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A step-by-step guide on how to open a Seagate external hard drive
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This wikiHow will show you how to dismantle and open a Seagate Expansion desktop hard drive.
Steps
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Undo the clips between the plastic lid and body. You'll need something thin that will fit in the tiny gap between the plastic lip on the top of the unit and at the base. Start at one corner and move around the unit. You'll hear the clips click as they come undone. As you continue to undo each clip, you'll see the gap between the top and base of the unit widening. [1] X Research source
- Some cases have a brushed aluminum or soft metal top instead of plastic.
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Push the top plastic piece from the bottom of the hard drive. You'll need to push the two parts apart on at least three edges in order to get inside the hard drive.Advertisement
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Remove the single screw. You'll most likely need a Phillips-head screwdriver (cross-head) for this screw. If there isn't a screw holding the disk inside the case, you can use your screwdriver to pop the disk out as you tilt the unit.
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Peel up the foil at the connector. The foil is most likely silver. Since the foil wraps around the drive, you can use it to pull up the drive in the next step. [2] X Research source
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Lift the drive from the case. Using the foil, you can lift the drive out of the case. If you ripped the foil, you can tilt the unit until the drive pops out.
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Remove the SATA-to-USB Bridge. You can do this by wiggling and pulling it out where it connects with the SATA disk. You can reuse this part later if you ever need a SATA-to-USB Bridge. [3] X Research source
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Peel off the last of the foil. You'll want to turn the drive over to access the last of the foil. [4] X Research source
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Remove the four rubber pieces around the drive. There are four rubber pieces covering screws on each corner of the hard drive that you need to pull off.
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Remove the four screws located at the corners of the drive. Once the screws are removed, the drive will be disassembled.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionAfter removing it from its case, can you use the drive as an internal drive?Joseph GreaneyCommunity AnswerOnly in a laptop, as the voltages of a desktop PSU are too high for a 2.5" drive. Also, it wouldn't hurt to format the drive.
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Tips
- You can use a small flat screwdriver to pry the case open. If you are worried about denting the plastic, you could also use a hard plastic guitar pick.Thanks
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Things You'll Need
- A screwdriver (Phillips or flat-head) or something similar (like a butter-knife)
- A guitar pick (optional)
References
About This Article
Article Summary
X
1. Undo the clips between the plastic lid and body.
2. Push the top plastic piece from the bottom of the hard drive.
3. Remove the single screw.
4. Peel up the foil at the connector.
5. Lift the drive out of the case.
6. Remove the SATA to USB Bridge.
7. Peel off the last of the foil.
8. Remove the four rubber pieces around the drive.
9. Remove the four screws.
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