Disassemble Seagate External Harddrive Enclosure

Step 1 Removing The Outer Enclosure

The first step is perhaps the trickiest. What you're looking to do here is dislodge the bottom cover (the one without the rubber circle) from the rest of the unit. This is made difficult because there are six plastic tabs inside the unit which hold it down. One method you might use would be to life up the cover on the back of the unit just enough to slide in some flat, sturdy object. Don't try to do this from the front because those tabs are not springy and use a sliding interlock mechanism. The three tabs at the back of the unit are about 1 inch in and spread evenly from left to right (use the pictures to help guide you). Take your time and go slow. In theory, you should be able to remove this without breaking anything if you work slow and take your time. I actually ended up just pulling on the back corner until one of the springy tabs snapped. From there I was able to dislodge the rest safely. If you do break something, don't panic, as the cover is purely aesthetic and not necessary for function. You've now completed the most difficult part of the disassembly.

Comments

[gerlin]

There are three slots just under the cover lip that lend access to the springy tabs.  A very slender screwdriver or a dental probe will reach them, just push slightly until you feel the release on each.
The four screws holding the inner case together were Torx size 10 on my case.

[MightyYar]

First - thanks so much for posting this - you allowed me to take this thing apart without breaking it by showing me the guts! Let me add one thing: The clips on the lid are actually quite easy to disengage, because there are 3 access holes on the back of the unit (below the firewire/USB ports). If you push something skinny through them, biasing towards the cover, the little hooks will pop off provided that you pull on the cover a bit. Thanks again!