Has anyone any experience doing this?

i've purchased an Western Digital WDBAAU0010HBK Elements 1TB external harddrive, at the beginning just for storing data, but then i started installing games on it, it mostly works fine with gogs, but many other games are not really too happy with it (although i have played and finished risen without many problems actually).
since my internal harddrive is pretty small 60 GB, i've been tinking about converting the other one.

can i do this? and what do i need to do it? can i do it on my own or should i bring my pc to a repair center?

Thanks for the answers.

What interface does it use (e-SATA, USB, etc)?

It's theoretically possible, but would likely require some serious modification of the hardware, and in the best case you'd likely end up with something that works, but somewhat unreliably, and craps out after a year or two. And unless you've got some serious hardware modding skills or know someone who does then the labor and hardware costs will probably be greater than simply buying a new internal drive. 1TB internal drives can be had for ~$90 these days, so just save yourself a lot of time and headaches and buy a new one rather than trying to cobble together a decidedly non-ideal solution.

I wouldn't even think about it, unless it's e-Sata. In which case you can get an adapter for it which should allow you to do that, although even in that case you'd be stuck with a power cable sticking out the back.

Personally, I've got an external drive that's permanently connected to the computer. You're probably better off leaving it outside the case and getting a special power strip. One of the ones which turns on and off the peripherals based upon whether or not the computer is turned on.

In theory:
u can open the external case and remove the harddisk from it.
Then u got a 3.5" or 2.5" harddisk which u can install in your pc case.

The downside.. a external harddisk is more expensive than just a internal harddisk because u paid the case when u bought it. U will loose your warranty and loose the flexibility to move data easy around.

If u really need a bigger internal harddisk u are imo better off buying an internal one and use the external one for moving/backup data.

Paying someone professional to install the harddisk is probably not interesting.. at least not with such a cheap harddisk.

Oh.. and u need the right connectors available.. (IDE/SATA)

I had to do this when my laptop HD failed a couple of years ago. Just opened up the case to my backup drive, which contained a 2.5" HD just like the one I pulled out of the laptop. Unfortunately that one also failed a few months on, so I just got another laptop.

Anyway, it's probably more difficult for a desktop PC because you're going to have to consider the different types of connections and whatnot. If the external case is really easy to open (a couple of screws), then you can always open her up, compare it with your current internal HD, and see if they've got the same connectors. If not, then just close it back up again.

I was curious after reading your post so I pulled apart an old 250GB WD external I had to find out. The plastic casing was fixed with just one screw hidden under one of the footpads then a little force pulled the cover off. Inside was a simple I/O board, a board for the power switch and LED and the hard drive itself fixed into a caddy not unlke you would find in a modern tooless case. Unscrew the caddy mount from the casing then unscrew the HDD from the caddy and unplug the power and IDE/SATA connector. Other than that it's a standard 3.5" WD Caviar drive ready to put into a PC. Well if I used IDE...

Interesting. I wasn't entirely sure if the drives inside external enclosures just had the standard IDE or SATA interfaces that were then connected to a converter that went to the USB (or e-SATA) and power connections of the external enclosure. That makes the process quite a bit simpler, as it's just a matter of removing the external enclosure and plugging in the drive to an internal SATA connector. Of course, I'd still be a bit worried that there might always be something a little bit funky with how any given external drive was designed and put together, and wouldn't want to find out only after I'd disassembled the drive.

uh... crap i just noticed that my drive is completely sealed with no srews, so firstiwould have to break the plastic around it without damaging it.

oh well and i was hoping to save a few bucks. guess i'll just buy a normal drive then.

thanks for the advice.

Well the only risk I have seen today is losing an external drive. I guess those slimline ones are just 2.5" or 1.8" drives in similar enclosures. The insides are so basic it's like a pocket calculator. Exactly the same WD Caviar drive you would have in a PC complete with 4 Pin Molex and IDE Ribbon connector in my case. I assume SATA is the same.

3.5" and 2.5" SATA drives should have the same connectors. However, the older PATA drives the connectors aren't the same and as such would require an adapter if you want to use a 2.5" drive in a desktop computer.

Personally, I'd just buy a new one. Newegg for instance has a half dozen for under $30 And 45 for between $25 and $50.