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Guy Hart-Davis

"CNET Do-It-Yourself PC Upgrade Projects"

To do so, all you need do is buy an enclosure and install
the hard disk in it.
Check the Disk??™s Dimensions
First, check the dimensions of the disk. The measurement given is the diameter of the
disk??™s platter, so the dimensions of the disk case are somewhat bigger. Normally, the
measurement is written on the disk.
Buy an Enclosure
Buy a suitable enclosure. You may find one at your local electronics paradise, but
you??™ll find a better selection at online merchants such as CDW (www.cdw.com) or PC
Connection (www.pcconnection.com).
There are three main criteria for choosing a disk enclosure:
Size Make sure the enclosure is the right size for the disk. You should also
look for an enclosure that offers the degree of protection that you want.
2.5 inches Most laptop hard disks are this size. (Some are 1.8 inches.)
3.5 inches Most desktop hard disks are this size.
5.25 inches Some desktop hard disks are this size.
Connection type The standard connection type is USB 2, which gives
good performance as long as your PC has a USB 2 connector. (Most PCs
built since 2004 have USB 2 connectors.) However, if your PC has FireWire
rather than USB 2, or if you want to be able to use the drive with such
a PC (or with a Mac), find an enclosure that offers both USB 2 and FireWire
interfaces. They??™re a little more expensive, but the convenience is usually
worth paying for.
Power supply Small enclosures, such as those used for low-powered
laptop disks, are usually powered by the USB bus.


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