>> Cheers,
>> Dave M
Yeah, that's not an uncommon arrangement. My Iomega USB drive has such a
connector. If you can't find a suitable power supply, there is another good
alternative.
First thing you have to do is to determine the type of interface the disk
drive has (Parallel or Serial, ATA/IDE, etc.). Then buy an external USB
enclosure kit for the drive. The external drive enclosures come with the
power supply, the correct interface for the drive and the USB interface to
your PC. You just remove your drive from the existing enclosure, mount it
into the new enclosure and plug it in.
Ebay lists lots of them. Assuming that your hard drive is a 3.5" unit, try
this search:
http://www.ebay.com/dsc/i.html?_nkw=3.5%22+USB+External+%28IDE%2CSATA%29+Hard+Drive+Enclosure&_sacat=58058&_sop=1&_dmd=1&_odkw=3.5%22+USB+External+IDE+Hard+Drive+Enclosure&_osacat=58058&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313&LH_TitleDesc=1
Opening the case can be tedious. First, make sure that all the screws are
removed. Be sure to look under any labels on the case; there might be a
screw under it. The caase halves might slide apart rather than pop up.
Push the halves apart in opposite directions and pry them apart. If the
case halves are ultrasonically welded, you'll have to destroy the case to
get them apart. No big deal, since it will be discarded anyway, just be
careful not to damage the drive inside. Once inside, remove the mounting
screws and disconnect the cables. Remove the drive and place it into the
new enclosure. Fasten it with the correct hardware. Connect the cables,
put the enclosure together, plug it in, and you should be off & running.
Seagate now owns Maxtor, so you'll need to go to
http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/support/ and find the datasheet for your
disk drive. That should give you the interface info you need to get the
right external enclosure kit. You should be able to find a good enclosure
kit on Ebay or Amazon. Prices vary; $15 - $50. Your chioce.
--
David
dgminala at mediacombb dot net