Can I Repurpose My Ssd For Windows? Reddit Free Hours On

About fifty percent of the CDs in my home still have that AOL promise of 500 free hours on them.

Though they never got me to join their internet service, I did get a lifetime supply of coasters.

Thanks to the rise of high-speed internet access and bigger and better hard drives, theres no reason for companies to snail mail any more of those obnoxious plastic discs.

However, cloud storage is threatening to make your hard disk drives at home a thing of the past, too.

Your data is safe in the cloud, away from things like burglars and Coca-Cola, and you dont have to worry about hardware failures.

So, what can you do with all of those internal and external HDDs filling up your house Theyre not really good for drink coasters, but there are some other clever ways to repurpose them into something useful.

Hard drives make great desk clocks because of their shape and sleek looking design.

Image via instructables.com The recycled HDD clock pictured above is a pretty basic project, with few modifications and a simple installation of a clock mechanism with a -inch long shaft, which you can get from pretty much any hardware or hobby store.

Want a different twist Try this vertical HDD clock that uses computer keys to display the hours.

Image via instructables.com Get creative.

Theres no shortage of examples you can check out for inspiration.

HDDs use some of the same technology for thats used in a traditional loudspeaker, specifically the arm.

To turn your HDD into a speaker, youll need to solder a wire to the hard drives terminal and another one to its spindle motor terminal.

The final part is connecting the wires to the speaker output of your stereo and voil, you will have sound Image via instructables.com You can also flip it on its side to make a vertical speaker and give it a cooler look.

The project is fairly simple, using a few tools to empty out the HDD completely, which leaves room to stash valuables such as money and jewelry.

Image via instructables.com If you still have the computer from which the hard drive came, you can put it back into the computer for even better security.

The hard drives voice coil circuit is hacked in order for it to be connected to a stereo output, like with the speaker project.

This project is a little more difficult and requires some soldering skills, but the result is well worth it.

If you can get your hands on this many hard drives, you can easily grab some string, drill a hole in each platter and create yourself a pretty interesting outdoor decoration.

Image via staticflickr.com Not only does it chime out, but it also creates strange glimmers when the sun shines through it, making it infinitely more awesome than your neighbors boring old regular wind chimes.

Image via wonderhowto.com It wont spin fast enough to do any real damage, but it does have enough torque to sharpen a knife, so watch your fingers.

Image via instructables.com You will need a few less common tools, including a milling machine and a lathe.

The process consists of drilling ventilation holes in the hard drive platters, then making a shaft from a piece of aluminum.

The platters are placed onto the shaft with spacers between them to create a rotor.

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