My Book 1TB USB connector broken: options etc.?

[Heifetzlistener]

I have a My Book 1 TB USB 3.0 drive bought in 2011. The USB connector broke off while inserting the USB 3.0 cable. The USB connector cannot be soldered back owing to the way it has broken. The two possible options which come to mind are: a) to use it in another USB 3.0 casing b) Use it in a PC.  I have just read about the encryption issues involved in using the My Book HDD in another casing.

A friend who is familiar with with hardware issues opened the casing to measure the drive. According to his measurements, the drive is 4.25".

I have two questions:

i) Is there 4.25" drive used by WD in their My Book  or is it actually likely to be 3.5".?

ii)Is the installation of the bare drive in a PC likely to prove a problem owing to the encryption issue?

[Joe_S]

I’m not sure but I think you would need the board from an identical drive. If you want to find one on Ebay this might help expalin a little more  http://community.wd.com/t5/Off-Topic-Discussions/Bridge-Boards/td-p/353839 You can also try gettting one here  https://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/70/session/L3RpbWUvMTM5MDMyNjIwNS9zaWQvZVBrTU9YS2w%3D The only person the reall knows much about these boards is fzabka. check his posts or try sending him a PM.

Joe

[Heifetzlistener]

Any suggesttions on the query regarding the size of the hard drive mounted in the My Book 3.0?  Simplistic as it might appear, a reply would solve many problems in trying to make the My Book usable.