Determine your hard drive's style and dimensions. Insert the drive into the. There are several ways to repurpose old hard drives in your computing setup, whether it's using them to expand your game storage or leveraging them in a DIY NAS. But if you don't want to go around opening up PCs or tinkering with NAS-tier operating systems, a makeshift external drive is a great way. In this video, I demonstrate how to convert your old laptop or desktop hard disk into a portable external drive using a SATA to USB connector. For additional support resources, go to Seagate customer support. Q: Are both ends of the USB cable firmly attached? A: Review troubleshooting tips for cable connections below: Check both ends of the. A USB hard drive adapter is a device that allows you to connect an external hard drive to a computer via a USB port. If you've upgraded your laptop or PC with an SSD, you're probably wondering what to do with the old hard drive.