Q&A: Do they make external enclosures that work with older hard drives?

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Question from Alvin: My mom’s (really) old desktop computer won’t come on so she bought herself a new laptop to replace it.

Now she wants me to get the files off her old hard drive for her, but I don’t have a desktop PC to install it in.

I read your post about converting a spare internal hard drive into an external USB hard drive, and it’s very informative.

I’m hoping you can help me choose the right kind of external drive enclosure?

When I click the link to see the external drive enclosures there are so many that I don’t know which one I need to buy for her hard drive (160GB Seagate Barracuda ST3160023AS).

Can you recommend a good (but cheap) external USB enclosure that will work with that drive? Do they even make one that will?

Rick’s answer: Alvin, your mom’s old Seagate drive is a 3.5″ drive with a SATA interface. That means you’ll need to purchase a 3.5″ external drive enclosure.

I took a look on Amazon and found this Vantec SATA to USB 3.0 enclosure that should work great with that drive. It has good user ratings so it should serve you well.

This enclosure only costs around 25 bucks or so on Amazon, and that’s a pretty good deal for a 3.5″ external drive enclosure. In my opinion, it will be money well spent.

This kit comes with everything you’ll need included right in the box (enclosure, power supply, USB cable, screws and installation guide).

I hope this helps, Alvin. Good luck!