Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iMac 27 mid 2010 HDD as external USB drive?
- Thread starter lbe
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Very simple, all you need is to buy a HDD enclosure box, like one from Amazon, then plug in the USB cable to your Mac, you are ready to go.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
If it's a standard SATA connection, you could get a USB3/SATA docking station.
These are cheap and plentiful.
Just drop the drive into the dock, it should spin up and mount on the desktop.
If you come into another drive, just eject the first one and insert the second, etc.
I recommend that you DO NOT buy a dock with "2 bays"... these seem to run into problems on some Macs...
These are cheap and plentiful.
Just drop the drive into the dock, it should spin up and mount on the desktop.
If you come into another drive, just eject the first one and insert the second, etc.
I recommend that you DO NOT buy a dock with "2 bays"... these seem to run into problems on some Macs...
Actually Thunderbolt first appeared in iMacs in the 2011 model. So for the 2010 it is USB2 or FW800.
One of the cheapest options is this:
SATA to USB cable (choose the cheaper USB2 version) plus an external 12V power supply (12V, 2A, like what you find with an old router, switch, etc). The 12V plugs into a socket on the rear of the SATA connector to provide the 12V for the HDD.
Note that a HDD will require 12V. If you use it with an SSD, it requires only the USB connectors. Since yours is USB2, you need to plug in both USB cables to get up to 1A. Otherwise, the 500mA from a single USB port may not be enough.
It's not fast, but if you want USB3, there are a few threads that show you how to add USB3 to an older iMac. In that case choose the USB3 version of above cable.
SATA to USB cable (choose the cheaper USB2 version) plus an external 12V power supply (12V, 2A, like what you find with an old router, switch, etc). The 12V plugs into a socket on the rear of the SATA connector to provide the 12V for the HDD.
Note that a HDD will require 12V. If you use it with an SSD, it requires only the USB connectors. Since yours is USB2, you need to plug in both USB cables to get up to 1A. Otherwise, the 500mA from a single USB port may not be enough.
It's not fast, but if you want USB3, there are a few threads that show you how to add USB3 to an older iMac. In that case choose the USB3 version of above cable.
And I wonder why you replace it, since there are 3 SATA ports inside the iMac 27" 2010.
Just add the SSD, or replace the ODD with the SSD (using a caddy) and still have high speed HDD inside.
Just add the SSD, or replace the ODD with the SSD (using a caddy) and still have high speed HDD inside.
That piece of hardware is designed to use on normal 2.5in HDD or SSD, which only use 5V power.
Buy a real 3.5in USB enclosure with independent 12V adaptor, it's just several bucks.
Buy a real 3.5in USB enclosure with independent 12V adaptor, it's just several bucks.
Just get an external enclosure or dock with power supply, here two examples:
(the later is more universal and can also be used for 2.5" in the future should you need it)
SABRENT USB 3.0 to SATA External Hard Drive Lay-Flat Docking Station for 2.5 or 3.5in HDD, SSD [Support UASP] (EC-DFLT)
The Sabrent EC-DFLT SATA Lay-Flat Docking Station supports the direct insertion of Desktop 2.5"/3.5" SATA Hard Drives. It is a caseless solution that makes swapping hard drives easier than ever before. Plus, now you can take advantage of the lightening speed of USB 3.0 to quickly transfer files u...
www.amazon.com
Neeyer USB 3.0 to SATA Dual Bay External Hard Drive Docking Station for 3.5/2.5 HDD, SSD Hard Drive Clone Docking Station with Duplicator/Offline Cloner Function [10TB & UASP Support]
The SATA Hard Drive Docking Station enables you to access desktop or laptop hard drives, without the frustration of assembling hard drive enclosures. By inserting a 2.5"/3.5" SATA hard drive directly into this docking station, you can quickly access drive contents and transfer files. Plus you can...
www.amazon.com
(the later is more universal and can also be used for 2.5" in the future should you need it)
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Will this work? I can get it from a local store nearby
www.clasohlson.com
Deltaco harddisk-dokkingstasjon | Clas Ohlson
OP wrote:
"I have a USB SATA but the problem is how to get external 12V connected."
The drive that you posted a pic of in reply 13 above...
Is that "circuit board" we see at the bottom just "plugged into" a socket on the drive itself?
If so, can you remove it?
If so, remove it and THEN take a new pic, and show us what's there.
It looks to me like a SATA drive that has some kind of custom-designed attachment board.
But if it's NOT removable, it WILL NOT WORK with any standard "SATA" enclosure nor will it work with USB3/SATA docking stations.
"I have a USB SATA but the problem is how to get external 12V connected."
The drive that you posted a pic of in reply 13 above...
Is that "circuit board" we see at the bottom just "plugged into" a socket on the drive itself?
If so, can you remove it?
If so, remove it and THEN take a new pic, and show us what's there.
It looks to me like a SATA drive that has some kind of custom-designed attachment board.
But if it's NOT removable, it WILL NOT WORK with any standard "SATA" enclosure nor will it work with USB3/SATA docking stations.
Because I need to recover some very important files from that disk.
I forgot to backup these files before I removed the disk from my iMac
