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[ihavearedcouch]

Can anyone explain me if I did something like this if it would be harmful to the drive?

[Bandit5317]

Nice mod, thanks for the guide. I would advise against connecting the 12v line in the manner that you're planning. That line from the wall adapter is only 12v in reference to the ground line that's also coming from that wall adapter. In reference to the Xbox 360's ground, it more than likely won't be. It could be 9v or 15v. The cleanest way to have it wired would be to pull the 5v and 12v from the Xbox 360, like you mentioned. If you absolutely must avoid soldering though, then wiring the ground from the wall adapter to the Xbox 360's ground will force them to both be at the same potential, which will make it's 12v line actually 12v with respect to the Xbox 360's ground. 

[ihavearedcouch]

[Bandit5317]

The negative sign is sometimes used interchangeably with the 'gnd' or 'ground' designation. That is the case in this situation, so long as you're positive that the wall adapter is outputting 12 volts DC and not AC. Yes, it would be acceptable to connect the negative (or ground) line to one of the ground wires on the SATA power connector. The hard drive may not like it if it receives 12 volts at a different time than 5v, like what would happen if the wall adapter received power before the Xbox 360, though. Also, if the new drive draws more than 500 mA of current from the 5v line, then the Xbox 360 won't by able to supply it with enough power. For those reasons, I would recommend using a new adapter like the one you posted, but with SATA power instead of a molex connector on the end. You can use 2 or 3 pronged, it really doesn't matter. The 3 pronged one just adds an earth (or ground) line. During normal operation, this line is not used for anything. It's only there for shock protection, in case there's an internal fault in the power adapter.

[ihavearedcouch]