How to Remove a SATA External Hard Drive Cover
- 1). Eject the hard drive if it is plugged into your system. For a PC, open up "Computer" and locate the SATA hard drive. Right-click on the drive and click "Eject." Allow the system to safely eject the drive. On a Mac, click the drive icon and drag it to the Trash icon in the toolbar. The drive will eject automatically.
- 2). Unplug the USB or Firewire cable connecting your drive to the computer. Unplug the other end of the drive cable from the hard drive.
- 3). Power off the hard drive. Unplug the cord from both the wall socket and the hard drive.
- 4). Locate the screws holding the SATA external hard drive cover in place. These may be either at the back of the drive or on the underside. Loosen these with a screwdriver. Set the screws aside.
- 5). Ground yourself by touching a metal object. This will get rid of any static electricity built up in your body that can damage SATA drives and other electronic components. You can also use an anti-static wrist strap, available at most hardware stores, to ground yourself.
- 6). Slide the external hard drive cover off the SATA chassis. The cover may either slide off the front of the chassis or lift straight up. In either case, don't force the cover as you are removing it, or you may damage it.