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    multi drive enclosure?

    Discussion in 'Accessories' started by merlin666, Dec 20, 2019.

  1. merlin666

    merlin666 Notebook Consultant

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    I have had a few notebooks over the year and when they died I usually recover their HDD and optical drive, and then continue using some of the HDDs as external with a USB enclosure. With multiple drives drives this is becoming awkward, and I also have spare optical drives. I am wondering if there is some sort of powered enclosure where I can install multiple HDDs as well as optical drives and then access them all with one (USB 3) connector, or even from multiple devices via WiFi, to to function both as backup as well as a media server. Any suggestions are welcome....
     
    merlin666, Dec 20, 2019
    #1
  2. Starlight5

    Starlight5 Yes, I'm a cat. What else is there to say, really?

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    @merlin666 there are multi-drive USB enclosures but they are generally on the less reliable side. You can get better result with a NAS; almost any computer, including tiny SBCs, can act like one, though results will obviously vary.
     
    Starlight5, Dec 20, 2019
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  3. merlin666

    merlin666 Notebook Consultant

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    What is a NAS? The main objective for me is to put the multiple drives I have back to work.
     
    merlin666, Dec 24, 2019
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  4. Jarhead

    Jarhead 恋の♡アカサタナ

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    Network-Attached Storage. Think of it as a home cloud.
     
    Jarhead, Jan 9, 2020
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  5. merlin666

    merlin666 Notebook Consultant

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    Yes that's exactly what I would like, but just the shell of it to fill with the unused drives I have sitting around.
     
    merlin666, Jan 10, 2020
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  6. saturnotaku

    saturnotaku Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Not sure how many drives you have, but this is an example what you'd be looking for.
     
    saturnotaku, Jan 10, 2020
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  7. merlin666

    merlin666 Notebook Consultant

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    Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I figured there was a name for what I was looking for.
     
    merlin666, Jan 10, 2020
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  8. liviu2007

    liviu2007 Notebook Guru

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    search for sabrent usb 3.0 4 bay 2.5 inch hdd ssd docking station.is a round one .is really awesome.
     
    liviu2007, May 26, 2020
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  9. Tech Junky

    Tech Junky Notebook Deity

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    https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-4-Bay-Docking-Station-DS-U3B4/dp/B07H11KXCL

    That's probably going to be fine for localized use of the drives or as an expansion option attached to a networked PC. If you want something a little more sturdy though and more features...

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071ZP2HFK -- there are different options raid/no raid / 2-6 bays depending on how many drives
     
    Tech Junky, Aug 31, 2020
    #9