I’ve removed the external hard drive from its case to try and salvage data. Any idea what types of connectors I need – one for data (USB to my MacBook), the other a four-pin connection to the hard drive (12V, 2.0 amps, 24 watts) to power it up? Appreciate any help. The MyBook is at least 12 years old.
Does the hard drive connector look like this?
If so. it’s an IDE interface. You can find them on Amazon (or other sources). Make sure it supports a 3.5" drive so it has the power connector (4 pin Molex).
You may need some software to read the drive format if your MacBook doesn’t support it (exFAT I believe).
Thanks for the info. The drive you showed is similar, but not the same as mine. I’ve posted a few pics of MyBook drive. Appreciate any guidance.
That’s a SATA model with an additional old-style 4-pin Molex power connector for backwards compatibility with older PSUs. You only need SATA power and data, ie you can ignore the additional Molex connector.
Be aware that some My Books were encrypted by the USB-SATA bridge PCB.
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What would you recommend for data and power connections? Amazon go-to for them?
I don’t wish to stick my neck out by recommending anything in particular.
You need a USB-SATA enclosure with an AC adapter and a USB 3 port, but be aware that some adapters are configured with a 4KB sector size. Unfortunately the sellers are invariably ignorant about the sector size issue, so you never know what will arrive in the package.
If at all possible, install the drive inside your computer. That will at least tell you whether it is working. It will also tell you whether it is encrypted. Then you will know whether a third party USB enclosure would be a waste of money.
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