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Extracting data from a dead compaq and HP laptops

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3 replies

by maithilibala

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Hi

I have two laptops which are dead. Can someone please help me with extracting data from these laptops.
Please Note: I dont have a desktop with me. I can use a laptop to connect these harddrives. what cables do I need and what are the steps to follow?

Thanks

Bala

3 replies

by rob miners

a USB caddy to put the drives in after you remove them from the Laptops. It would also be wise to invest in a Powerd USB Hub to connect to. Here is an example of a Caddy and it will depend on the Drives as to whether you need Sata or IDE. So check out the drives first and you may find that you need both types depending on the age of the Laptops.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/searchtemplate.asp?criteria=USB%202.5%20CADDY

Edit: Forgot to mention that the drives may be different sizes as well. Laptops normally have 2.5" and the standard size these days for most Systems are 3.5" but if you measure them they are 4" in diameter.

by oh smeg

This depends on the models of the NB's in question here. Generally speaking new or at least the more modern NB's all have SATA HDD's and the older ones have IDE HDD's.

The newest NB may have a SSD in place of a HDD and all of these require different connectors to connect them to a USB Interface Card so that your NB can access them.

Also if you need to run any Data Recovery Applications on these Drives a NB is completely unsuitable for the job at hand as you will be required to run it for hundreds of hours if not longer with the Failed NB Drive connected to it through a USB Caddy and another larger external Drive connected as well to dump the recovered Data to. If you try to do this with a NB you will overheat the drives at the very least but because of the length of Time require to run these Recovery Applications you are likely to damage every HDD involved including the one in the Working NB that you have.

But on the Up Side all NB Drives except the very new are all 2.5 Inch so that should reduce the possibilities to either or both a USB 2.5 Inch IDE Enclosure and or a 2.5 Inch SATA USB Enclosure depending on the models of the dead NB's in question here.

As this type of HDD derives all of it's power from the USB Ports you will most likely need either 2 available unused USB Ports per External Drive being used to power the external Drive or a USB Powered Hub. You [b]Can Not[/b] plug a IDE Drive into a SATA External Enclosure or vise versa so if you have 1 X IDE HDD and 1 X SATA HDD you'll need one of each type Caddies.

Col

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