[Tfug] Removable carrier in USB case?

[Bexley Hall]

Hi Zack,

> > I often have to diddle with a PATA or SCSI drive
> > (e.g., to wipe it clean).  Opening up a machine
> > just to cable it to the MB long enough to do
> > this is a real PITA.
> 
> My solution - have a spare machine (older dell P4) with no
> case with just a CD drive and ATA/SATA/SCSI cables dangling 
> out of it.  CD drive has a copy of DBAN in it permanently.
> Oh, and a keyboard and CRT monitor.

That;s world care's approach to the problem  :>  Of course,
with 50,000 sq ft, another PC or six isn't a big issue.  :>
But, here, I dislike having to "store" anything of any size
that isn't being used actively.  Hence the idea of just
using a USB enclosure (hard to get much smaller than that).

> Sits on a shelf in my garage, I can throw drives at it and
> wipe in a few hours for reasonably sized ones.

Don't you have problems with heat in the garage?  I am always
leary of leaving anything out there (especially anything with 
electrolytics inside -- *everything*!) for fear of it prematurely
dying -- even though the garage door is insulated!

> Much easier/faster than comparable solutions with adapters.

I'm not worried about the time it takes to wipe.  I can
always be doing something else while the disk is getting
brainwashed.

> Also, I find that adapters often behave erratically with badly
> behaving or broken drives, whereas direct connect you can get better
> diagnostic information.

I guess that's an issue, too.  Though, so far, the bigger issue
has been getting the drive *onto* a machine...  I've got a nice
little machine that would have been a great candidate to add
the carrier to in lieu of DVD drive.  But, the machine is so small
that it can't accept the depth (front to back) of the carrier
plus frame.  :<