I want to use one of my harddrives as a network storage device. I dont want to have another computer running just for storage. My question is does anyone know of a hardrive addon that will turn a simple hardrive into a network hardrive with a 10/100 lan plug in it?

Im not sure if they make a enclosure that supports the netowrk interface...but it seems that it would be very handy...so probly someone makes them

You can Find preassembled kits from Linksys:
Here

|Drew|

I don't think you will find a kit to throw your drive in. The Linksys system that Drew sent you would allow you to add your drive to it. It is basically a computer though. It has all of the components, it's just specialized. Because of the needs of NAS you will not find a kit for cheap.

This is what your looking for, no computer needed, just a ethernet cable
http://www6.tomshardware.com/network/20031...1009/index.html

Thanks a lot guys. Kinda dissapointing though. I have many hardrives with various sizes laying around and I wanted to put them to good use. So I dont want to spend the money for another harddrive. I link the Linksys one but too expensive for my taste. The whole reason of having this was so I would never have to burn a copy of my ever changing unattended windows cd. Ah well. Thanks again

Sell your drives on ebay and set aside the dough for the Network stroage....if you sell enough stuff, you could get yourself a decent setup


|Drew|

You can always make some ISOs of the Cds and mount them with Virtual CD Drives. You cannot beat the price!

Another alternative to use all the drives is to install a removable hard drive drawer. Simply pop in-out the drive of your choice using only one bay.

why not install a FTP app and mount the drives in your current pc and just have the FTP app point to only those drives?

This way all would be stored on those drives.

Or you could spend about 100 bucks on a crap pc and throw the HD in them and run it as a small server on your lan.

I have 2 and use them all the time for storage (servers).

Hey Chris, sorry for the dumb question but which FTP app do you prefer, and is it fairly simple to do this?

I'll bet that's where my website is housed! HAHA jk.

Yea I guess I could use another pc. Seeing how I use one simply for a TV thanks to my ATI AIW 128 Pro (old but still works great) I could throw my storage needs to that one. One question though. It is one of the standard power buttons where its a momentary switch. Is there a way I can make it startup after like a power outage? Remember how the old pcs had the power button do two things, one to turn on and one to turn off?? I want it so that it will always be on and automatically turn on after the power goes out. Can I just connect the two wires going to the switch?? or is that a bad Idea. My mobo doesn't support anytype of automatic turn on teh pc on a schedule of anything of that sort. Any one?

For an ATX power supply there is usually a setting in the BIOS called something like "resume power state" that allows you to set how your PC will react if it loses power and then gains it again.

Will give it a look. Thanks you guyz been a big help

EDIT: Nope. I couldn't find any feature that would force the computer to startup if it was shutdown or lost power. Would connecting those two wires permanetly work? Or wiring them to a switch that I can switch on of off?

I wouldn't try it. ATX power supplies do not depend on the power button. It's all controlled throught the MB itself.