Computer help please.

[Uzor]

So, my 6 or something year old finally gave in today and died, which means I'll take this chance to buy a new one. However, I have a lot of shit I want to keep on my old one, like music, documents etc. that I've been too stupid to not back up.

My hard drive itself shouldn't have any problems, as it has worked just fine. It's just that I can't turn it on at all. So what's the easiest way of transfering the files from one hard drive to another? Do I just plug it in to the new comp?

 

[alanon]

Plug it in to your new computer. I'm assuming that you are getting an entirely new computer, with new HD and all. If so, try to make sure that your new PC has a compatable interface for it, probably IDE but it depends on your HD. If you already have your new PC and it doesn't have IDE a devie like this works nicely: http://tekgems.com/Products/kl-usb-sata-ide-25-35.htm

 

[Uzor]

I haven't bought one yet. I discovered it was dead when I came home from work today.

That USB device is plug and play pretty much?

 

[Bajaratt]

You can just buy an external enclosure for your drive; it'll treat it like a giant USB jumpdrive.

 

[Uzor]

Oh? How much would that cost?

 

[Tribalinius]

@Alanon:

The idea of the cable is great when you're used to do transfer all day long (i.e.: any computer technician), in my opinion a one time use does not warrant a buy of this product though ^^

On topic now,

Most of the big companies still put 1 IDE (2 peripherals) slot on their motherboards so you should be able to transfer data without hassle. It can make a good backup drive if you need one too. On the other hand, getting a drive enclosure is not a bad idea either. It will let you bring your hard drive wherever you want to go.

My personal choice if you go for a drive enclosure:

http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=14426&vpn=NST-360U2&manufacture=VANTEC

I got mine 2 years ago, it's plugged 24/7 and it's still kicking ass

 

[pchan]

Same happened to me last spring with a 5 year old computer. My old HDD had the old standard (ide ? the ones with large flat cables) while my new computer could only accept the new standard (thin flexible cables, sata ?). So I got those external usb things where you can easily plug a HDD. The big inconvenient is that they make a huge noise.

 

[Mirewen]

Oh? How much would that cost?

Depends. They scale a lot. Really really cheap to really expensive. If you're just using it to transfer files, you wont need to spend a lot.

 

[Bajaratt]

Oh? How much would that cost?

You can get them for around $20, it won't be a nice enclosure, but it'll work to transfer your files off of.

 

[Mirewen]

Yea, mine was like... $30.00.

 

[Uzor]

Well, it would mostly be a one-time thing, so noice wouldn't matter, and I'll try to go as cheap as possible. Thanks for your help, I'll look around.

Now to find a computer.

 

[Bajaratt]

If you go with the enclosure, you can still make use of the hard drive for additional storage; or for portable storage if you want to move it around.

 

[alanon]

That USB device is plug and play pretty much?

Yup. Just plug it in and your drive shows up.

@Alanon:

The idea of the cable is great when you're used to do transfer all day long (i.e.: any computer technician), in my opinion a one time use does not warrant a buy of this product though ^^

I dunno, I think $12 is fairly inexpensive for data recovery, especially if you are not computer literate and don't want to crack open the case of your new computer and deal with it.