Upgrading & Fixing Laptops DUMmIES

You can also build your own external USB drive, recycling a standard full-

sized drive from a desktop computer. Inexpensive external cases hold the

drive and small circuit board that converts the data interface from the direct

IDE connection used within a computer to a USB circuit. Screw the old drive

into the new holding case, attach a USB cable to the case and to the laptop,

and (alas) attach an AC adapter to give it power. I show an example of a do-it-

yourself external USB drive in Figure 7-5.

If your machine has an older USB 1.1 port, or completely lacks USB facilities,

you can add the high-speed 2.0 connection by purchasing a PC Card with that

facility. (There’s an “if” waiting here, of course: If your machine is running a

version of Windows earlier than 98SE — including Windows 98 and 95 — the

operating system will have to be upgraded to permit use of the faster USB

specification.)

PC Card attached devices .................................................................

A near-equivalent to a USB-attached hard drive is one that connects to the

laptop through a PC Card interface. The advantage to these drives is that

Figure 7-5:

An external

USB drive

kit that

recycles a

desktop

hard drive

for use as

an attached

drive on a

laptop.

136 Part III: Laying Hands on the Major Parts