Question for the 'Puter Geeks

[AApple]

You know who you are... :help:
:lol:
Here's my issue..
I recently had to buy a new 'puter. I have two other puters that have good hard drives, with lots of files/data on them I want to salvage, before doing a full restore on them. I know I can buy an external hard drive enclosure, install the hard drive, plug it into the new machine via USB, and retrieve my files/data from it. Now the problem...one of the hard drives is SATA, and the other one is PATA(ribbon cable). I really didn't want to buy two different hard drive enclosure to simply retrieve the data from these drives. Is there an external drive enclosure that will accommodate BOTH styles of cables?
I know I can "slave" the SATA drive on the new machine, and copy the info I need to save, but...this thing is still new, and if I rip into it, the warranty will vanish. The external enclosure will keep me from having to open the new one up.
Any ideas, or other ways to do this without having to buy two external enclosures? The one SATA drive will be going back into the other computer, and I'll do a full restore on it, so I'll have a spare puter. The other puter I don't know what happened to...it was working, but the last time I hooked it all up, it wouldn't even turn on, so...I can live with having the hard drive for that one permanently mounted in the external enclosure. It has my Mitchell AND AllData(automotive repair programs) programs on it, including Mitchell Vintage, which covers vehicles all the way back to the 1950s...I kinda wanna KEEP that stuff!
And...remember that I'm just a dum ol mek-a-neck...so don't get too technical in any response!! English is good.... :help: :smilie_happy: :smilie_happy: :smilie_happy:
tia

 

[scdmarx]

I'm not a geek, but can't you accomplish this via ethernet or file sharing on a wireless network?

But then, I know those automotive manuals are gonna be pretty huge files.

I think I'll just shut up and let somebody who knows what they're talking about have the floor. :whistling:

 

[dan filipi]

https://www.frys.com/product/5680821

I doubt opening the case to hook up another drive will void the warranty. Call the company first but there are usually not any seals that get broken opening a case so that tells ya right there and besides, there are expansion bays for a reason, to open and add drives.

 

[kirkwilson]

Check with your new 'puter's people- puters get new this and that all the time and just sticking another drive in shouldn't void your warranty IMHO----You are just interested in your archived data not screwing around with the operating system or drivers you should be OK---call them and ask it probably won't hurt the answer might be go ahead...

 

[roncar]

I use one of these. Don't need an enclosure just to retrieve files.

https://cgi.ebay.com/USB-2-0-IDE-SATA-Ha ... ltDomain_0

 

[AApple]

I'm not a geek, but can't you accomplish this via ethernet or file sharing on a wireless network?

I could do that, IF the other puters would boot up, but they don't. One will not come on at all, and the other one just keeps re-booting. That one I CAN restore, but I'll loose all the data on it, which is what I'm trying to save. :help:

I use one of these. Don't need an enclosure just to retrieve files.

https://cgi.ebay.com/USB-2-0-IDE-SATA-Ha ... ltDomain_0

This would work fine for the SATA drive, as it is the one I want to put back in the older machine to restore, once I have the data saved. It wouldn't work for the PATA drive tho. :help:

https://www.frys.com/product/5680821

From what I can tell, this one will handle either type of drive, correct? So...I could install the SATA drive, and recover the data, and then take that one out and install the PATA drive, and just leave it in the enclosure as an external drive, since the machine the PATA drive came out of isn't really of any use to me...I just need the data programs. Am I on the right track?
I'm just trying to keep from buying equipment that I'll only use the one time. The cable set-up the roncar posted cheap enough, that it's not a budget buster, BUT it will only recover the data off of the one drive.
The set up Dan posted, from what I can tell, will work with either/both drives? $30 ain't that big a deal IF it will work, and I can keep the PATA drive in it permanently.


btw..someone correct me if I'm wrong...when I say "SATA", I'm speaking of the newer style cable connections, and by "PATA", I'm speaking of the older, flat ribbon style cable(IDE?).

Thanks for the help, fellers...I'm a moron when it comes to these things...

 

[dan filipi]

Yes, SATA is the newer thin cable, PATA is the ribbon.
The enclosure I posted will do both.

SATA is faster so if you want you could leave the SATA drive in the enclosure to store more "stuff". Or you could swap the 2 drives in and out to archive or backup even more "stuff" :grin:

I have a 300 GB external for various stuff, an internal 300GB for forum related stuff including backups, another external 1 TB for my movie and music collection and another 750 GB internal for windows system backups.

 

[AApple]

The SATA is a 200gb, but I want to put it back into the HP 'puter it came out of, so I can have a spare. I'm not sure what size the other one is, but it's prolly not that big. As long as I can keep it in the ext. drive, and access my Mitchell/AllData stuff, I'm happy leaving it in there. I'll have to look and see how much space is left on it. I will be doing much more back-ups now, and putting most of my important stuff(pics/files) on a disc more often(or to begin with), so I won't be going thru this crap again.
Last time I had to do a full restore, I had already saved most of my pics and such on a disc, but I DID loose a page or two(about 40 cars!) from my Die Cast inventory that I forgot to save... :rant: :head bang: :sensored: That has REALLY screwed me up... :Awe:

 

[roncar]

I use one of these. Don't need an enclosure just to retrieve files.

https://cgi.ebay.com/USB-2-0-IDE-SATA-Ha ... ltDomain_0

This would work fine for the SATA drive, as it is the one I want to put back in the older machine to restore, once I have the data saved. It wouldn't work for the PATA drive tho. :help:

Sure it will. I got it to retreive data from a 2 1/2 notebook drive. Don't even need the power adapter for that one. I've since used it with SATA and IDE (PATA) drives. Very convenient to access the drives without opening (or even rebooting) the computer. May just be my computer, but it won't boot with a USB external drive (even my factory made external terrabyte drive. Definitively a valued part of my computer tools.

Description:
Features:
1.Use your 2.5" / 3.5" IDE hard drive or SATA hard disk as an additional external hard drive.
2.Connect your SATA / IDE device to your computer through a USB port.
3.Compliant with USB 1.1 and 2.0 standards.
4.USB 2.0 interface for 480 Mbps high speed data transfer.
5.Supports SATA Hard drive, 2.5" laptop hard drives, 3.5" desktop hard drives, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, CD-RW, DVD-RW Combo devices.
6.Easy to use and plug & play.
7.AC power can be used world widely with input voltage AC 100v - 240v / 50 - 60Hz.

Package Includes:
1 x USB to IDE / SATA cable adapter
1 x SATA Data cable
1 x AC adapter
1 x AC to IDE power converter
1 x DE to SATA power cable

 

[dan filipi]

I didn't notice the picture earlier. It uses a PATA to SATA adaptor.

Nice price!

 

[roncar]

That last picture 'seems' to show an SATA and an IDE hooked up at the same time. I don't know if that's possible, I've never tried it and will have to put it on my list. :laptop:

 

[AApple]

I saw all of the pics, but didn't really know what the heck I was looking at. SO, it's possible this one cable deal would do what I need?
I do like the idea of having an external drive, tho...I can't see having an exposed hard drive just sitting here on the desk... :builder:

 

[detdrbuzzard]

you could get a usb powered hard drive and use it to transfer data between 'puterd

 

[AApple]

you could get a usb powered hard drive and use it to transfer data between 'puterd

Assuming BOTH 'puters would fire up....mine don't... :crying:

 

[Dave]

My computer beat me at chess, but was no match for me at kickboxing :smilie_happy:

and this little laptop best remember I was good with a Frisbi to :evil:

 

[joedrum]

:smilie_happy: :smilie_happy: thats showing it dave :mrgreen:

 

[Bagmaster]

I use one of these. Don't need an enclosure just to retrieve files.

https://cgi.ebay.com/USB-2-0-IDE-SATA-Ha ... ltDomain_0

As a retired computer business owner and tech, this is what I use also. It's cheap enough and quick. It'll do Pata, Sata, and old floppy drives. Comes with all the power adapters you'll need to power up any drive. With this there's no need to crack the case to hook up a drive internally.

 

[AApple]

Looks like the majority seems to think this will work, so I just ordered me one. :mrgreen:
:thanks: guys!

I will prolly wait and get an external enclosure for the IDE drive later, since the puter it is in won't even turn on anymore, so I can't use it. The data on that drive is valuable, tho.
Tanx again! :clapping:

 

[AApple]

:clapping: :clapping: :clapping: :clapping: :clapping: Ordered the cable set-up Friday...it got here today, and....HOOOORAAAY!!!! I was able to salvage ALL of the data from my old 'puter!!! Got all my pics, docs, and application(programs) files transferred to the new 'puter. For some reason, however, it changed all of my Word docs to something else(DOC), and now I can't open them. I might have to mess with that a little more, but it's late, and I just happy I was able to recover all of my pictures, more than anything! arty:
Thanks, roncar for the suggestion, and everyone else for confirming it would work....youse guys ROCK! :music: :good: :yahoo: :good:
Now I can put this hard drive back, and do a full restore on the "old" puter. YeeeeHaaaw!!! :yahoo: :rocks:


I will say...the dang hard drive gets HOT when it's just sitting here on the desk!!! :heat: :heat: :heat:

 

[Bagmaster]

Right click on one of the doc files and see what it's true extension is in it's properties. Post it here.