Question Broken desktop data recovery

Mar 20, 2019
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Hi ppl, my prob' is this...I have a desktop tower which is beyond repair however the hdd has all my data and pics on it, Ive removed the drive and bought a sata to usb link cable thinking it would be a simple matter of coonnecting removed hdd and using the cable just download to my lappy.
trouble is it isnt that simple , 2 lights on cable show a power supply (blue) but access light is Red and hdd is not showing up on lappy. help pls so much personal data I cannot afford to lose. many thanx
 

DSzymborski

Curmudgeon Pursuivant
Moderator
Next I'd try another enclosure rather than just the cable. If this is a 3.5" hard drive, commonly seen in desktops, you'll almost certainly need an enclosure that uses an AC adapter. Do you actually know for a fact that a dead hard drive wasn't one of the things causing problems with your PC?

If you can't get it to read on another PC, your options unfortunately become much more expensive. In other words, a data recovery firm and those don't come cheap.

As it is, the only dependable way to keep from losing important data is not losing it in the first place. Personal data that you cannot afford to lose ought to be treated like personal data that you cannot afford to lose and backed up regularly.
 
I think what you have here is a lack of power. Those cables that are powered by USB don't supply enough power to run the drive. You need a powered external interface.

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics...cs&sprefix=3.5"+extern,electronics,145&sr=1-3

Something like that, with its external power supply will allow you to access the drive, provided it isn't broken. It will also allow you to keep using the drive as an external storage solution so that you can keep backups of important data on it. That way the issue of having all your data in one place won't be a problem in the future.
 
Mar 20, 2019
4
0
10
Next I'd try another enclosure rather than just the cable. If this is a 3.5" hard drive, commonly seen in desktops, you'll almost certainly need an enclosure that uses an AC adapter. Do you actually know for a fact that a dead hard drive wasn't one of the things causing problems with your PC?

If you can't get it to read on another PC, your options unfortunately become much more expensive. In other words, a data recovery firm and those don't come cheap.

As it is, the only dependable way to keep from losing important data is not losing it in the first place. Personal data that you cannot afford to lose ought to be treated like personal data that you cannot afford to lose and backed up regularly.

Thanx v much, I bought a 2.5 cable but think my hdd is 3.5 yet the cable fits???
 
Mar 20, 2019
4
0
10
Next I'd try another enclosure rather than just the cable. If this is a 3.5" hard drive, commonly seen in desktops, you'll almost certainly need an enclosure that uses an AC adapter. Do you actually know for a fact that a dead hard drive wasn't one of the things causing problems with your PC?

If you can't get it to read on another PC, your options unfortunately become much more expensive. In other words, a data recovery firm and those don't come cheap.

As it is, the only dependable way to keep from losing important data is not losing it in the first place. Personal data that you cannot afford to lose ought to be treated like personal data that you cannot afford to lose and backed up regularly.

Thanx v much, I bought a 2.5 cable but think my hdd is 3.5 yet the cable fits???