Upgrading Your Computer > Build Your Own External HD
Why would I want an external hard drive?
If you've never used an external hard drive before, you're in for a treat. External hard drives allow you to easily and quickly back up your computer, store huge amounts of data, and transfer gigabytes of data in a few minutes.

How much do external hard drives cost?
For a 500GB hard drive, which is a pretty good bet right now, probably around $100.

Why would I want to build my own external hard drive?
You can get a much better deal if you build your own. Better, it only takes 15 minutes or less, although you should be ready to leave your computer and new hard drive on overnight to format so it can be used.

What do I need to buy to build my own and where do I buy it?
All you need is a normal "SATA" internal hard drive and a "SATA" hard drive enclosure. You can buy these practically anywhere. I suggest buying such things from Geeks.com (http://www.geeks.com). They have a bunch of great deals, although not much is sold new. You can go ahead and safely buy a hard drive refurbished as long as it's "factory refurbished," "factory certified repaired," or something of the sort. If a hard drive doesn't come with a decent warranty (at least 180 days) pass it by, as it doesn't show much manufacturer confidence in the product.

How do I build my external hard drive?
It's really simple, but make sure you have everything you need first.
1. Get everything you will need. In particular, make sure you have a good set of screwdrivers, all the parts that came with the enclosure, and the hard drive itself. Also don't forget the documentation:you may end up needing it.
2. Slide open the enclosure case: either the end will come out or the top will split away from the bottom. It should have come unscrewed already.
3. Ground yourself following the Safety Precautions and open the anti-static packaging on the hard drive. Immediately place the HD on the case.
4. Find the connectors you need: if you bought the SATA hard drive and enclosure like you were supposed to, they look like this.
5. Figure out which way the hard drive sits on the enclosure (top or bottom up) and place it the corresponding way; connect the connectors in the enclosure to the appropriate slots on the hard drive. They do fit somehow; leave the extra ones in the bottom, allowing them to go under the circuit board at the end.
6. Figure out which screws go into the side, and screw the drive down to the case. Tighten them firmly, but not too hard or you may break something. Don't put the top on or slide it into the rest of the case yet. Once you're done, you should be able to hold the drive toward the floor without it being loose.
7. Slide the top on or slide the carriage into the case and screw the remaining screws in; they probably go at the ends.
8. Plug all the connections in, turn the power on, and boot up your system if it isn't already on.

9. On your computer, go to Start >Run, type diskmgmt.msc, and press Enter. If you're using Vista, a security prompt will appear; click Continue.
10. At the bottom, you will see a drive marked as Unallocated (black stripe). Scroll down if you don't see it. Right-click the Disk _____ square to its left and choose Initialize. Accept the defaults in the resulting dialog box. The drive should initialize in a couple of seconds.
11. Right-click the Unallocated black part and choose Format. The New Simple Volume Wizard will appear. Go through the wizard, select whatever drive letter you want, type a "Label" which will appear in My Computer, and format the drive with NTFS. Don't use the "Quick Format" option. When you close the wizard, the drive's status will change to "Formatting (0%)". Leave the computer on for a few hours; when it gets finished, your drive looks like any other hard drive. If you want to remove the hard drive, go next to the clock on your taskbar and hunt for the "Safely Remove Hardware" icon. Left-click it and choose your drive letter. If nothing is open on the drive, you should get a message telling you it is safe to remove.