of forcing it or bending pins or anything, it simply would be clearly and unmistakably obvious where it needs to plug in if SATA ports exist.

As far as external enclosures go, mine are connected to the PC by USB connectors and not somehow directly to the motherboard (but I'm using IDE and not SATA). I'm not even sure how to do a direct SATA (or IDE) connection to the motherboard using an external enclosure. But I've never tried, so I guess it might be possible (though I'd double-check on that as I'm not sure how it would be done and not entirely certain it can be done). Also, since powered differently (by it's own power source), is that a factor if connected directly to the motherboard but not using the PC's PSU for power - will it be enough power or too much power (in effect, will it work done this way)?

Do the enclosures have external SATA connections that bypass the internal connection to the USB connection (which is how mine are configured and I see no other options and is how I assumed the others would work as well) or do they also have an internal SATA connection with an outside SATA port to which a SATA cable can be attached? If not, how do you plan to connect the SATA cable to the drive and still close up the enclosure without the wire getting in the way?

How do you get the cables into the computer without keeping the case open all the time (or crunching the cables to get the cover on or just leaving it covered but unscrewed so the openings are enough for the cables to fit)?

LOL! I'm the one who's supposed to be answering your questions, and here I am asking you about these enclosures - but your replies will verify that you truly understand the specifications of the enclosures and how they are attached and if there are special requirements I didn't previously mention concerning the design of the enclosures. I never considered connecting the drive in the external enclosure to the PC by anything other than a USB connector. Keep in mind, if attached by USB they should boot up and be ready to go (plug-and-play), but if attached to the motherboard they will certainly require the installation of drivers.

Take care and good luck!

 

[Lottiemansion]

Hi,

I would like to add to this thread but only to gain some clarification.

I believe that the Sata external box is meant to be just that, an external case for a disk.

Now on saying that the short Sata cable is required to connect the disk to the case & not the PC motherboard. The case is then connected to the PC via the USB or Firewire cable.

This is then becomes external disk space & not internal. So, an internal connections is not needed!

Now my questions: -

1. What 750 Gig disk are you trying to replace, internal or external?
2. What method of connection are you hoping to end up with?
3. Do you intend to boot from this new disk?

Sorry to be a pain but I feel some clarity on expectations & process is needed.

Paul H.

 

[snoko]

Hi,

I would like to add to this thread but only to gain some clarification.

I believe that the Sata external box is meant to be just that, an external case for a disk.

Now on saying that the short Sata cable is required to connect the disk to the case & not the PC motherboard. The case is then connected to the PC via the USB or Firewire cable.

This is then becomes external disk space & not internal. So, an internal connections is not needed!

Now my questions: -

1. What 750 Gig disk are you trying to replace, internal or external?
2. What method of connection are you hoping to end up with?
3. Do you intend to boot from this new disk?

Sorry to be a pain but I feel some clarity on expectations & process is needed.

Paul H.

Hello Everyone .


Its turns out the usb is ok for now , I realise there is a short sata cable inside the case - along with power cable needed to be connected up ( as Ive done it now ) but I thought you could also connect via sata cable from case to the motherboard i.e. with the pc case obviously having to be open or through an adaption like this -

BTW What do you think about the idea of building , rather than buying my own pc - I need it for multimedia ( music production mainly ) and ( shameful look ) my penchant for the occasional bouts of gaming addiction.

BTW Lorien and all the other who replied earlier ..

I got more enclosure working yesterday afternoon , as Dr Frakenstein would say .. , " ITS ALIVE !! "

Thanks again for all your help ( Who would of guessed CAPT AMERICA knew so much about pcs ?? )

snoko

 

[Lorien]

Hi snoko,

I'm happy to hear that it is now resolved and that you did it.

It was our pleasure. Glad we could help.

Thanks for the feedback and the kind words - they are appreciated. (And I'm thrilled that you recognized Cap - my hero).

I will requst that this thread be marked as solved.

Good luck and best wishes. If we can help again, don't hesitate to post.