# 2.5" hard drive question
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-5-hard-drive-question/435327
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [January 28, 2008, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-5-hard-drive-question/435327 "2008-01-28T17:25:32Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2008, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-5-hard-drive-question/435327/1 "2008-01-28T17:25:32Z")
I’m looking to upgrade my MacBook’s hard drive. What I’d like to do is get a new internal hard drive and an external case, put the new drive in the case, copy everything over, then swap the drives. Would [this](http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817146604) case work with [this](http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152094) hard drive?
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### Author:  [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2008, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-5-hard-drive-question/435327/2 "2008-01-28T17:31:34Z")
No.
The enclosure you linked to is for PATA, not SATA drives.
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### Author:  [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2008, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-5-hard-drive-question/435327/3 "2008-01-28T17:33:28Z")
Well, poop. Do you know of a good enclosure that has both Firewire and USB and is compatible with that hard drive?
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### Author:  [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2008, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-5-hard-drive-question/435327/4 "2008-01-28T17:34:26Z")
[QUOTE=beowulff]
No.
The enclosure you linked to is for PATA, not SATA drives.
[/QUOTE]
How old of a macbook are we talking? it may have a PATA drive
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### Author:  [@Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sophistry_and_Illusion)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2008, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-5-hard-drive-question/435327/5 "2008-01-28T17:36:32Z")
I just last week replaced my hard drive with a larger one and used [this cloning software](http://www.apricorn.com/product_detail.php?type=reg&id=1023). It works with Mac or PC, PATA or SATA, comes with the cloning software and the external enclosure, and is super super easy–I have never done anything like this, and it was really very easy even for me.
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### Author:  [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2008, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-5-hard-drive-question/435327/6 "2008-01-28T17:38:52Z")
This is a [first generation MacBook](http://apple-history.com/?page=gallery&model=mb&performa=off&sort=date&order=ASC). In System Profiler there’s an entry for Serial ATA, but not Parallel ATA.
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### Author:  [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2008, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-5-hard-drive-question/435327/7 "2008-01-28T17:42:29Z")
Here is one that claims to cater for all 2 1/2" drives and has [USB+Firewire.](http://www.usbnow.co.uk/External_Hard_Drives_&_Cases-2.5%22_Hard_Drive_Cases/c10_24/p178/HDB_Mini_Series_2.5%22_IDE_Enclosure/product_info.html)
From [this collection.](http://www.usbnow.co.uk/External_Hard_Drives_&_Cases-2.5%22_Hard_Drive_Cases/c10_24/index.html)
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### Author:  [@Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sophistry_and_Illusion)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2008, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-5-hard-drive-question/435327/8 "2008-01-28T17:42:51Z")
[QUOTE=SanibelMan]
Well, poop. Do you know of a good enclosure that has both Firewire and USB and is compatible with that hard drive?
[/QUOTE]
Oh, the one I linked to only has USB, I think. But it works with either type of drive. You insert PATA drives in one direction, and SATA drives in the other.
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### Author:  [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2008, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-5-hard-drive-question/435327/9 "2008-01-28T18:07:24Z")
Would [this](http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/MOTGFW400/) enclosure be compatible with the hard drive?