How to Make an External Hard Drive Enclosure

Forget the arms race. Today, Americans are facing a data storage race. Games, programs, operating systems, music and videos can swiftly fill your PC's hard drive. External hard drive enclosures are the best solution. PC users can either get new life out of an old hard drive or dramatically increase the storage capacity of your current PC.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Select a hard drive enclosure that matches your hard drive. Most drives are 3.5 but they can be either IDE, or SATA. Enclosures transfer data in FireWire, USB or SATA formats. The USB transfer format matches most PCs. The CompUSA website has enclosures to meet each hard drive format.

2. Configure your hard drive's jumper in the "Master" mode. Review the diagram on your hard drive's circuit board. It indicates the correct position. Use tweezers to position the jumper.

3. Remove the drive tray from the enclosure. Place the two screws in a small plastic cup. Connect the power and IDE connectors. There is only one connector that fits each enclosure cable.

4. Slide the drive tray back into the enclosure. Tuck the power and IDE cables under the case's edge. Tighten both the enclosure and hard drive screws.

5. Turn off the hard drive enclosure. Connect the USB cable to your PC and the power cable to your drive enclosure. Plug the enclosure into an available outlet. Turn on your external drive.

Resources

• Find hard drive enclosures at CompUSA.