Using standard IDE HDD as external - buying bays?

[too_much]

Hi all :)

Excuse me if this is glaringly obvious, but recently I've found myself wanting to buy an external hard drive. However, and I stress this implicitly, I simply cannot afford to buy one until AT LEAST the summer due to a huge quantity of financial commitments for the forseeable future.

I do have a brand new 500gb IDE drive I've been waiting to install into my PC but had no time - is there any way to buy some sort of bay/shell that you can fit an IDE drive into, with maybe a USB converter connection thingy built into it? It might sound stupid but I figured an external HDD is just a HDD in a shell...

Any ideas?

Cheers,
Matt :)

[Midknyte]

Yes, it is called an external "enclosure".

not sure where you would get them in the UK, so you'll have to check with your vendors.

[too_much]

Awesome, will get looking.

Thanks man :)

Matt

*edit*
Hmm, would this be right?

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/132892

If only I'd known months ago!

[Midknyte]

That seems to be the right thing. You know how some terms are different in the UK than they are in the US.

http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=92&name=External-Enclosures

[too_much]

Aye, your help is much appreciated, thanks again!

The one I linked to is a 2.5", just realised, I'll need a 3.5" I guess, but even so, looking at getting my external HDD at a total cost of less than buying an ACTUAL external HDD... Superb!

thanks again,
Matt