Porch Enclosure

"For my job, I need to carry a bag of tech gear around with me all day. I’ve been able to cut down on the cables I carry by using only retractable cables, but my other devices are still bulky. I’m looking for the smallest FireWire 2.5" drive enclosure on the market. It seems that many of the sites selling enclosures don’t list their dimensions and some of the slimmest enclosures are USB-only, but 6-pin FireWire is a requirement. What is the slimmest enclosure you know of?"

You can get firewire 2.5 inch enclosures from Atlast Solutions…they are the same size as the 2.5 laptop HDD (well 1-2 mm bigger to allow the HDD to be put in )
Go to http://atlastsolutions.co.uk/shop/
You can ring them if you wish …the number should be on their website
OK… I have measured the firewire enclosure I got from them
its 130mm X 80mm X 13mm

PS..when I spoke to them I spoke to a chap called Jonathon or Richard (can’t remember which…think it was Jonathon….very friendly, helpful & gave me time. I have bought enclosures elsewhere aswell (usb tho)…Atlast Solutions firewire enclosure was far better built ..very solid, not flimsy like the others.

PSPS Just had a look at the one shown on their website..I got a slimmer one from them than this & they supplied me with a superior firewire gold plated lead so that it worked fine without mains power supply..Ring them to ask because they don’t always show all of the ranges on their website.

I’ve never had to buy an external hard drive enclosure before. I have a Seagate 160GB SATA drive that I need to connect to my computer. Both SATA ports on the motherboard are occupied, so I need an enclosure that accepts a SATA internally, but connects/works with the computer via USB or firewire. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thank you in advance.

In my opinion, this is the best there is.I have one and you can’t even tell it’s running except for the light letting you know it is.

http://www.egoodz.com/product.asp?pf_id=3507AUAS

I want to do this. First ill give the stats. The laptop has 1 ethernet, 1 modem, 4 usb 2.0, and an I394 hookup. The Desktop has alot more, Firewire, 6 usb, ethernet, and I think an external sata, but I cant remember, and its hard to look behind it.

Anyways, here is what I want to do

Laptop<———>500gb External Sata<————->Desktop

So basically I want to hook the laptop and desktop to an external hard drive. I know theres some external enclosures that have 2 or 3 different hookups, Usb, I394, and ESata.

The Desktop will have the Ethernet taken up, the Laptop will not. I run the DSL through USB on it, only because my modem only has one Ethernet.

So how would I do this? I want to make it so when I want to go somewhere with my laptop, I just unhook it and go while still being able to access the hard drive with my desktop.

I know its possible, but I have never done it. So, what would I need to accomplish this? (I use Newegg.)

Well, you’re right about the enclosures that have multiple USB or firewire ports, that would work. The other option would actually do more for you than allow the sharing of the external drive. My suggestion would be to get a router. A wireless router would probably be a good idea if the laptop has a wireless card in it. This way you could connect the external drive to the desktop and use Windows sharing to access it with both computers. Read the help documentation in Windows to understand how sharing works.

1. Is it in fact possible to install the Sims 2 onto an external HDD without any problems?

2. Would game play performance be reduced (such as lag)? If so, would it be advisable to use a firewire 400 or 800 connection to my laptop instead of USB 2.0? (eSATA is not an option)

3. Would it be advisable to purchase a premade external HDD or purchasing an internal HDD and enclosure considering that I prefer a HDD with an aluminium case and active cooling (fan cooling) – my room gets very hot in summer, no air conditioning and I would be playing Sims 2 off it if it works.

The HDD would also be used for backups, therefore I’m looking for a 1TB one. It would only be used when needed, I wouldn’t keep it on and connected for long periods of time. Or would passively cooled ones do fine? I’m afraid they would overheat?

Any recommendable hard drives or tips?

Thanks, appreciate any help!

I have all of my games on a 1TB WD External I picked up for a sweet deal, I can’t remember but I think it was around 150, holiday deal. I love it, and as I said, all of my games are run off of it, and I’ve never had a problem. (Including Sims2)

As for the question of whether or not to buy premade or do it yourself, whichever you like, doing it yourself gives you modding opportunities, premade is a simple out-of-the box solution.

I want to have the option of getting back into my old hard drive after I install the new one that i am gettin read to order. I know that i can get external enclosures (tha dont require external power) for 10 to 20 dollars, but i am hoping to find a more simple and cheaper cable with which to connect the HD to my laptop. Are these available? I cant find one myslef a newegg, where i am orderng the HD from.
Thank you for the answers, but i must select the one that is more applicable to my situation.

And WOW, sorry about the typo ridden question. My laptop is in pieces right now, so I am using a roommate’s computer which has a keyboard that apparently has some VERY sticky keys.

No, you still require a bridge board to convert the signal, so any cable, adaptor or enclosure that goes from USB to IDE will still cost $10 - $20

Just get the enclosure.

unboxing showing my new backup drive and the software included on it for automated backup.

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Hey guys

I recently decided that I needed either a second HDD on my laptop in the second bay or that I would purchase and external, but I figured that I could make a better external than one I could purchase pre-built.

Current laptop specs

- HP 1.9 GHz Turion 64×2 Dual-Core
- 4GB Ram
- 160GB Current internal HDD
- Vista Premium Home Edition

I was looking at purchasing a Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Now as far as the enclosure goes I have no clue. There are way too many out on the market with varying prices and options. I do know that I would like to connect to my laptop via firewire 4-pin, but aside from that I dont know.

Does anyone have any info they can share. Also please give me your opinion the hard drive I have my eye on.

Thanx for your help in advance.

I think it’s a great idea, & the WD10EADS is an excellent product.
Too many off the shelf externals are plagued with issues due to added or modified controller boards on the drives they use.

So far as 3.5 inch external enclosures (for SATA) there are lots to choose from, however, according to user reviews & mfg track record I would choose this one:

Rosewill RX81
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182122

I like:

- the fact the the AC external adapter is non proprietary & easily replacable…. (DC +5V/2A, +12V/2A) is a common outage
- 4 interfaces (IEEE 1394a, IEEE 1394b, eSATA and USB 2.0)
- Hot-swappable connection
- internal design & materials allow for efficient cooling

regards,
Philip T

After five years of sitting on the shelf, I decided it was time to finally discard the box to this external hard drive enclosure… then I found these instructions inside and had a good laugh. If CompUSA couldn’t write better than this, then it’s a good thing they went out of business!

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im building a pc so im buying all the parts for it and putting it together myself

i just need to know if all these parts will run smoothly and are compatible with eachother

heres what i have in mind for parts

CPU-AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Processor ADX6000IAA6CZ
—————————————————
Processor Speed: X2 6000+ / 3.00GHz

Processor Interface: Socket AM2

Processor Class: Athlon 64 X2

Processor Core: Windsor

Cache Size: 1MB L2

Bus Speed: 1000MHz (2000 MT/s)

Additional Technologies: AMD64
Cool’n'Quiet
AMD Virtualization

Architecture: 90 nm

Wattage: 125W

Stepping: F3

MOTHERBOARD-Asus M3A79-T Deluxe Motherboard
————————————————————–

Form Factor: ATX

Processor Interface: Socket AM2 / AM2+

Processors Supported: AMD Athlon 64
AMD Sempron 64
AMD Athlon X2, AMD Phenom X4, AMD Phenom X2, AMD Phenom X3

Additional Technologies: AMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet, Supports 140W CPU

Front Side Bus: 1600MHz
2000MHz
2600MHz (5200 MT/s)

Northbridge: AMD 790FX

Southbridge: SB750

Number of Slots: 4

Number of Pins: 240-Pin

Maximum Memory Supported: 4GB - 32bit
16GB - 64bit

Memory Supported: Dual Channel Supported
667MHz DDR2
800MHz DDR2
1066MHz DDR2

Max. Memory Supported Per Slot: 4GB

Channels: 8 Channels

Supported Devices: 1- Ultra DMA

Hard Drive Types: UDMA/133
UDMA/100
UDMA/66

USB Version: 2.0

USB Data Transfer Rates: 480Mbps

LAN Type: 10/100/1000Mbps Gigabit

Port Type: RJ-45

RAID Modes: 0
1
10
5

PCI Slots: 2

PCI Express X16 Slots: 4 - (PCIe 2.0)

PS/2 Keyboard Connectors: 1

USB Ports: 12

USB Rear Panel Ports: 6

FireWire Ports: 1 - 1394a

LAN Ports: 1

IDE Headers: 1

FDD Headers: 1

Serial ATA 3.0Gb/s Headers: 6

ATX Power Connectors: 1 24-Pin Connector

PC Power Connectors: 1 - 4 Pin

S/PDIF Connectors: 1 - Coaxial

VIDEO CARD-XFX GeForce 9800 GTX + Video Card
————————————————————
GPU/VPU: NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX

RAMDAC: Dual 400 MHz

Additional Features: RoHS Compliant
HDCP Enabled
HDTV Ready
SLI Ready
DirectX 10
OpenGL 2.1
PCI Express 2.0
Vista Certified

Maximum Resolution: 2560 x 1600 (Digital)

Video Memory: 512MB

Memory Type: DDR3

Memory Interface: 256-bit

Stream Processors: 128

Core Clock: 738 MHz

Memory Clock: 2200 MHz

Shader Clock: 1836 MHz

Interface Type: PCI Express 2.0

Interface Speed: x16

Connector(s): Dual DVI (Dual Link)
HDTV/S-Video
VGA (w/DVI to VGA Adapter)

Multiple Monitors Support: Yes

RAM-OCZ Platinum XTC 4GB Dual Channel PC6400 Memory
————————————————————-
Memory Size: 2 x 2048MB

Memory Type: Dual Channel DDR2

Memory Speed: 800MHz PC6400

Memory CAS Latency: 4-4-3-15

Pins: 240

Hard drive-Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000.B Hard Drive
———————————————————–

Capacity (GB): 1000

Interface: SATA 3.0Gb/s

Spindle Speed (RPM): 7200

Buffer Memory: 16MB

Data Transfer Rate on Serial ATA: Up to 3000 Mb/sec

cd drive 1-Pioneer DVR-116DBK OEM High Speed Dual Format Drive with PATA Iterface Burner With Software
——————————————————————————————————–
Cache Size: 2 MB

DVD+R Write Speed: 20x

DVD+RW Rewrite Speed: 8X

DVD-R Write Speed: 20x

DVD-RW Rewrite Speed: 6x

DVD-RAM Read Speed: 5x

CD Write Speed: 40x

CD Rewrite Speed: 32x

CD Read Speed: 40x

Color: Black

Length: 1.7"

Width: 5.8"

Height: 7.1"

Weight: 1.7 lbs.

Load Type: Tray

Interface Type: PATA

Enclosure Type: Internal

Compatible Writable Media: CD-R
CD-RW
DVD-RW DL
DVD-R
DVD±RW

Supported Formats: CD-DA
CD-Extra
CD-R
CD-R/RW
CD-ROM
CD-Text
DVD+R
DVD+R/RW
DVD-R/RW
DVD-RAM
DVD-ROM
DVD+RW
DVD-R
DVD+R DL

cd DRIVE 2-Lite-On DH-4B1S Serial ATA Interface Blu-ray Disc Writer
———————————————————————–
BD-R Write Speed: 4X

BD-RE Write Speed: 2X

BD Read Speed: 2X

DVD+R Write Speed: 12x

DVD+RW Rewrite Speed: 8X

DVD-R Write Speed: 12x

DVD-RW Rewrite S

This is a gaming pc but if u want more try intel i7 processor

Eagle | Consus E-Series Aluminum external hard drive storage system featuring in USB 2.0 interface with transfer rate up to 480bps. It support for most of the hard drive. This is the value hard drive kit provides the best and easy solution for upgrading your internal hard drive to a portable external USB 2.0 hard drive. Plug and Play USB 2.0 connectivity providing a perfect external storage solution for you to store or backup your data, music, picture, video and more! It expand your hard drive capacity instantly! Eagle | Consus E-SERIES designed for stand vertically and horizontally. Yet, it comes with quiet fanless design to keep your hard drive in tip-top shape and silent. Eagle | Consus E-SERIES external hard drive storage system offers you super-speedy data transfer and remarkable versatility.

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