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How to Connect and Get Data Off a Hard Drive With These 6 Methods
- Retrieving data from an old hard drive is relatively easy if it has been kept free from damage and disconnected from the original PC. Consider various methods such as using a USB adapter cable, hacking an external HDD, building your own external HDD, using a USB docking station, installing the disk in your PC, or installing the HDD in a laptop.
- A special USB HDD adapter is a convenient and simple way to connect a hard drive to a laptop or PC. Just plug in the adapter and connect the appropriate cables to retrieve data from the old hard drive.
- Another option is to use an external HDD enclosure or a USB docking station to connect the old hard drive to your computer. These devices provide easy access to the contents of the hard drive and allow for data recovery.
Need some information off an old hard disk drive? Unfortunately, it's not easy to connect a drive to your PC. So, what can you do when you need to retrieve those old spreadsheets or forgotten digital photos?
Here are some useful and practical ways to connect your hard drive to your current computer and recover data from it.
How to Get Data Off an Old Hard Drive
If you want to get files off an old hard disk drive, it's easier than you think. If the device has been disconnected from its original PC and kept free from knocks, the data should be retrieved relatively easily.
If you want to know how to connect a hard drive to your PC or laptop, you have six options:
- Connect it using a special USB adapter cable.
- Hack an external HDD.
- Build your own external HDD.
- Use a USB docking station for disk drives.
- Install the disk in your PC.
- Install the HDD in a laptop.
Some of these methods are simpler than others. Let's look at each of them in turn.
1. Access an Old Hard Drive With an Adapter
A hard disk drive can be directly connected to any laptop or PC via a special USB HDD adapter. These typically come with connections for SATA and IDE/PATA drives and are basically old hard drive adapters.
FIDECO SATA/IDE to USB 3.0 Adapter
The FIDECO SATA/IDE to USB 3.0 Adapter makes getting data off your hard drive as easy as plugging in a cable.
This plug-and-play adapter is compatible with a range of HDD sizes, operating systems, and devices (like laptops, PCs, and the PS5), making it a way out for trapped data.
Brand 1x SATA, 2x IDE, 1x USB 3.0
Cable Included 1x USB 3.0 cable, 1x 4Pin cable
- Required cables, adapters included
- 5Gbps data transfer speeds (USB3.0)
- Supports 2.5- and 3.5-inch SATA/IDE HDDs
- Design isn't as durable as other options
HDDs currently use the SATA connection, which is a small "L" shaped connector and a thin, flat cable. These drives are powered using a slightly wider "L" connector or a Molex four-pin connector.
IDE/PATA drives, meanwhile, rely on a much wider ribbon cable connector, along with a Molex connector.
Employing a USB cable adapter for your HDD means identifying the correct connection type and plugging in the HDD. For example, if you had an old IDE/PATA disk drive, you would connect the IDE/PATA adapter port to the drive and then the Molex plug to the mains adapter. After connecting the adapter to the PC via USB, switch it on.
The drive would be detected as a USB device by the operating system, ready for you to browse. This solution lets you connect a PC hard disk to a desktop or a laptop.
2. Hack an External HDD to Get Data off an Old Hard Drive
Perhaps you have an external HDD with a USB connection. Inside, the device basically contains a SATA-to-USB cable adapter.
So, how can you get data off an old hard drive using an external HDD?
External hard disk drives basically comprise a small circuit board with SATA connectors to dock the drive and an enclosure. By opening the enclosure and removing the securing screws, you can easily swap the existing drive with your old HDD.
With everything connected and secure, connect the drive to your PC, power it up, and start retrieving data. Don't forget to place the original HDD into the external drive housing when you're done.
Opening the external drive could invalidate the device's warranty.
3. Mount the HDD Into an External Enclosure
Planning on accessing this hard disk drive regularly? If so, buying an external HDD enclosure and installing your disk drive in this makes sense.
Sabrent External Lay-Flat Docking Station
The Sabrent External Lay-Flat Docking Station turns any hard drive into an external HDD. Whether your data is on a 2.5- or 3.5-inch disk, you'll be able to transfer it to any laptop or PC you please through the Lay-Flat Docking Station's USB 3.0 port.
And thanks to its 5Gbps transfer speeds, recovering your data won't feel like watching paint dry.
Compatible Devices 2.5- and 3.5-inch HDDs
Dimensions 7.09 x 1.6 x 4.8 inches
Brand Sabrent
- 5Gbps transfer speed (USB 3.0)
- Supports 2.5- and 3.5-inch SATA HDDs
- Easy to swap drives out
- Plastic design doesn't conduct heat that well
This is a similar step to hacking your existing external HDD. The only difference is that the enclosure should ship with instructions on installing the drive. You'll also need to confirm the enclosure is the right size to accommodate your disk drive. Remember, HDDs come in 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch varieties.
Once you've installed the HDD in the new enclosure, connect it to your PC via USB, power it up, and start retrieving your data.
The benefit of this option is that once you've recovered the missing data, you can use the disk as an external HDD. Connect a reformatted drive to any computer or media device as external storage.
4. Browse for Data Using a USB Docking Station
A quick and easy option for connecting old hard disk drives to your PC is a USB docking station.
This device sits on your desk and plugs into the computer's USB port. Inside the docking station, you'll find SATA connectors (and sometimes IDE/PATA connectors) that the disk drive can be plugged into. The drives essentially slide into the docking station upright, providing access to the contents over USB.
Think of it as a hard drive reader.
Sabrent USB 3.1 to SATA External Hard Drive Docking Station
Sabrent's USB 3.1 to SATA External Hard Drive Docking Station is one of the easiest ways to get long-lost data off of your HDD. Just pop your hard drive in, connect the dock to your computer, and transfer any files you need.
Plus, with a 10Gbps data transfer rate thanks to USB 3.1, you'll have everything you need in no time.
Ports USB 3.1
Dimensions 5 x 2.9 x 2.3 inches
- Straightforward operation
- Supports 2.5- and 3.5-inch HDDs
- Affordable price tag
- Only for SATA drives
Different types of USB docking stations for disk drives are available. Most provide SATA-only connections for 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch disk drives.
All in all, this is probably the most comfortable option, and some devices even provide space for multiple HDDs. However, some drives also include IDE/PATA connectors, although the position of the power connector on these older drives can cause problems.
5. Install the HDD in Your PC
If you're short of time or can't afford a hard drive reader, any HDD can be directly connected to a PC via a cable direct to the motherboard.
The exact steps will again depend upon the HDD connector type:
- Connect SATA drives to the motherboard using the SATA cable.
- IDE drives use the IDE ribbon cable, so the motherboard must have a compatible port.
If no compatible port is available, you'll need a compact adapter small enough to fit inside your PC case.
Note that this isn't a long-term solution. Stop using the adapter once you have recovered the data and copied it to a new HDD or SSD.
Of course, before installing any device inside your PC, you should be confident that you know what you are doing. With the HDD correctly connected to your PC's motherboard, it should be safe to power up the computer and browse the device.
6. Install the HDD in a Laptop
Most of the options above can be used with a laptop. But if you want to know how to connect your HDD to a laptop internally, things are a little different.
You have two options here:
- Install a disk drive in the laptop's dedicated expansion slot.
- Replace the optical drive with a hard disk drive.
The second solution is less practical for newer laptop computers, which increasingly ship without space for additional disk drives.
Our guide on how to connect a hard disk drive to a laptop using the optical drive port will provide more information.
How to Connect an External Hard Drive to a PC Without USB
All the examples so far have concerned an internal hard disk drive that requires data removing from it. But what if you had an external hard disk drive that you needed to connect to your PC to remove data, but the device had an issue with USB, preventing connection?
Fortunately, the solution is a combination of a couple of the answers covered above. All you need to do is open the external drive enclosure, then use an adapter or a docking station to connect it to your PC or laptop. If you're particularly handy with a screwdriver, you might even install the HDD into a spare bay in your computer.
Now You Know How to Read Old Hard Drives
Getting data off your hard disk drive should be plain sailing if it's connected to your computer. All you need to do next is copy the data from the HDD to storage on your PC. If there is enough storage space, this shouldn't be a problem.
But if you're attempting to recover an old, worn-out device and need to know how to get files off the hard drive, or you're looking for lost or deleted data, you'll need a dedicated file recovery tool.
