Open (Take Apart) WD Elements External Hard Drive

[CookieColt]

can someone tell me if you keep your warranty if you do this and use it as an internal harddrive

[00frozenzoo00]

@CookieColt no you won't keep the warranty

[MrCarlbillings]

hmm openned mine has a Cavier Black

but i really wanted a Green Drive :(

[fredde94chr]

@MrCarlbillings Why? The black is faster^^ 

[matthew022au]

@MrCarlbillings i had a Cavier Green :)

[kyokushinfighter78]

hello thx for the inspirational video, it feels good when you have hope..... my WD elements just cannot be recognized suddenly, I have many important datas, can I extract the internal drive and put it it inside another USB case ? if yes, what is the name of the USB case? (company and series)

[keithdunn123]

thanks very much. This was very informative and helped me get mine open with no damage. :)

[TheMRTIMBUK2]

Show us how to Open it Please

[DarkMetalNightmare]

Heyy I got a question.

Mine is broken, the white light doesn't go on anymore, and according to the computer it isnt even there though it's all wired up. And I'm afraid it's a hardware(maybe even just the A/C power) error.....

I got ALOT of important data on that, both private and stuff for my study...

So I was wondering, could it be possible to save the data by opening it up, take the HDD out, connect it to the computer with a special cable and then try to copy the content I want to save?

[chuckylicious19]

Thanks for the video. My enclosure failed this morning. Hard drive is fine (whipped it out and tried it elsewhere), but looks like the actual circuit board for the SATA and power points has died.

[OASISriffs]

Maybe a stupid question, but does it void warranty if the actual internal hard drive fails within 6 months?

[ca5k]

@OASISriffs if you opened the casing, then yes, but if you didn't then you should have warranty

[CicerchiaSeverino]

thanks a lot smtseng for the useful video

[Erulin68]

got to be joyous that these days external HD's are priced less then internals :) :)

[ChunkieFunky]

How did you even get a flathead through ?

[ChunkieFunky]

@ChunkieFunky Used the points shown and opened so easily got the 1tb inside my computer cheers !

[XnnijD]

does 2,5" look like 3,5" inside?

[DannyV1991]

@XnnijD it's the same technology, just bigger

[pepe2004]

Thanks.

[slavric]

This was helpful. Thanks.

[NasseerBoss]

can you use the new wd elements also as internal hdd?

[Amerguin]

Thank you very much. Hard disk working in other case :)

[ShirtOffLJay]

@Amerguin what kind of case did you put it in? looking for a new enclosure for my HD

[danamezjohn]

Thanks :)

[gogomobilboy]

can i use it on my ps3 ?

[ataryo]

MIne is 1 Tb 64mb cache

[SDKev858]

green power hdd lol... what point of paying 100 something dollar case... when the hdd of a 2TB is cheap like hell now lol... Essential and element all used green power.. 5400 rpm...

[UrbanFlyTV]

@smtseng can i use my hard drive in a Cyclone Primus HDMI MKV Media Player Enclosure HD 1080P

[poetnk]

Just opened up both an Elements 500GB and a 1TB drive today. These are slightly different than the Elements drive I had in the past (thicker, but shorter in physical size as well).

Opening it up, there was a drive inside without connections for SATA.. ie: no power or SATA connection. The only connection was the USB connection to the back, which also provides its power.

[LucasLawin]

Thanks for the video, I was wondering if there really was an SATA HDD in there. But really i am still wondering because I have a 1.0tb version of the "Western Digital Elements External HardDrive" will this have the SATA HDD in it? Or is that only in the larger 1.5tb model?

[aketrak]

Tanks alot for the instructions!

Just bought a 2 TB version extremely cheap, gonna use it in my freenas.

[MrPeladete]

@aketrak Which features have 2 tb version ¿sata2? ¿rpm? Thanks

[Kritik25]

Just opened mine, not sure why I even bought an external in the 1st place. Mine was a 32mb cache Caviar Green. WD10EADS. I guess I'll just put her in the case to go with a Blue and Black. The USB speeds are just too slow.

[psp3000legend]

hi i got the same hardrive but when i turn it on it wont come up help pleasee just the white light comesup the sound comes up on the computer but the hardrive wont work help pleasee thx

[MrFox1231]

@psp3000legend Got a similar problum only that mine occured after a little incident where my USB 2.0 plugin got bended and posibly broken

[danielsmedegaardbuus]

Older ones (before mid-April 2011) are a little bit tougher to open than newer ones.

[danielsmedegaardbuus]

Quick and less damaging way: Just use the screwdriver to open the one hinge at the back (where the plugs are located) enough to get a ruler or other hard plastic thing in between the bottom and the casing (as seen in the video), then slide the ruler around the sides of the case towards the front, and the rest of the hinges will pop right open without force.

[florida416]

Be Aware. This drive has had nothing but problems from many users. I say NO to WD.

[bluecrxnc]

@florida416 The WD Green Series is the main culprit. I've had multiple Caviar Black series with zero issues. WD is overall a good brand but do stay away from the Greens!

[optimysticyet]

this is a 3.5 drive?

[whoknows6806]

@optimysticyet Yes it is a 3.5 inch hard drive. Laptop hard drives are the smaller 2.5 inch and SSDs are 2.5-1.8 inch

[ericgreenbergster]

Great. Thanks

[kn1t30wl]

do you have a guide on how to disassemble 2.5 inch WD elements external HDD?

or is it the same as the 3.5 hdd?

[agentmattk]

Thanks, i opened my 1tb elements with this !! cheap basstards its only green!

[AXmichigan]

thanks!

[CruelQuertos]

this was really helpful

[morbidlyobesecatband]

My 2TB has a Green, 64MB cache drive.

[DracoAzule]

Sweet.  I just got one to use for my ps3 for backup loading. However the PS3 only supports FAT32 and in a lot of the games, the files are bigger than 4 GB.

I'm gonna take it apart, put it inside my PS3, have the PS3 format it to it's special format and put my games on it via FTP. :)

Then I can just put the PS3 hard drive in here and use it for whatever lol

[paft]

Those clip things are really easy to break so be careful. I broke 2.

[didschai]

thx!!! you helped me a lot! :)

[t0adphr0g]

On a side note, I got the 2TB version, took it apart via this video. To my pleasant surprise, there was a 2 TB WD Black HDD w/64MB cache (WD2001FASS), inside!

YES! A $200 drive for the price of $120.

[TOGA4808]

@t0adphr0g Damn ur lucky! u better be serious!

[skald89]

why couldnt you show more angles of the drive inside

[beausbeachblog]

Question -- I have a 1TB external drive like this - but something happened, and now the USB connection port is loose (I had my little cousins over).

The power light goes on dimly, but when I plug the USB cord into my computer, the light doesnt go brighter like it usually does.

When I plug the USB cord into the drive, it is loose, and can be moved from side to side......

I hope it isnt fucked, as there are lots of photos on there....my wife will kill me!

[GlenZabriskie1]

the data is still there, but the little USB connector is just hel in by 4 solder posts inside the case. If you know someone who can resolder the 4 contacts for you, youll be back in business. Or just remove drive and use internally.

[smtseng]

>> can I replace the hard drive inside?

Yes

[StfanP]

can I replace the hard drive inside?

[smtseng]

>> so does this mean u can make it an internal drive?

Yes !

[lazylewbob]

so does this mean u can make it an internal drive?

[Nyte1985]

good vid! is easy as hell, if u know where to oben. opened a small edge with a cutter got it out with a small screw driver. case is as new

[bobctx]

i brought for western digital elements about 2TeraByte never opened the shell may be damaged for hard drive anymore

[TheLastBlueApple]

Thanks! Just what I needed!

[quiznex]

Thanks for the video. I was able to take out the HD and place it into a USB 3.0 case. Awesome!

[meerak87]

can I take it out, and use a 2.5 inches cover on it?

[lilmidda]

how do u pry it open? where abouts did you shove the screwdriver into? my one is TIGHT??

[nanomonk]

@lilmidda You need to use a SMALL flathead screwdriver, drive upside down on a surface, put controlled downward pressure on the points in the seal of the sides and lid which smtseng points out, as if you are trying to slightly bend the sides away from the lid, the plastic will flex allowing you find the slots inside and pop each one up until the whole lid just comes off.

[ipotouchmessin]

how do you fix one

after you drop it

[from212]

@ipotouchmessin you can not fix a clicking hard drive. Its like fixing broken glass.

[1stopX]

thx mate ! that is what ive loooooking 4!

[Cybirian]

This works, perfect...thnx

[hausteiner]

Thanks, easy as pie!

[TubeHacker01]

How many rpm's will it have???

Great vid, it sure helped a lot!!!

[tactileslut]

WD Elements is the only external hard drive I've returned after just a few hours of use. It's the slowest P-O-S on the shelf with a transfer rate that felt like USB1.1.

[SurfinNSilver]

@tactileslut That's weird because the WD Elements SE Portable I have is pretty fast at transferring. In fact I drag and dropped three full length films onto it last night and it was transferring at about 450-480MB/s it only took like 7 sec.

[Hielkenator]

@SurfinNSilver Then you external drive probably is'nt USB 2.0.

[SurfinNSilver]

@Hielkenator Nope, it is USB 2.0 for sure.

[Felamine]

One thing about external drives is that if they ever "fail", there's a good chance that the drive itself is still perfectly functional. It's usually the USB/SATA converter circuit inside that breaks first. Unfortunately a lot of people just throw these externals out thinking they're no good, when the drive inside could be salvaged and be used as an internal, or at least have the files recovered.

[xInToxiic]

Thank you soo much!

[wyrmwood7]

Awesome, thanks

[montesinnos]

Does it have any kind of warranty seal that breaks when you open it?

I haven't found yet (halfway into opening)

[jodati]

I have one of these, it's broken :( it was knocked off desk and the usb connector piece snapped off the circuit board :( it was my 3 year old niece so couldn't get mad either. The piece of circuit board it's attached to seems to be replaceable, just remove the two screws and unplug it. But where can I get another one? anyone know? I tried contacting WD support and all they wanted to tell me was it was not covered by warranty, I knew that, I just wanted to find where to get the piece >:( anyone?

[phsicosinclair]

@jodati i bought one the other day from amazon.com, it was only £68 too ;p

[xInToxiic]

@phsicosinclair They're Bargains! :D

[phsicosinclair]

@xInToxiic no problem buddy :p

[GlenZabriskie1]

If you want someone to repair that for you, for the cost of shipping, I will do the repair and return it for you. But you must still have that little piece that broke off. The USB port is just held in by 4 solder tabs. Doesnt take much for that crap EU approved lead free solder to break off.

Contact me if you want my help.

I am mil spec solder certified. Have worked for Bell & Howell, Tandy, CompUSA and have 30 years soldering experience.

[yeswellnomaybe]

Thanks heaps! It's so much easier to spudge/pry things open when you know where the clips are!

[smoefer]

This is the best "i have a stupid problem, help me" video I've ever seen :D

[woocaz1]

Hi ya,

I have a WD My Book Essential 1TB External H/drive which i cant get to work.. its not showing on my pc at all. BUT...the picture of the pad lock is showing... Drive Lock.......

How do i unlock this to get is all working again..

Thanks

Alan

[Qfic]

So it's basically a WD Caviar Green, and the externals cost the same as those here.. lol

[rfvtgbzhn]

strange, th drive inside has 32MB cache, but according to amazon and other shops, the WD elements drives ponly have 8MB cahce. What happend to the other 24MB? Are they disabled by the SATA to USB controller?

[smtseng]

@rfvtgbzhn Sometimes WD put a 32MB cache drive rather than 8MB cache drive . So, uou can think it is a " free upgrade " .

[Apfitt]

so if i do this i can just hook it up inside my pc ^^?

[smtseng]

@Apfitt you can hook it up as a normal sata drive

[Apfitt]

@smtseng yeah i did it today works great :D

[kinstar]

@Apfitt yep you can use any external hard drive and hook it up to your pc. There basically the same hard drives you get in laptops made to be portable and more shock resistant. All you have to do is just take it out and plug it into your pc as normal

[ConsindoGuy]

Thanks =)

[ImPhyxius]

Thanks =D

[ceniotec17]

So brief and excellent explanation, thank you excellent!!!

[CarlSaint]

Thank You!!! Excellent....

[HansiHusten]

Thanks, exactly what I was looking for.

[DNTOUR]

Thanks, I have been looking for this guide for some time... ;)

[yangors]

Very useful, thank you~

[lortubeful]

Grazie!

[papzilabzi]

Thanks for the guide!

[klownicle]

thanks for the guide! Used it to take the 1tb out and put in a extra drive.

[ptudor]

thanks