Dismantling Western Digital Passport HDD

This is a video showing you the inner workings of a Western Digital Passport 320Gb Hard Drive. I actually wanted a stylish case for an external HDD that could be USB powered AND a new 320Gb SATA HDD for my laptop. The New WD Passport 320Gb device has a SATA HDD it just uses a SATA to USB adapter as you'll see in the video

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• dismantling
• western
• digital
• passport
• external
• portable
• hard
• drive
• hdd
• wd
• open
• mod
• laptop
• sata
• usb2
• usb
• 2.5
• 2.5
• notebook

[damingraham]

dunno if this video is active but i have a WD5000BMV and its 500Gb not 320 and newer. it says sata on the drive and the looks of it looks like the back of this one . BUT the back cannot be pulled out to be replaced or substituted. i made the mistake of getting mine before reading reviews on its extremely faulty connection. now no matter what position it will not connect. i need help bad as i have important info on this hd

[pcarlson1979]

@damingraham Yes the 500Gb is a normal 2.5" sata drive. I've ripped it apart too. I found these drives use FAR too much power to fire up immediately. Best option without opening it is to use an iphone wall charger with USB out (5v 1Amp) and connect that to the USB drive. You will need a double ended USB cable for the drive, One end goes to your computer, other end to a good USB power supply.

[dennisspeaks]

these must be the old style cases, I have a 160 and 250 and this works but with my new 320 passport the case is different and doesn't just pop off, any idea how to get the new cases off?

[pcarlson1979]

I've got one of the "new" cases that don't look as sleek as this one, the 160Gb one for my car. It was a real pain trying to open the new models. You're better off buying a tool.

Just google "plastic pry tool"

[kossell]

can i put another brand of hdd using that adapter?

[pcarlson1979]

Any brand, just as long as it's SATA

[maxflyingcowboy]

hi, i want to buy WESTERN DIGITAL My Passport Essential 500 Gb new version, but i have a question for you please: i heard the internal drive of this unit has no connectors, basically it doesnt look like a standard sata drive. if so, obviously i couldn't (in case) take the drive out and put in into a laptop pc. anybody know if what i heard is true? thanks

[JakeAndAngusMovies]

Someone help !!

Q. you know how disconnecting an external drive will ham it if its not ready to be disconnected, yeah

Mine is shared by the home network, yeah

will it be harmed when the network disconnects from it constantly.

Please someone reply..

[GrimResistance]

@pcarlson1979 you probably can't use a 3.5" drive because of the power requirements, correct?

[damingraham]

@pcarlson1979

thanks for the reply.

the 500 usb area looks like its connected to the board and not really able to just pull out like the 320. would be nice to just do so and use power/sata plug and us as internal at-least to get info off off. but its all connected i dont see how to take apart/pull apart without breaking it to do so.

[Jisongkun]

nice job

[sonypsp05]

now return it to the store after swaping the drives

[lizard0manson]

does anyone knows what hard drive is in the inside of the passport elite 320GB and passport essentials 320GB?

[vanilkachill]

WD PASSPORTS R A FUCKING HEADACHE