External Hard Drive Repair

Glen_Quagmire

I have a Toshiba external hard drive and the connection point for the USB lead has come lose and fallen into the casing of the hard drive so I cannot use it.

Anyone any ideas where I could get this fixed in Dublin?

ED E

If its SATA native its easy to recover/transplant the drive. If its USB native then its gonna be a pain of a job and you can expect a steep bill.

If you post the model no we can advise which it is.

Glen_Quagmire

S/N 6C779295AG

I think the last two letters are AG anyway the label is a bit scuffed.

Says on the label USB Bus Powered 5V 900mA so I assume its a USB drive?

ED E

They all have USB, but some convert it to SATA and some connect direct, the latter being a lot less repairable.

SN is no good, model name number is whats required.

Glen_Quagmire

Only other number I can see is P/N PA4282E-1HJ0

ED E

Perfect. PN is part number.

"STOR.E PARTNER - 2.5" - 1TB - BLACK"

Forums indicate:

"I opened up mine, but I only found the hard drive with a circuit board screwed on top of it, with no separate sata connector."

That means you cant swap the connector, you have to solder on a new one. Unless you really need the data off the drive you're better off buying a new one.

Glen_Quagmire

To be honest I would like to retrieve the data if possible. How difficult is it to solder the connection back on? What would be the cost of getting this done would you know?

ED E

In a reputable place I'd say ~€80. And the repaired connector won't last as long as a machine one too just so you know.

ozmo

Glen_Quagmire wrote: »

I have a Toshiba external hard drive and the connection point for the USB lead has come lose and fallen into the casing of the hard drive so I cannot use it.

Anyone any ideas where I could get this fixed in Dublin?

I have that same drive - and yes its a standard laptop drive inside.

So you can remove (case is really hard to open - but can be done without breaking it using a credit card in the cracks to pry it apart)

Once opened - there is a SATA to USB3 taped on with silver tape - remove the tape and unplug the usb converter.

You can now insert this drive into any free sata socket in a desktop pc using standard sata cables.

Glen_Quagmire

ozmo wrote: »

I have that same drive - and yes its a standard laptop drive inside.

So you can remove (case is really hard to open - but can be done without breaking it using a credit card in the cracks to pry it apart)

Once opened - there is a SATA to USB3 taped on with silver tape - remove the tape and unplug the usb converter.

You can now insert this drive into any free sata socket in a desktop pc using standard sata cables.

I don't have any SATA sockets on my laptop, is there any way to connect to a laptop through a USB port?

Can I get a SATA to USB cable that I can connect onto the hard drive once removed from the casing?

ED E

Glen_Quagmire wrote: »

Can I get a SATA to USB cable that I can connect onto the hard drive once removed from the casing?

Yes.

ozmo

Glen_Quagmire wrote: »

I don't have any SATA sockets on my laptop, is there any way to connect to a laptop through a USB port?

Can I get a SATA to USB cable that I can connect onto the hard drive once removed from the casing?

Its easiest to connect to a desktop - no hardware needed and you may even be able borrow the power and sata cable from the cdrom depending on the pc.

But if you need to connect to a laptop - you can buy it cheap online (5 euros ish on amazon.co.uk - watch out for long delivery times) - or a pricey sata docking station locally in maplins, pc world etc - but to borrow a cheap one you only need to dismantle another external harddisk.
Most will have a small circuit board that converts from SATA to USB. You may get unlucky and find a non-sata drive inside and no interface board - but in my experience the vast majority of the ones I have seen (including your broken one) are standard sata drives with a tiny usb converter.


links:
Cheap 4 pound adapter:
Proxima Direct® USB 2.0 External 2.5" SATA Hard Drive HDD SSD Cable Adapter 5+17 22Pin + Protective Case


maplins: about 30 euros
http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/25-inch-and-35-inch-sata-usb-dock-a83hq
about 20 euros
http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/25-inch-sata-usb-20-enclosure-a85kf

Glen_Quagmire

OK so I managed to open it up and here is what I found.

Would a lead like this allow me to connect this to a laptop?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/1-Year-Warranty-VicTsing-Adapter-Driver/dp/B00GHJJPEK/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1458060899&sr=1-1&keywords=sata+to+usb+cable

bonzodog2

That should work. The thinner lead is for extra power.

ozmo

Glen_Quagmire wrote: »

OK so I managed to open it up and here is what I found.

Would a lead like this allow me to connect this to a laptop?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/1-Year-Warranty-VicTsing-Adapter-Driver/dp/B00GHJJPEK/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1458060899&sr=1-1&keywords=sata+to+usb+cable

Yes - however...

if you buy this one (link below) - as well as being cheaper - this is a replacement for your broken case - so you wont need buy a new external drive as well. Note: its USB2 so not as quick in a USB3 port- but a good use of the drive that would otherwise probably be spare now.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Accessotech-Black-Enclosure-Laptop-Computer/dp/B00E8NDDWW

FanadMan

Or if you want it from another B&M shop for €9.99, you can try this

http://www.pcworld.ie/Product/dynamode-usbhd25sbn-25-sata-usb-20-hard-drive-enclosure-black/313192/402.2.3

Glen_Quagmire

Thanks lads