BYTECC 5.25" USB 2.0 External Enclosure, Model "ME-320U2" -RETAIL $29.99 Today only

[EvanAdams]

How does one install a Hard Drive into one of these?

I have a desktop that has a dead MoBo right now. I'm getting a new laptop and would rather just get my data off with one of these and have a new toy than get a new mobo.

 

[cmv]

Originally posted by: EvanAdams
How does one install a Hard Drive into one of these?

I have a desktop that has a dead MoBo right now. I'm getting a new laptop and would rather just get my data off with one of these and have a new toy than get a new mobo.

Well nobody else has replied with direct experience so... I've been reading up on these as I want an external 5.25" enclosure for a CD-RW (later, DVD-RW) to use on the laptop and to carry around. The huge thread on FW basically said you plug it in and wham, there you go. No need to reformat so if the partitions are still there, it'll work just fine.

It's a hard choice.. One guy on the FW thread had an inordinate number of hard drives go bad in these Bytecc enclosures (he had like 10-12 of the enclosures). Maybe just a fluke or poor cooling but something to consider. I haven't decided yet but I would like something quiet.

 

[zeruty]

Originally posted by: EvanAdams
How does one install a Hard Drive into one of these?

I have a desktop that has a dead MoBo right now. I'm getting a new laptop and would rather just get my data off with one of these and have a new toy than get a new mobo.

you open the enclosure up, plug the ide cable and power cable into the drive, screw the drive to the bottom of the enclosure, then close the enclosure
simple as that

 

[kcreekmore]

Originally posted by: zeruty

Originally posted by: EvanAdams
How does one install a Hard Drive into one of these?

I have a desktop that has a dead MoBo right now. I'm getting a new laptop and would rather just get my data off with one of these and have a new toy than get a new mobo.

you open the enclosure up, plug the ide cable and power cable into the drive, screw the drive to the bottom of the enclosure, then close the enclosure
simple as that

I just bought a Bytecc enclosure in the past week, and put a brand-new-never-before-formatted HD in it. The process was very simple. The two main parts (for my never-before-formatted HD) were:
..1..Put the Hardware together as described by Zeruty, (and then turn it on and then plug in the USB to the computer), and
..2..(Going from memory here) Go into Control Panel / System / Disk Drives(?) and do three substeps
.....A..Right click on the new drive and Initialize
.....B..Right click on it and Format
.....C..Right click(?) on it and assign it a drive letter.
(there were a couple of reboots, too, I think.)

I know you DON'T want to format (or initialize, probably) your old drive since you'd lose the data, but the reason I mentioned this is that you *might* need to assign it a drive letter.


my 2 cents,
Kevin

 

[Justus]

Boycott Bytecc products. They refuse to honor rebates.

 

[weepul]

Originally posted by: Justus
Boycott Bytecc products. They refuse to honor rebates.

they actually had rebates...?

//krunk (^_^x)

 

[sunase]

Just a note to potential mobile users, you have to have these things plugged into a wall socket to work. Just USB can't power a desktop hd/optical drive.

 

[GregMal]

I just received the Plumax 3.5 USB 2. Black drive from Dealsonic.
It took me 5 minutes to install and connec to my PC.
It's true that the installation instructions are non-existant but if you
work on PCs you'll have no problems.
Now the harddrive I used was from an old PC and already formatted.
When plugged in and turned on, XP recognized it automatically and assigned
drive letters (multiple partitions).
I usually 1st turn on my PC, then click the power button to turn on the ext drive
once the OS has loadded fully.
When turning off the PC, I just shut it down, then turn the ext drive off. No problems....
Greg

 

[sunase]

>It's true that the installation instructions are non-existant

Don't forget to check the back of the box. I don't know about Plumax, but the Bytecc (3.5") I picked up had a well done set of diagrams there and just used the manual for software issues.

 

[gordita]

so my choice is between a bytecc and a Plumax enclosure?
are they both reliable?
this would be for my 8x mad dog burner.

I have an external 8x plextor burner at work and so far, I've backed up two movies but it takes me 1 hr 15 minutes to bcakup each movie!!
this is on a 2.4Ghz dell with 1 gig of RAM and usb 2.0 !!!
is this normal?
something I can check?

The dell PC also has a NEC internal burner which takes about 35 minutes to rip the same dvd.
so, I have to assume its the plextor.
maybe it's not working at usb 2.0 ...and its working at USB1.1
anyway I can check that?

 

[sillymofo]

$17.99 + shipping