4tb Seagate Barracuda drive SATA - USB3 port went bad

[W5BRM]

I've got a 4tb Seagate external drive that the SATA to USB3 port has gone bad. I've taken the drive out of the enclosure and it seems the drive itself is good. I'm currently moving the data on it to another drive, just in case via SATA external drive temp enclosure by iDsonix. Not sure how to access S.M.A.R.T. to check its health though.

I'm wondering what are my options with this drive now. Is there a replacement SATA to USB board I can find anywhere? I looked at external enclosures and most I can see are for slim drives like laptop drive enclosures. Don't think this thick drive will work in them. Can I fit this in a desktop computer? It's too thick for my laptop.

Any advice? Thanks

[ad4mg]

Do you have an ESATA connection on your computer? I use a StarTech docking station, which will also duplicate drives. Mine has USB 2.0 and ESATA interfaces. With the ESATA, you can read the S.M.A.R.T. data with the simple 'disks' drive manager included in Linux Mint. I've never seen a USB interface allow access to the S.M.A.R.T. data.

Here is the unit I have (currently on backorder): https://www.adorama.com/statdock22re.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIlJr70Lzr3QIVkF mGCh0v5gfPEAQYBSABEgKcHfD_BwE
It's pretty damned fast copying drive-drive. And, ESATA speeds are almost as fast as if the HDD was cabled in the machine!

You may be able to find one of these docking stations if you poke around. They come in several configurations, USB 2.0 , USB 3.0, USB 3.1, and ESATA. Most have multiple capabilities. I find this thing a lot better than a hard drive enclosure, which allows the drive to get hot. I simply set a small case fan on top of the drives in the docking station.

Those Seagate Barracuda drives do not like heat whatsoever! I would find a way to check the S.M.A.R.T. data. And, this drive will fit any standard 3-1/2" HDD slot in most PC's just fine. Other than it being in it's own box, there's nothing special about the drive.

[ad4mg]

BTW - here is a unit that has USB3 and eSATA. The eSATA is rated at 6 Gbps, which is damned fast! Plus, this unit does 2-1/2" (laptop) and 3-1/2" SATA hard drives. Linux has no issue whatsoever reading both drives in the docking station at the same time. At $80, it's well worth the money!

Link: https://www.startech.com/HDD/Docking/usb-3-esata-dual-drive-dock~SDOCK2U33EB

[W5BRM]

I had previously bought this for another project iDsonix Drive Dock (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FDLCTQO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
The drive doesn't have eSATA but has the standard SATA conections on it. it was originally this Seagate 4tb portable drive (https://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Portable-External-Photography-STDR4000100/dp/B00ZTRXFBA/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1538743424&sr=8-6&keywords=4tb+portable+hard+drive) The USB 3 connector went bad so I pulled the drive out of the enclosure

Wish I had bought that Startech dock. I like the dual ports and ability to clone without having to connect to a computer. I ended up just connecting the dock via USB and moving my video files off to the new 5tb drive. It went smooth but it would have been much cooler to do that without connecting it to a computer.

I'm just wondering if this 4tb HD can be installed in a desktop. The docking station I have can be used as a dock but I have enough wires around the work bench... The desktop I have has a 1tb Toshiba 3.5 inch form factor drive. It's much thinner than the Barracuda drive. I know I can get a frame but not sure if that will work with a thick drive.

[kb2vxa]

I had two Maxtor external USB drives that performed flawlessly in backup service for several years. They didn't run continuously, I used them to store compressed backup of the two internal Seagate Barracuda SATA drives monthly and once when I had to do a complete restore of C that holds the operating system and apps. They were powered off otherwise, viruses and malware have a bad habit of migrating across drives. Presently I use a 4TB Seagate Barracuda SATA HDD for that service now that my desktop has a bay for a removable drive. I never noticed Seagate Barracuda drives being heat sensitive, I've used them for years in well ventilated cases, in this one the 1TB C and 4TB D sit behind the intake fan and the air from the exhaust fan is cool. All that having been said, if the weak link is the USB to SATA hardware, eliminate it if you can. If there is room in the case for an external drive bay install one, if not you may think about moving everything to a bigger case.