Power external hard drive from usb?

[ic0n]

hi guys

i was just wondering is there anyway to power my external hard drive from usb or express 34 port or any other port on my laptop so i dont need to plug it in to the mains?

thanks

sorry if its a daft question

 

[AbsenceJam]

Perhaps there's a way to split something off from the AC/DC brick? Otherwise no, not from a port as they don't provide enough power. 2.5" externals can run off USB but most of the time they need more than one port.

 

[miniyazz]

usb provides 5v 0.5a. 3.5" drives use 12v and 5v (3.3v if available too) so no joy.