Swapping Older Hard Drives

[leon]

Hi Guys I have done a clean out and found some Hard Drives that go back some 10 plus years and have no idea what is on them. :shrug:

The question is this, if I unplug my existing Hard Drive on my Desk Top, and plug in one of these drives to see what is on them, would i do damage to the Computer. :shrug:

Thanks in advance.

Leon :thumbsup:

[h0ughy]

Just get one of these and don't fiddle with your computer
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/113156928359?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=705-139619-5960-0&mkcid=2&itemid=113156928359&targetid=1137819465549&device=m&mktype=pla&googleloc=1000255&poi=&campaignid=12502547508&mkgroupid=118261808359&rlsatarget=pla-1137819465549&abcId=9300512&merchantid=107642837&gclid=Cj0KCQjwp86EBhD7ARIsAFkgakhXc Rw6H5J0rruOA2CKWWvE6PrNFvlTltweuxNT mq0AXWSFT6d9EqoaArQaEALw_wcB

[DeWynter]

Most likely you won't be able to connect a 10-years old drive to your desktop unless it's 10-years old as well. Old HDD most likely has an IDE connector and new ones have SATA ones. Even the formfactor is different, not talking about communication protocols.

If by any chance the old HDD has SATA connector then if you shut down your desktop, unplug the existing HDD and put the old one, then you won't damage your desktop. However, if you have only one drive in your desktop and unplug it then your desktop won't boot unless you plug HDD back.

My suggestion - if you haven't used these HDDs for 10 years then most likely you won't need them. Disassemble them and use blades as coasters. The also have nice strong magnets. :)

[appiice]

Hello Leon

You can get an adaptor to go from a IDE to SATA connector,

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/402806152186?hash=item5dc91e1bfa:g: 7egAAOSwnYpdQ~F9&frcectupt=true

In your bios you can set the drive to be " hot swappable " meaning you don't need to turn the computer off, your normal OS will load and you then see the new drive like a big USB stick.

But given your problems with computer problems in the past, is it worth looking at what might be on a ten year old drive?

Ed

[leon]

Excellent thank you indeed.

Leon

[astro744]

I also recommend a dock. I use one all the time for old drives just to see what’s on them. The dock gets power from a dc adaptor and connects to the computer via USB. You simply plug in the hard drive into the dock. (I plug in the drive before turning on the dock).

Windows will assign a drive letter. If not you can do it manually in “create partions...” and assign a drive letter from a list of available letters. (Windows feature).

I use a single bay desktop version like
https://www.msy.com.au/ultimo/index.php?fc=module&module=leoproductsearch&controller=productsearch&txt_not_found=No+products+found&leoproductsearch_static_token=b4407 3f82096f815f2bad8783f54c1ce&search_query=Dock

The one suggested on eBay looks good too. You can get non powered ones (self powered through USB) but these are only good for low power 2.5” drives and ssd. I use one for a 1TB SSD as my portable Lightroom library and catalog.

[acropolite]

The link sir h0ugh posted should be the best option, select the one for 2.5, 3.5, 5.25 HDD it will cover all types.

[leon]

Thanks Phil, yep, I do agree.

Leon