I need to transfer data from my computer onto a hard drive from my old computer as a back up?

I need to transfer data from my computer onto a hard drive from my old computer as a back up, and vice versa, transfer data from the old hard drive to the new computer for easy access. Is it possible to do this without buying an enclosure? If so, how do I do it?

Asked by whirlwind-freefly 47 months ago Similar questions: transfer data computer hard drive back Computers > Hardware > Computer Components.

Similar questions: transfer data computer hard drive back.

Computers > Hardware > Computer Components.

Use a simple adapter.. I bought and use this really simple USB adapter that works with old hard drives and even laptop drives. I used it to transfer files to and from my laptop HD to my Desktop and vise versa. Its really easy to use and cheap!

Laptop HD connected to desktop via USB adapter. IDE hard drive connected to desktop via the USB. SATA drive connected to desktop... It comes with all the cables and adapters and power supply.

I use it all the time to recover data from all type of drives, nice thing is its quick and easy. And your system recognizes the new HD without any problems at all. And you don't even have to open your computers case or anything, its a USB connection.

You can find it here among other places: newertech.com/products/products_univ_adp... Sources: Personal use and experience..

USB 2.0 to IDE Adapter Depending on the day of the week, these adapters are pretty cheap. I bought one in an electronics store originally for about $25, and now you can find them on eBay for less then ten. They kind of look like this: The connector on one side supports the standard 3.5 inch hard disk (PATA), the smaller connector on the opposite side supports 2.5 inch notebook drives, and the SATA connector on top supports SATA drives.

On the other end of the cable is the USB plug for you computer which makes the drive look just like a normal USB flash drive. Just search on eBay or at an electronics site for "USB to IDE" and you'll find these. One online this afternoon is at: http://cgi.ebay.com/3-in-1-USB-2-0-To-SATA-IDE-Adapter-Cable-Power-SA1K_W0QQitemZ280193368155QQihZ018QQcategoryZ74941QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Just make sure you get one that also includes the external power source for the disk drive.

Hope that helps! Knowware's Recommendations Sabrent USB-DSC5 Serial ATA or IDE 2.5-/3.5-Inch to USB 2.0 Cable Converter Adapter with Power Supply Amazon List Price: $19.99 Average Customer Rating: 4.0 out of 5 (based on 10 reviews) This one would work perfectly.

It's easy with some basic computer knowledge What you need to do is pop the old drive into a spare slot in your new computer and bob's yer uncle. This may void your warranty. 1.

I assume you're holding the old HDD in your grubby little paws. And I assume that it looks like this -- Notice the 4 pins to right. That's the power connector.

The long double row of pins to the left is the IDE connector. In between the two is a double row of pins (usually 2 rows of 4 pins) for configuration jumpers. This is known as a Parallel ATA Hard Disk Drive (PATA HDD) Or it might, though unlikely,look like this This is a serial ATA or SATA URL1 may or may not have the same 4-pin power connect on the right.

The 15-pin SATA power connector is the wide tab to the left, and the 7-pin data connector is to the right of the data connector. 2. Power down the new computer and open up the case.

Can't help you more since I don't know what computer you have (and even then...). 3. Look for the hard drive.

Is there only one? (if you bought the computer and never upgraded, probably only one) Is it PATA or SATA?(new computer is probably SATA) 4. What I'll describe is the situation where the new computer has a SATA drive and the old one is PATA, and there is one PATA optical drive in the new computer.

First thing is to set the configuration jumpers on the PATA drives --one of them needs to be master and the other slave. Doesn't matter which is which, but they need to be different. On the optical drive, it's usually stamped into the casenear the configuration jumper pins like this M S C A L S which stands for Master, Slave and Cable Select.

The jumper is a small plastic block with two holes in it, less than 1/4" square. Make this drive a Slave by moving the jumper across the SL pins (vertically) The PATA hard drive looks something like this: A similar diagram (usually with less choices) is often on the drive label, as this design can vary by manufacturer. Install the jumper for Master.

5. In new computers, there is often only one IDE channel (connector) on the motherboard. Each IDE channel can control 2 devices.

Your optical drive is one, the old HDD will be the other. Locate the 40/80pin ribbon cable running between the motherboard and optical drive. There should be a spare connector on it.

This goes into the HDD and is keyed to only be inserted one way. A 4 pin white connector goes into the 4 pin connector on the HDD. Don't insert them yet.

6 Mount the old HDD in the HDD cage such that both the data and power connectors will reach, and then plug in the connectors.7. Reconnect cables to the PC, power up and enter the BIOS. Check that all drives are being recognized and that the boot order has the original drive in the new PC in the first position.

Adjust as needed. If drives are missing, there is something wrong with the configuration jumpers or the cables 8. Continue booting.

The old drive should appear when you open My Computer. Drag and drop your files..

Typically YES! Assuming that your PC has room in the case for an additional disk the answer is yes! You need to check and see what type of disk your system supports (ATA or SATA) and then you can purchase a new drive.

Just following the typically complete instructions that come with the drive and you will be fine. There is usually utility software included that will allow you to backup your drive or clone the new drive so that you can use it as your system drive (boot drive). In either case, make sure that your get the jumper setting correct for your system.

If the drive already installed is set to Master, make the new drive the slave. If the old drive is CS (cable select) make the new one CS. If its a SATA drive, just plug it in.

Here is an example of what the jumpers typically look like. Don't be surprise if you get a BIOS 'error' message when you reboot after the installation. It is just the BIOS seeing the new drive and asking you to verify it.

I personally like Segate drives because you get a 5 year warranty. Finally, my personal preference is to get an external drive. It costs just a few $$ more but you don't have to open the case or play with jumpers.It's also easy to backup several machines or to move your data to a new machine.

Regards, .

You can install the old drive into the newer computer Most computers have extra slots where you can mount additional hard drives, and extra connectors on the ribbon cable that connects the drives. There should be a jumper block on the drive, and you will have to move the jumper(s) so that the drive is not identified as the primary drive. If the drive doesn't tell you where to move the jumper, you will have to find someone who knows the proper position for your drive.

Perhaps you can find this information on the manufacturer's web site.

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