View original (French)

How to disassemble a lacie brick hard drive

fabfab1 Posted messages 4 Status Member -  
 jdav -
Hello,

I have a LaCie Brick 3.5 external hard drive that has not turned on for a week.
I suspect that the problem is with the power supply (the light on the transformer is not on anymore, whereas I think it used to be constantly lit).

My big concern is that I have photos and videos from my camcorder on it that I absolutely want to recover (therefore, I will not take it for repair, even though it is under warranty).

I have the option to buy a new power cable, but the price has put me off (between 35 and 40 euros...).

So, I am thinking of buying a new external hard drive enclosure to replace the case of my drive.
Is that really feasible? And is it possible to disassemble the LaCie Brick without risks? I don't see any screws on it, it seems to only be glued plastic...

Thank you for your advice!!
Configuration: Windows Vista Firefox 3.0.5

11 answers

  1. spikou
     
    Hi, to dismantle a LaCie Porsche hard drive, you just need to open it from the bottom with a thin knife.
    The cover comes off easily.
    For my 250GB USB LaCie model, it has a Seagate IDE hard drive inside.
    After that, you can connect it to your PC via IDE or ATA.
    There you go.
    1
  2. le druide Posted messages 40644 Registration date   Status Contributor Last intervention   6 616
     
    Hello,

    if it's out of warranty, you just have to open it forcefully and then take out the hard drive and connect it inside your tower as a slave hard drive.

    Once the PC starts up, if the BIOS detects it, you just have to see if XP does the same.

    --

    the druid without the potion.
    0
  3. fabfab1 Posted messages 4 Status Member
     
    It is still under warranty, but as I was saying, I don't want to send it back to customer service because what matters to me is not the hard drive, but what's inside (digital photos from the last 5 years, videos from my camcorder...)

    The other concern is that I don't have a desktop, but a laptop...
    0
  4. le druide Posted messages 40644 Registration date   Status Contributor Last intervention   6 616
     
    no chances of recovering the data if it is not recognized physically.

    Try to contact the brand's support and explain that you want to recover the content at all costs.
    --

    the druid without the potion.
    0
  6. fabfab1 Posted messages 4 Status Member
     
    But my original solution, which is to disassemble it and place it in a new external case, is it not feasible?
    0
  7. le druide Posted messages 40644 Registration date   Status Contributor Last intervention   6 616
     
    You say it is under warranty, if you want to put it in a new case you will have to open it to take out the hard drive.
    --

    the druid without the potion.
    0
  8. fabfab1 Posted messages 4 Status Member
     
    My question is simple: is it possible to take the hard drive to put it in another case? Is this solution technically feasible?
    0
  9. le druide Posted messages 40644 Registration date   Status Contributor Last intervention   6 616
     
    It is entirely possible if you take the same type of disk, for example: Serial ATA, IDE, SCSI, or the hard drive format for laptops, which are smaller.
    --

    the druid without the potion.
    0
  10. Oré
     
    Hello Spikou!
    It seems simple put like that ;) but I don’t know much about it, how do we concretely and in detail “put the disk on my PC in SATA or IDE”?
    Are we at risk of losing our data?
    And finally, I have a Lacie Porsche type as well, portable (USB only), so quite small and flat, and if I force it with a knife like that, am I not at risk of damaging what’s inside? (I don’t care about the case, I’m no longer under warranty and don’t plan to do anything with it afterward).
    Thanks a lot in advance!
    0
  11. arobasseb Posted messages 2 Status Member
     
    Hello,
    Just for info
    I also have a LaCie brick 3.5 external hard drive that no longer works.
    I managed to open it by prying it with a knife along both lengths of the disk.
    After opening it, it turns out that the internal card is fried (a component burnt out). So the cable is still good :s .
    The hard drive is a standard Seagate IDE that I put in my tower.

    There you go, I don't know if this will help especially after all this time.

    See you later.
    0
  12. jdav
     
    Hello.

    To disassemble the hard drive, there are indeed small plastic clips, 2 on the sides, 1 on the front and back, that lightly break when a thin blade is inserted...
    This causes them to come out of their housing, sometimes getting damaged...

    Then, unscrew the 4 screws (Phillips) directly on the hard drive.
    Disconnect the power and the ribbon cable, then lift the aluminum covers located under the screws, which thus release the HD.

    I did this on a red model, USB 500 GB, from 2006 but I have the impression that the design of the Bricks is still the same.

    Good luck and always think prevention & safety: your power supply and your data deserve it!!
    0