How to Open Toshiba 2.5 Enclosure

An external enclosure serves as an outer shell for a hard disk drive that is normally installed inside a computer. The enclosure protects the drive and allows portability, turning it into a fully usable external drive. The drive can be plugged into a computer through a USB port and used in the same way as an internal drive.



Toshiba manufactures a line of small, sleek 2.5-inch drive enclosures. Although external hard drives may last up to a few years, the device is prone to fail at any time and may need to be replaced. When the need arises, you can simply open up the case and swap out a failed hard drive for a new one.

• 1

  Disconnect the Toshiba 2.5-inch enclosure from the host computer by unplugging the USB cable either from the enclosure or the computer.

• 2

  Insert your fingernail or a guitar pick into the top corner of the enclosure case and slide along the edge of the cover until the case pops open.

• 3

  Separate the cover from its notches using your free hand and pull the cover open to expose the 2.5-inch hard disk drive inside. To replace the drive with a new one, disconnect the power connector and the IDE or SATA interface connector, which are both plugged into the back of the drive. Install the new drive by reconnecting the power and interface cables. Snap the cover back on the enclosure case and your new external drive is ready to use.