Recover files from a hard drive

PC would noT start, so I have removed hard drive to recover some important files before doing a full re-set which will wipe clean.

I have done this with a lap top hard drive and I have a 'special' cable with USB (I think its a USB IDE cable?), which plugs in to another computer, then you simply read it as another drive and copy files over.

But, my cable does not fit seemingly fit the hard drive.

Does anyone know what cable to buy?

Hard drive is a Samsung SP2504C (250GB)

You need a SATA connector likely.

Something like this below...

see image

Then you can look around on here for USB to IDE\SATA cables....

Newegg

Many thanks - I think I may have one of them 'enclosure' things kicking around somewhere!

Bought in error ages ago, but I never throw anything away 

I have got a Pluscom 2.5'' IDE/SAT to USB 2.0 aluminium enclosure.

I dont know what this thing does at all!

Am I right in thinking that I put the hard drive inside this enclosure, and then usb it to another pc? If this is the case I just cant see how the hard drive I am looking at will fit in!

Can anyone help 

[Moderator]

Slave Drive Info...

OK, its starting to make a bit of sense. So I put the hard drive actually into another pc......but

is there a way of doing this via a USB port? (like I did with my laptop hard drive using a IDE/USB cable)

[Moderator]

I dont trust a USB connection when it comes to retrieving valuable data...

I have removed a Samsung hard drive from my Sons pc because the pc will not start.

I want to read the hard drive on another pc via a USB port to copy off a few picture files.

Is this possible?

What cables etc do I need?

many thanks - sorry if i'm repeating myself but just trying to find the easiest solution 

[Moderator]

Slave Drive Info...

No extra cables needed...
5 minutes to hook up.

Then you can copy/move burn to cd all the data you want.

OK - I have taken apart a 'good' pc (Dell Dimension 3100) and am trying to put in the other hard drive.

But the hard drive I want to slave (Samsung SP2504C) does not have little pins coming out of it so I cant plug it in 

My hard drive looks like this http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/307

Do I need a IDE to SATA connector cable??? If I do need something like this could a link be put up so I know what to buy 

many thanks

My disk is a SATA 3.5'', and it is Windows Vista.

Using a USB 2.0 to SATA cable kit by Plexus - I am trying to read the disk from another PC which is Windows XP.

I get the message ''F:\ is not accessable. The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable''

Is this because Vista/XP not compatable or something definately wrong with hard drive.

If the latter - what can I do next to recover my data?