Reuse internal hd externally

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2 weeks ago there were websites explaining that one needed to tweak a plist (or some such) before Mavericks would recognize a hard drive (removed from dead MBP) and rehoused in a USB enclosure. Today no such information exists on the web. All my MBP files are anxious to rejoin me. Anyone know what needs to be done here?
 
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2 weeks ago there were websites explaining that one needed to tweak a plist (or some such) before Mavericks would recognize a hard drive (removed from dead MBP) and rehoused in a USB enclosure. Today no such information exists on the web. All my MBP files are anxious to rejoin me. Anyone know what needs to be done here?

Those web sites are full of baloney. All you have to do is put the drive in an external enclosure and plug it in.
 
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Would it were that simple!

The 256-GB internal drive from the MBP is housed in a USB case, whose little red LED glows brightly--but the drive is not recognized by the Mini. The instructions said something about replacing the word 'internal' with 'external', which makes sense--but where would one find the relevant file among the hundreds of possibilties?
 
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Would it were that simple!

The 256-GB internal drive from the MBP is housed in a USB case, whose little red LED glows brightly--but the drive is not recognized by the Mini. The instructions said something about replacing the word 'internal' with 'external', which makes sense--but where would one find the relevant file among the hundreds of possibilties?

I can only echo what ferrarr had to say. The instructions you keep referring to are simply wrong. Trust me, I have removed more than one internal hard drive to use externally in the past.

If you don't see the drive in Disk Utility as suggested, then we need to look more at your hardware. You may have a faulty USB cable, or something wrong with the circuit board inside the USB case itself. Maybe the drive simply is not connected properly inside the case.
 
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And is the external USB caddy mains powered? Sometimes bus powered is just not strong enough to power an external drive.
 
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Harry was right; the Mini--unlike some of my earlier Macs--doesn't put enough current into 1 USB port , which is why the caddy had a Y cable. But between a 16-GB USB stick, a wireless-mouse tranceiver, and a keyboard, there was only 1 port free. Fortunately, I don't really need both the 16-GB and the hard disk simultaneously. And my Apple keyboard with 2 underpowered USB ports (which might have worked with the mouse?) got recycled the other day when too much ink wore off the plastic crossbar sheets and killed too many keys.

Anyhow, all better now, and thanks for all the advice!
 
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Yes the keyboard ports are designed for mouses exclusively. Insufficient power for printers or anything else.
 

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Insufficient power for printers or anything else.

Printers work just fine from the Apple keyboard USB ports. Remember, printers are self powered, not powered by the USB bus like hard drives and flash drives.

I run my HP LaserJet off my Apple aluminum wired keyboard without a problem.
 
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@chscag

Is your HP Laser Jet by any chance a 1022nw? I have had one for years, and every now and then it actually works. Usually it fails to connect wirelessly (this, I think, is caused by both machines trying to communicate intermittently, because if I ignore them, 30 minutes later it may suddenly start printing). HP says talk to Apple about a working driver; Apple says talk to HP.
 

chscag

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No it's a LaserJet 1012 which is an older model. No wireless unfortunately.
 
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Printers work just fine from the Apple keyboard USB ports. Remember, printers are self powered, not powered by the USB bus like hard drives and flash drives.

I run my HP LaserJet off my Apple aluminum wired keyboard without a problem.

I plug a USB thumb drive into the keyboard port often enough also. I've never noticed an issue in doing so.
 

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