Question Need help with accessing an old HDD

[BrianThompson]

Hi everyone! I have a quick, very important question that I really need an answer to as quickly as possible. I'll try to be as straightforward as I can.

My old PC died after almost 8 years due to either the motherboard or the PSU failure. HDD is fine, but it's still in the old PC. I bought a new PC and I'd like to transfer some files from my old HDD to my new HDD. I'm not a tech genius or anything, but I know the basics and I'm learning. I don't have the knowledge to unplug the new HDD from my new PC and put in the old one and I think the risk of me messing something up is too great anyway, so I went digging for an alternative solution and I found one that says one is able to unplug the old HDD and plug it into the new PC via USB/SATA or IDE cable and then literally treat the HDD as an external Hard Drive where I could just copy and paste stuff from the old HDD to the new one???

If that's true, I need help with making that happen. My old HDD is a Toshiba P300 high performance hard drive (1 TB, 7200 rpm...). Based on my very limited research and understanding, I need some sort of a SATA or IDE to USB adapter cable and possibly even a power adapter that needs to be plugged into the HDD during this process? How do I know if my Toshiba P300 has a SATA port or an IDE port? Depending on one or the other, what do I need to buy in order to plug it into my new PC as an external Hard Drive? What power adapter? How do I know which one I need? Can anyone please tell me what I need to buy and do in order to plug my old HDD into the new PC so I could access my files? I'd appreciate it very much because it's super important.

 

[helpstar]

it's sata data and sata power
just google for a picture if you wanna have a look. ide is older than the P300 and is a much bigger connector.

usb to 3.5 SATA HDD adapter

personally i would just plug the old hdd into the new pc
eventually while doing this, you might need to switch the boot device in BIOS though

 

[Ralston18]

My recommendation is an independently powered external drive case that uses a USB port to connect to the host PC.

The HDD would be installed into the external case.

Generic example (not a product recommendation or endorsement):

USB HDD Enclosure.

You can find many similar products. Read the User Guide/Manual beforehand.

 

[BrianThompson]

it's sata data and sata power
just google for a picture if you wanna have a look. ide is older than the P300 and is a much bigger connector.

usb to 3.5 SATA HDD adapter

personally i would just plug the old hdd into the new pc
eventually while doing this, you might need to switch the boot device in BIOS though

Thanks for the info! So it's definitely SATA. So I just need to look for a 3.5 SATA HDD adapter then? I've done a quick search and there's a 2.5 inch as well which I'm guessing wouldn't work.

My recommendation is an independently powered external drive case that uses a USB port to connect to the host PC.

The HDD would be installed into the external case.

Generic example (not a product recommendation or endorsement):

USB HDD Enclosure.

You can find many similar products. Read the User Guide/Manual beforehand.

Thanks! So this independently powered external drive case would work similarly to how an external optical CD/DVD drive works when it comes to reading CDs and DVDs? Do I get everything I need with the Enclosure (like a power adapter and cables to plug?). Based on what helpstar said, I also need to make sure that the USB HDD Enclosure has the 3.5 inch SATA adapter, right?

 

[USAFRet]

Thanks for the info! So it's definitely SATA. So I just need to look for a 3.5 SATA HDD adapter then? I've done a quick search and there's a 2.5 inch as well which I'm guessing wouldn't work.

I have one similar to this:
ps://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-External-Docking-Station-EC-UBLB/dp/B075GJ3P3B

VERY useful for situations exactly like this.

 

[BrianThompson]

I have one similar to this:
ps://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-External-Docking-Station-EC-UBLB/dp/B075GJ3P3B

VERY useful for situations exactly like this.

That's similar to what Ralston18 recommended if I'm not mistaken. Thank you very much, guys! I'll get right on it!

 

[BrianThompson]

One question though. Is it a problem if my new PC operates on a Windows 11 and my old PC operated on Windows 10?

 

[USAFRet]

One question though. Is it a problem if my new PC operates on a Windows 11 and my old PC operated on Windows 10?

No.

The beauty of those type is that you power it up after the system is running on its own OS.
What is on the drive in the dock is irrelevant to the boot process.

 

[BrianThompson]

No.

The beauty of those type is that you power it up after the system is running on its own OS.
What is on the drive in the dock is irrelevant to the boot process.

Majestic! Looks like a plan! Thanks again, guys!

 

[Paperdoc]

USAFRet linked you to a Sabrent docking station that is ideal for doing just what you ask. You can plug into that your HDD and use it for what you need, then unplug the old drive and just store it. The dock can be used for several different drives, one at a time, easily interchangeable.

The alternative is an external ENCLOSURE. That is a closed box. You install the HDD in it and connect the finished device to your computer as a semi-permanent accessory device. You can turn it on when needed, and turn it off when not. Although typically you do not change the HDD installed inside the box, that can be done. Many people use these as a backup storage device you can disconnect and store separately, or as a way to transport a HDD from one place to another. One unit of this type is here

https://www.amazon.com/ORICO-Aluminum-Enclosure-Compatible-DD35-C3/dp/B0CYC2ZTZV/ref=sr_1_29_sspa?crid=14TL87YADDCPV&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Q7yo9c0HBPpJeimsnDHABkYIrSS8bKthwl0NjRlnB6Wiu3a6LnqWNM3kBEFSGRzCSHYaU20HvROEmjgpx6K2TAGebZVHuMOWM2RhAktZFDFLI7aTqLSC9Ou_XYfE9h5QfPX2H1H3nArV7J0WgrNHNIybdT_p3MBIQo8ta3EFP4U.MmTqJcbMNzMC3KojB1egA0OlCMp3GEEzbjlGVrOqAh4&dib_tag=se&keywords=3.5+inch+sata+usb+3+hdd+hard+drive+disk+external+enclosure+case+box&qid=1725989505&sprefix=usb+3+external+enclosure,aps,89&sr=8-29-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9idGY&psc=1#customerReviews

It has an aluminum case to help drive cooling and can work with USB3.2 ports of any version up to Gen2 (10 Gb/s), with port sockets either Type A or Type C.

NOTE this. Whether you get a dock or an enclosure, you MUST get one with an included power supply, and you must use that. Some devices (such as SSD's) can be used with ONLY a data cable connection to a USB3 port. MANY docks and enclosures are sold without any added power supply for low-power devices. BUT a HDD commonly used in a desktop machine needs much more power than a standard USB3 port can supply, so it won't work that way. You will note that the dock linked by USAFRet and the enclosure example I linked both include a power supply module to ensure the HDD inside WILL have enough power to operate properly.

Just a hint regarding USB ports. Either of those devices can be used with any USB ports for the data connection. They will work with USB2, but that port type is slower. They both will work with USB3.2 Gen1 (sometimes called USB3, or USB3.0) ports that are ten times faster. than the older USB2 ports. The enclosure I linked also can work even faster with a USB3.2 Gen2 port, BUT the HDD you have will not go that fast, so that feature is not required for your needs.

Oh, another piece of info. Most certainly you CAN simply copy any data files you have from the old drive to a new one on your new system, then access and use them fully. But you cannot simply COPY any application software and expect to use it. To be used on your new system , an APPLICATION needs to be properly installed on that system.