old computer's hard drive

[tech1231]

hello,it's Dalton i love the help you give on these forums.OK i have older computer i want to upgrade the hard drive,but on the new hard drive its connections are different so do i need a adapter or conversion kit and could you take a laptop hard drive and hook up in a desktop to get the data off the drive. thanks once more Dalton. 

[patio]

The new HDD is probably SATA...with the old one being IDE.
You have a few choices...return the SATA for an IDE...they will even exchange it most likely.
As far as the data on the old drive goes...you can hook up the new drive as a slave...then DLoad the Free utilities from the New drive manuf. site and use them to "clone" the old drive to the new one.
When it's finished you completely dis-connect the old drive...set the new drive as Master and power up...
Windows and all your data will be there on the new drive.

Once you're sure everything is in working order simply hook up the old drive as a slave...format it clean and use it for extra storage space.

This is by far the easiest method out there...others may have different suggestions.

[dahlarbear]

could you take a laptop hard drive and hook up in a desktop to get the data off the drive.

Hope, I'm not steering you in a direction "patio" did not want to send you, but he provides "picture" of adaptor in following thread:  http://www.computerhope.com/forum/index.php/topic,97403.msg659896.html#msg659896.

[truenorth]

dahlarbear, With all due respect i have the impression that the O/P is talking about an upgraded HDD in a "desktop" and his reference to the "laptop" is only for him to attempt a transfer of data from the HDD he want to replace to his laptop. I could be wrong as it is definitely not that clear. If i am not mistaken given how old "older" is might he not be able to use a SATA (again not clear--but i think as Patio has concluded a safe bet) on the "older" computer regardless of possible "adapters"?truenorth

[dahlarbear]

No, it's not clear.  I believe Original Poster's (OP) reference to laptop hard drive is a "separate" issue (and perhaps should have been a "new" thread).

Yes, there are "adapters" to interface a "SATA" hard drive to an IDE controller interface (and vice versa).  But unless you're planning to move hard drive to a "newer" computer system, why add an "extra" adaptor to the interface.  (You can get a suitable adaptor later when the need arises.)

I should have "Let sleeping dogs lie...".

[Geek-9pm]

could you take a laptop hard drive and hook up in a desktop to get the data off the drive. thanks once more Dalton. 

Yes. If a desktop computer iw working, has a recent version of widows, and has a standard size case. T
But a  Small Half High case does not have enough room nor does it have extrea power connections.

If yu have a working desktop, get one of these:
http://www.bay-wolf.com/hddadapter.htm
Is that what you mean? It is a simple IDE converter.

Some new laptops are now using SATA, so that would not work.