Will I destroy my Maxtor One Touch III case if I manage to open it up?

[deckeda]

Anyone here ever done it? It sometimes screams for a little while when spinning up. Might be the fan tho instead. Either way I wanna see what's happening, but not if I have to duct-tape it back together.

[bik]

Yes, it would be very difficult to put back together and look and work right.

If you just get inside the case, it might work again. If you try to get all the way to the hard drive (to replace the drive and reuse the case, for example), it will be tougher to get together again. The drive is in an internal bracket/cage, and that is also tough to reassemble.

[Black]

deckeda wrote:
Anyone here ever done it?

Done what-- destroyed a Maxtor One-Touch case by opening it?
Why yes, yes I have. There was not much left when I got done.
I believe it's possible but you have to remove all the stickers to find all the screws, and at best, it's a bee-atch.

[deckeda]

Guess I'll wait until it truly dies before performing surgery then, thanks.

Found this guide: http://www.erowid.org/devel/misc/archives/000083.shtml and a YouTube video too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLJoYb9-6R0

Both pertain to the dual-enclosure version of the III case but I'll archive them for later.

[Joey Cupcakes]

That case is impossible to open without a freakin' chain-saw.

[hal]

Looks pretty easy to me. No case is permanently sealed - they can ALL be opened then closed and still look perfectly normal.

This one is sealed with clips. Just pop them out to open and snap them closed when you put it back together. Easy if you've done this kinda thing before. But people can really get frustrated and destroy things.

Follow that youtube guide for the dual model and you should be fine.

he does a good job of clearly explaining - it probably looks scary, but just follow step by step, then reverse.

Good tip in the comments:
You can slip a 1/2" piece of wood or plastic down the interior edge between the case wall and the small plastic clips.

They pop loose with only the slightest pressure? - no chance of them breaking off.

[Black]

hal wrote: But people can really get frustrated and destroy things.

That was my strategy, and it worked perfectly.

[Article Accelerator]

I successfully opened my Maxtor One Touch III, made a fan repair, and reassembled it. I broke just a couple of the internal tabs in the process but you wouldn't know it by looking at or handling the reassembled case.

It's a PITA but it can be done.