replace 1TB drive in MyBook enclosure

[bbarlow641]

Hi.
Recently, my 1TB MyBook external drive failed. Hardware errors sometimes get reported when I try to use it, and other times it is slow and unresponsive and gets "stuck", hanging the program that's trying to use it. It won't reliably reformat.

It's a multi-interface drive (USB, FW400 and FW800) which I like. I haven't opened it up yet, but I'm pretty sure there's just a SATA drive inside.

I should be able to buy a new hard drive and replace the one in the MyBook, right? And somehow it seems that external USB drives are often cheaper than bare drives of similar capacities. How about buying an external USB drive, removing the drive from it, and transplanting it into the MyBook? Do external USB drives maybe use low-spec drive mechanisms because USB is slower than the other interfaces?

Thought I'd ask before I tried it.

Thanks,
Ben
(Used on an Intel iMac a year or so old.)

[mikebw]

A new bare drive that you installed would have a warranty whereas if you were to purchase a USB enclosure and remove the drive from it that would probably void any warranty for the drive and the case.

[Lew Zealand]

What Mike said about the warranty. Some of the laptop-derived 2.5" USB drives don't have a SATA drive inside them, instead they have a USB-only controller card. I hope this practice hasn't spread to 3.5" drives yet.

Also, some of the external cases are a royal pain to take apart, especially Maxtor and Seagate ones. And if you open it the Gojira way, you'll never get it back together in one piece again. I speak from experience.

[hal]

...but otherwise you shouldn't expect any issues...

[lew was to fast]

the my books are easy to take apart and yes, you'll find a normal sata drive inside

[olnacl]

Here's a take apart link

[Lew Zealand]

Thanks for that info and the take-apart link. WD gains my interest by not playing the same games that Seagate/Maxtor do with their external cases.

[silvarios]

Lew Zealand wrote:
Thanks for that info and the take-apart link. WD gains my interest by not playing the same games that Seagate/Maxtor do with their external cases.

The sticky glue instead of screw construction that makes the case not really fit back together? I hate it too.


Nathan

[silvarios]

Lew Zealand wrote:
What Mike said about the warranty. Some of the laptop-derived 2.5" USB drives don't have a SATA drive inside them, instead they have a USB-only controller card. I hope this practice hasn't spread to 3.5" drives yet.

I keep reading about this, but have yet to encounter it. Anyone have a list of these bastardized drives? I would hate to accidentally purchase one.


Nathan

[bbarlow641]

Thanks for the comments and help. I hadn't considered the warranty issue, and I'd even forgotten to check the warranty on the failed drive. (Although a little less than 3 years old, it seems to have had some kind of "limited" warranty, so it was out of coverage.)

New drive on the way.

Thanks again for the help,
Ben