Hello, Here is my method of mounting a hard drive in a CD ROM case. I use this method and make the empty CD drive bays in a computer case useful for holding hard drives. When there is no room inside the case for a drive or a metal holder was lost this method will solve your problem. Find a Cd-rom drive that is not working. You should have no problem there are plenty of non working drives to be found. Carefully remove the insides of the drive. Usually this is very simple, sometimes two and sometimes four screws on the bottom of the CD-rom. Separate the case and take out all of the old drive. You will be left with a perfect fitting case for a hard drive to be mounted in. Some cases will go together perfectly while other might require you to use a few washers to make the enclosure to its original shape, square 90 degree corners. Take the bottom of the case and lay it on a clean work bench. Take the hard drive and place the rear end of the drive towards the rear end of the cd-rom case. You will see that the drive needs to be lifted a bit to match the opening of the cd-rom opening. Have the top of the cd-rom handy since you will place it over the drive to get a near perfect fit on the cable end. Center the drive in the bottom of the case (side to side). You get the general idea. Now the drive needs to be lifted a bit to clear the opening. I do this by taking a slab of silicone rubber and slicing it to about 3/16 of an inch. If you don't have silicon rubber you can use an old bicycle inner tube and layer small pieces of about 1/2 inch square until the correct height is obtained on the drive to clear the top and bottom of the rear of the cd-rom cable opening. Once you cut six pads or shims, adhere them together with silicone rubber sealer. Place the pads three to a side under the drive, one under each corner and in the middle of both sides. Allign the drive in the case on the pads. Leave the case on the work bench and place the top of the cd-rom case over the bottom of the case, check the fit. When the fit is correct, side to side and top to bottom, you are then ready to adhere the pads to the bottom of the case. Remove the hard drive with out moving the pads. Place the drive to the side. With silicone rubber sealant adhere the pads to the bottom of the case. You can still move them around if needed because the silicone will take about 10 to 15 minutes before it starts to set up. Place the drive over the newly adhered pads. Make sure your adjustment is correct. The hard drive should not extend over the lip of the cd-rom case. When the fit looks correct take the silicone (I use the caulk gun type) and place a nice substantial filleted bead that extends from about half way up the hard drive case down over the pads and onto the metal case bottom. Do not calk completly around the drive. The drive needs openings for ventilation. Adhere the drive only at the corners and the middle pads, only the outside edges of the drive. You're finished with the adhesive. Set the drive unit aside and let the silicon set up overnight. Complete cure is 24hours. After the silicone sets for 24 hours then assemble the cases and the plastic front of the cd-rom. Make sure the disk opening is open for ventilation. Slide the assembly into the computer case and fasten. Make your connections. Your computer is beautiful and functional and the drive is easily removeable from the computer case. To remove the drive from the cd-rom case just slice the silicone with a sharp knife. You'll like it! Let me know how it works out for you. Best Always!

Not bad. I like to use these things. http://www.provantage.com/datastor-... I read it wrong and answer it wrong too. So get off my case you goober.

That seems preferable (and less artsy craftsy or time consuming) - the right part for the right job ... the interests and rights of some individuals take precedence over the interests and rights of others

Hello, My method will save you from going to a store (saving gas) and will save you from purchasing something that you probably all ready have on hand. If you find the drive needs additional cooling, modify the cd-rom front to accept a fan. There is plenty of room to do this. My prefered method is enclosure rather than rail. You can remove the cd-rom case and the drive remains protected. Using rails offers no protection as my cadilac method does. And the drive is mounted on rubber which quiets the computer case and lessens vibration! There is nothing "artsy craftsy" about my method. It is an expediante sure and solid way to mount a drive or two or three or...more! Best Always!

... to each, their own. I'll bet you could make one from popsicle sticks and white glue as well How much 'protection' does a hard drive require? It's not like it's being bombarded - rails are sufficient, anything else is overkill - as well, an enclosure hinders airflow - that'd be the only reason to stuff a fan in there (cadilac? Heh - is that some sort of varnish?) Points for creativity (including the spelling) but it doesn't really appear to fulfill any pressing need, other than your need to publish ... the interests and rights of some individuals take precedence over the interests and rights of others

Hi lol Larrys got a good point ppl , publish and be dammed, novel use of non recycle-able products, & just saved me about £20, an easy mod 80 mm dia hole saw provides air flow thro the top of the carrier, Larry ta mate been looking for a solution for a while my case doesnt support rails (new fangled sort uses clips argh!), a blue peter badge on its way.

Hello 1stepbeyond, I like the hole through the top for fan ventilation, I didn't think about that. It leaves the decoative face plate intact...excellent! Thank You.