How to connect laptop hard drive to desktop

[lasher]

Is this possible? Will this damage the hard drive or the desktop or both?

 

[chelu]

Yes, it's possible. It's just like a normal drive, only that it's smaller and you won't damage it.

 

[lasher]

The reason for my query is to attempt to recover data from a dying drive. The drive still spins up for a short time and then stops. This would cause the system to stop but not crash to a blue screen. The system would stop just before the boot up would be finished.
However the drive totally failed before I could recover the data, mostly photographs.
It is now scrap metal.

 

[Ubrales]

What you need is an external enclosure for a 2.5" HDD. Here is the link for one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817707133

Others here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&N=100006519&isNodeId=1&Description=external+enclosure+2.5+sata

Pick one for 2.5" SATA hard disk - USB and eSATA.
After you get the external enclosure, assemble the old hard disk inside the enclosure, and save the files that you want. After that format it and use it as an external USB hard drive.

No damage will be done to your desktop computer.