Hi. I have a Toshiba Canvio External 1TB HD which uses a USB 3.0 Micro B connector. From my experience, this is the worst connector ever invented. I barely touch the cable and it disconnects the HD. It's practically useless unless I have my laptop sitting on a table where the HD won't get bothered and is resting on a flat surface and even then it will randomly disconnect. Buying a new HD and copying everything over is out of the question because I can barely keep the HD connected long enough to copy a 400mb file.

Anyway, is it possible to remove this HD from the case and put it into something else that uses a more solid connector (USB mini-b perhaps?) or will I find that when I crack open the case, the connector is integral to the HD itself? Will putting it into an external enclosure with a better connector be possible? Can this be done without forcing it to require external power?

Basically: Can I remove the disk from an external HD and put it into an external enclosure and retain the portability of the drive?

Also, is there a risk of data loss?

Thanks. And sorry for being so long winded.

My experience is that you can remove drives from cases and use an adapter to access the data (multi-format adapter) or put the drive into a another FW or USB 2 case (FW800 best) - you'll probably find that the drive is a straight forward SATA drive, all new cases and adaptors use this connection.
Opening the case, if it uses screws not welded plastic won't hurt anything (except warranty - and this exercise is going to do that anyway) so go ahead.
pashdej