I'm having a major problem with my Toshiba 4TB external hard drive. It stopped connecting to my computer, so I took a closer look at the connector and noticed that the pins are all bent. I opened up the case thinking I could salvage the drive, but to my surprise, the internal hard drive doesn't have a standard SATA connection at all! I checked the drive previously, and it seemed to be in great shape with low usage hours and good SMART data. Is there any way to adapt this drive for use again, or am I stuck with an expensive paperweight?
4 Answers
This might be a standard Toshiba drive, but you're missing the main PCB. If it uses a USB connection, you could replace that connector or try soldering it to convert it to SATA if you’re up for it!
I can't see the internal connectors well from the pic, but if it's USB, you could use a USB to SATA cable to connect it to your PC. Just be aware that if it's a 3.5" drive, you'll also need power for it!
You might want to look for a similar dead external drive and see if you can swap cases. A lot of external drives have switched to proprietary connectors, but they still might be SATA drives behind the scenes. It’s definitely more complicated than before, but it’s worth a shot!
Make sure to locate where the motherboard is. Without it, the drive won’t work. Sometimes, it could turn out to be a specific USB connection instead of SATA.
Exactly! I forgot how common that is. Most of these external drives now have soldered connectors. It can get tricky!