Since the amount of data we work with almost on daily basis is absolutely huge, many of us feel the need to add some extra storage space. This can be done in several ways, by either purchasing an additional hard disk drive unit (HDD) and installing it within the computer's case or by getting yourselves a NAS (network-attached storage) device or a HDD enclosure.

While two of these three methods have already been the subject of separate tutorials, we'll talk as follows about the steps you have to follow in order to install a HDD within the external enclosure (which, by the way, are more or less the same as in the case when you purchase a NAS device with no built-in HDD). And no, we're not talking about one of those rather complex, multi-HDD units, but about a very simple, single-hard-drive device.

Quite obviously, the first step in this whole process is the purchase. In this particular case, you'll have to get yourselves two separate items, namely the HDD unit and the enclosure. While the things you must take into account when purchasing a HDD unit have already been discussed in another article, you should, however, pay attention to two things: the hard drive's interface should match the one within the enclosure and the size of the hard drive (1.8, 2.5 or 3.5 inches) should also fit the one supported by the enclosure.

In fact, this is a dual-choice issue. You shouldn't get a HDD simply because it fits a certain enclosure, nor the other way around. The final choice should be made by evaluating both the features provided by the enclosure and those provided by the HDD.

There are quite a lot of HDD enclosures available on the market, equipped with either USB, Ethernet, FireWire or eSATA interfaces. While the ultimate decision is pretty much related to the amount of money you can spare, our advice would be to go over every option very thoroughly. For example, if you have a desktop PC (with a free PCI slot on the mainboard), then an enclosure featuring USB and eSATA interfaces might actually be the best solution (with the eSATA adapter card being installed in the aforementioned PCI slot).

However, if you have either a Mac or a FireWire adapter installed, then an enclosure featuring a FireWire connector might also be of interest. Of course, the list of possibilities could go on forever, but the bottom line is that you should get yourself an enclosure featuring exactly the connectivity options you'll most likely use on a day to day basis.

Now, you've bought both the HDD and the enclosure. Here is what you'll have to do next:  

Step 1: Open the enclosure

For this step, you'll most likely need a screwdriver, because most enclosures feature screws for the removable part. So, you'll most likely have to first unscrew the respective part (typically, the top side or lateral side) in order to get access to the enclosure's interior.

Step 2 : Set the HDD unit's jumper to Master position (only for 3.5-inch, ATA HDDs)

This step applies solely if you're trying to install a 3.5-inch, ATA HDD into the enclosure, although this type of hard drive is quite rapidly going extinct. What you need to do is take a very good look on the top side, where you'll find the jumper configuration. You'll have to place the jumper in the appropriate position in order to set the HDD in “Master” mode or, in some cases, simply remove it completely.

If you have a SATA HDD, you can forget all about it, since in this case, the HDD's configuration is done automatically.

Step 3: Connect the HDD to the enclosure

This is perhaps the easiest step in the whole process. All you have to do now is connect the power cable found within the enclosure (MOLEX power connector) to the HDD's corresponding connector and then the SATA interface to the corresponding connector. You can't get it wrong here, because these connectors only have 1 position in which they fit.

Step 4: Fasten the HDD to the enclosure

Some external HDD enclosures also feature some sort of “fastening” system, ensuring the fact that they won't be subjected to serious shocks when moved around the house, for example. So, before closing back the enclosure, you should make sure that the HDD is in a very steady and stable position, and doesn't move around case.

Step 5: Connect the enclosure to your computer

After you're done screwing back the enclosure, all that remains to be done is power it up (if we're talking about a case that comes with its own power supply) and then connect it to your computer. In order to do so, you'll have to connect the cable supplied in the sales package (if there was any) to the corresponding interface on your system or to an Ethernet connector on your router or switch, whichever the case might be. Not that big of a deal, actually, but you might have some problems if the interfaces are placed way behind the computer's case.

Step 6: Format the HDD

After connecting the device, you'll most likely have to restart your computer for it to detect the HDD within the enclosure (depending on the OS you're using). After that, you'll most likely be prompted to format the HDD using the appropriate file system (either FAT 32 or NTFS for Windows machines, HFS for Mac, ext3 or another one of the numerous such file systems available for Linux).

Now you have a functioning external HDD enclosure, which you can use either for backup purposes or for extra storage. So...enjoy!