{"id":28747,"date":"2015-03-03T09:58:26","date_gmt":"2015-03-03T15:58:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/?p=28747"},"modified":"2015-03-03T11:18:54","modified_gmt":"2015-03-03T17:18:54","slug":"get-new-life-and-use-from-your-old-hard-drives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/28747-get-new-life-and-use-from-your-old-hard-drives\/","title":{"rendered":"Get New Life And Use from Your Old Hard Drives"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-15586\" src=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/PR_OTG_FWusb3HD.jpg\" alt=\"PR_OTG_FWusb3HD\" width=\"280\" height=\"280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/PR_OTG_FWusb3HD.jpg 280w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/PR_OTG_FWusb3HD-120x120.jpg 120w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/PR_OTG_FWusb3HD-190x190.jpg 190w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/PR_OTG_FWusb3HD-120x120@2x.jpg 240w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 280px) 100vw, 280px\" \/>It\u2019s time to upgrade your hard drive. Perhaps you are simply renovating your system with the latest high-performance SSD, or maybe your old hard drive has finally reached the end of its lifespan. Before you toss that drive in the trash, consider your options. From recycling, repurposing, or a unique and functional piece of modern office art, there\u2019s always a use for a hard drive.<\/p>\n<p>If your hard drive still has life left in it, there are some fantastic options for repurposing it to expand the storage features for your workstation. The first thing you will need is a 0GB external enclosures such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/Search\/Search.cfm?Ntk=Primary&amp;Ns=P_Price%7c0&amp;Ne=5000&amp;N=6430&amp;Ntt=On-The-Go+Kit\">2.5\u201d On-The-Go Pro<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/search\/OWC+Mercury+Elite+Pro+mini+kit\">Elite Pro Mini<\/a>, or for multiple drives the <a href=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/shop\/Thunderbolt\/External-Drive\/OWC\/ThunderBay-4-mini\">ThunderBay 4 mini<\/a>. For 3.5\u201d drives, excellent options include the <a href=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/search\/OWCME3QHKIT\">OWC Elite Pro<\/a> or the 0GB <a href=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/item\/NewerTech\/MSQKIT0GB\/\">NewerTech miniStack<\/a>, among <a href=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/shop\/hard-drives\/External-Enclosures\/\">other OWC USB enclosures<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Once your drive is securely housed externally and your new SSD or HDD is installed in your computer you can proceed with a variety of uses for your new storage solution including the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Use it as an <a href=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/15145-have-multiple-backups-for-extra-protection\">additional backup drive<\/a> for important files<\/li>\n<li>Utilize the drive as a media library for games, videos, <a href=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/469-how-do-you-fit-over-45000-full-quality-photos-in-your-shirt-pocket\">images<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/465-move-the-tunes\">music libraries<\/a> and more<\/li>\n<li>Install a different operating system on it to run comparisons side by side with your existing OS<\/li>\n<li>Install in a <a href=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/Reviews\/Framework.cfm?page=\/Tips\/gaming\/index.html\">PlayStation 3<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/installvideos\/owc_ps4_hd\/\">PlayStation 4<\/a> for extra storage (no USB enclosure needed in this instance)<\/li>\n<li>Install in an old computer and set it up for remote access<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These are only a few of the many fantastic uses you can find for your old hard drive. If you don\u2019t have a need for any of the above, you can always share with someone in need!\u00a0And if the drive is no longer functional, you also have the option of taking it to a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.newertech.com\/recycle\/\">recycling program<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Have repurposing ideas of your own for your old hard drives? We would love to hear about them in the comments section!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s time to upgrade your hard drive. Perhaps you are simply renovating your system with the latest high-performance SSD, or maybe your old hard drive has finally reached the end of its lifespan. Before you toss that drive in the trash, consider your options. From recycling, repurposing, or a unique and functional piece of modern [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":15586,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"spay_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[339],"class_list":["post-28747","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-product-spotlight"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v20.2 (Yoast SEO v20.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Don&#039;t Toss That Old Hard Drive Aside. Repurpose It With an OWC Enclosure!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It\u2019s time to upgrade your hard drive. 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