You've institute an one-time hard bulldoze from another computer and desperately want to know what's on it. It tin can exist fun to take a trip downward memory lane and find erstwhile information that you've completely forgotten about, but getting old drives to piece of work with new Windows 10 computers tin can be catchy.

In this article y'all'll learn how to access files on an erstwhile hard drive with your Windows x PC.

What Type of Bulldoze Is It?

Before you do anything, you need to identify the type of hard drive to which yous take admission. Odds are the bulldoze volition exist 1 of ii types. Older drives might use the IDE (Integrated Bulldoze Electronics) PATA (Parallel AT Attachment) standard with a connector that looks similar this:

More modern drives are likely to take a SATA (Serial AT Attachment) connector like this:

Depending on the type of computer you take, y'all may need both data and power cable converters for these drive types and so that yous computer can talk to them.

You may as well have either a three.5" or 2.5" drive. The smaller two.5" drives don't require special connectors if they are SATA, only if you have a 2.5" PATA drive you demand the correct adapter, since the pinout for these drives are different to the desktop versions.

These laptop 2.5" PATA drives use a special 44-pivot connector that's physically smaller than the desktop version, so keep that in mind when looking for hardware to connect it to your system.

Connect the Drive Internally

If you have a desktop estimator, the most straightforward mode to access files on an old hard drive with your new Windows 10 computer is to install information technology as an additional drive. Y'all don't need to do this permanently, merely slide off the side panel of your desktop machine and connect it using any free power and data cables available. Just install the drive while your computer is off!

If you have a computer without any IDE PATA connectors for such a bulldoze, you'll need to purchase a PATA to SATA converter. Likewise, proceed in mind that IDE PATA drives have a jumper system on the dorsum, where yous must physically motility a jumper to choose one of these 3 options:

  • Master: where the drive is connected to the terminal PATA connector on the cable.
  • Slave: where the bulldoze is connected to the secondary connector in the middle of the ribbon cablevision.
  • Cable Select: where the drive tries to figure out which connector it'due south on automatically.

If you're using an adapter to SATA, usually either Main or Cable Select volition work simply fine.

If yous're using a laptop, we don't recommend installing the drive internally (assuming you take a uniform bay) unless you lot actually want to use it permanently. It's far too much hassle to open a laptop to install a drive you'll only use temporarily. Instead, yous should consider an external connection selection.

Connect the Drive With an External Adapter

Whether you take a desktop or laptop computer, using an external adapter is the easiest way to connect an old drive to your new Windows 10 figurer. The most mutual type converts the bulldoze connection to a USB connection, providing both data and ability in one user-friendly parcel.

There are two types of external USB drive connector. One is a total enclosure, converting an internal bulldoze to an external bulldoze for long-term apply. The other type of connector strips away the enclosure entirely, leaving only a cablevision and connector. This is perfect if you lot have multiple drives to check or just want to temporarily access a drive to transfer information.

If the Drive Doesn't Show

If yous're trying to access files on an one-time hard drive and the drive doesn't show up as expected, there are a few basic troubleshooting steps yous tin can take to resolve the outcome:

  • Is the jumper set correctly on IDE PATA drives?
  • Bank check that the data and power cables are correctly seated and undamaged.
  • Does the drive spin up or make any dissonance at all?

Sometimes external USB drives don't show upward simply considering of drive letter conflicts or other rather basic reasons. Our article External Difficult Drive Not Showing Up in Windows or OS X has a few tricks you lot can try.

Taking Ownership of Files

In one case you have the drive connected to your calculator correctly, it volition appear on your organisation just like any other bulldoze. As long as it'south in a format that Windows can understand, yous should see all the files and folders stored in the drive.

However, you might run into an consequence where Windows tells you that you don't take permission to access the files and folders on the drive. The solution might be as simple as granting administrator access if requested, only in some cases y'all demand to have ownership of the files. This is a security characteristic of Windows that prevents i user from accessing or messing with files that belong to another user.

Don't worry, you don't need elite hacker skills to crack this detail lock. It takes but a few moments to change the possessor of a file or folder. Head over to How to Modify Ownership of a File or Folder in Windows and you'll have admission to those files in no fourth dimension.

Signs the Old Bulldoze Isn't Working Properly

When left in storage for a long time or if information technology's been run for an extended amount of fourth dimension, a mechanical difficult bulldoze can develop faults. If the bulldoze seems to exist live, just takes an impossibly long time to transfer data, or makes a loud clicking noise, that could exist a sign that it's on it's way to the hard drive afterlife.

If your hard drive contains vitally of import information, you might want to invest some money in professional person data recovery. Alternatively, How To Excerpt Files From a Dead Hard Drive has some ideas of how to become data from a dead hard drive.

Remember to Bank check Your Boot Order

If the drive you've extracted from the quondam machine happens to exist a system bulldoze, it tin happen that the new figurer tries to boot from the old disk! That obviously is not going to work very well, so if that happens you should change the kicking order to ensure you boot from the correct disk.

This is mostly a problem for internal deejay installations. If you're using USB just await until y'all're booted into Windows earlier connecting the drive.

Dispose of Drives Properly

In one case you lot've rescued the data from the old drive, are y'all still going to use it? Some onetime drives can still do duty as a repurposed external drive or secondary internal drive. Nevertheless, nearly are going to be obsolete or too old to exist trusted. Which means you'll probably desire to throw it away.

All the same, before you exercise that, be sure to read Wiping a Hard Drive in iv Easy Steps equally well as 5 Tools That Can Permanently Destroy Your Data For Every Major OS. To ensure that you don't accidentally leave private information out in that location for anyone to find.

Also, don't just chuck your drive in the trash. Do a quick spider web search for your nearest e-waste facility and take them there instead.