Travel Technology - Question regarding data on laptop that died...

Hey Folks,

I would search but unfortunately I'm anything but tech saavy so wouldn't know what to search, and something tells me "broke" wouldn't get me very far.;)

So over time the screen on my laptop was dying, and eventually it just didn't work anymore. I went to Geek Squad and they couldn't get it to work again, so I got a new laptop. They tried to hook a different monitor up to the computer but couldn't get a display. My computer powers up but nothing comes up on the screen.

Is there any way to recover data from my "dead" computer by hooking it up to the new one, or any other means? If so, what do I need?

Thanks in advance!:)

If the hard drive is not damaged, you can take the hard drive out of your old computer and transfer the data to your new hard drive. Is your new computer the same as your old one (i.e. pc/pc or mac/mac)?

Thanks, yep, they are the same. How exactly would I go about doing it?

Happened to mrs. gleff's laptop.

Took it into work, tech guys suggested buying a compatible laptop and just swapping the hard drives. But mrs. gleff stores tons of music and photos etc. and it seemed advisable to get a bigger hard drive, so...

My tech folks pulled the hard drive out of the old laptop for me and lent me a usb drive that I could plug the old hard drive into and connect it to her new computer.

Basically they turned the old hard drive into a plug and play external drive, and I copied the files over pretty quickly onto the new machine.

Happy to do this for you if you're swing through IAD again, or to ask the tech folks what the drive is called. But I imagine that folks here will know.

You can remove the Hard Disk from the old notebook and put it in an external USB enclosure.

Usually there is a separate cover on the underside of the notebook over the hard drive so it is pretty easy to remove. There may be detailed instructions for you specific model at:http://repair4laptop.org/notebook.html

Your old notebook probably has an IDE drive depending on how old it is. Once you remove it you can google its part number to make sure. If it is a SATA drive, then you need an enclosure for a SATA drive.

Here is an example of an external IDE enclosure. I have no financial interest in this company or preference for this particular item, its for reference:
http://www.xpcgear.com/ue201.html

Once you put the old Hard Drive in the external enclosure, you just plug it in to a usb port and it will show up as a new drive.

It depends on the computer and hard drive, but, if you are friendly with your work IT people, they could advise you. You could also go to bestbuy and speak with them. It's not difficult to do, but you need to be careful when taking out the hard drive. If your hard drive is removable, it makes it much easier.

Pull the hard drive, stick it in an external case and plug it in.

This isn't that hard to do but you do need to handle the drive with a bit of care--computer electronics are very vulnerable to static electricity. Zap it and getting the data off would be a job for the pros and they don't come cheap.

If you decide to do it yourself the drive is a package about like a thin pack of cards. It will be held in place with a few screws and it will be plugged in on one of the smallest faces. Do not attempt to dismantle the drive itself!

Pull the hard drive, stick it in an external case and plug it in...You don't even need an external case, just a USB to SATA/IDE connector cable. I do this all the time for hard drives that I want to temporarily connect to a system. Something like http://reviews.cnet.com/i-o-cards/cables-to-go-usb/4505-3019_7-32553893.html
for $20. But handling naked HD is not for the novice, though it is quite easy if you are careful about g-force and static electricity. Alternatively any computer repair shop will do this for you (charging from $50 to $200, depending on the shop).

They tried to hook a different monitor up to the computer but couldn't get a display. My computer powers up but nothing comes up on the screen.

I assume they tried to turn on the external monitor? Fn-F7 on my IBM X60.

When you turn it on, does the hdd light flash like it's booting at all?

As for the data, I would buy a cheap USB to IDE case they are ~$7AU (SATA abit more) as you will most likely want to keep the drive in an external case if it's still working.

External drives are always good for doing backups of photos or h/drives. Most newer laptops come with backup software. For example, my IBM has Rescue and Recovery, it made my external 160GB drive bootable, and every Sunday night the notebook will do a backup to this drive.

If my laptop dies, I can boot off the USB drive and restore my laptop to the last backup state in about 60 mins. Good for when you are on the road!

You don't even need an external case, just a USB to SATA/IDE connector cable. I do this all the time for hard drives that I want to temporarily connect to a system. Something like http://reviews.cnet.com/i-o-cards/cables-to-go-usb/4505-3019_7-32553893.html
for $20. But handling naked HD is not for the novice, though it is quite easy if you are careful about g-force and static electricity. Alternatively any computer repair shop will do this for you (charging from $50 to $200, depending on the shop).

I've done the same thing before, it's just not what I would recommend for a novice.

I use a Newer Technology USB 2.0 universal drive adaptor. It works on any hard drive or optical drive and is Mac, Windows, and Linux compatible. The kit contains all the gadgets, wires, and power supply. I paid $24.99. You can view the specs at newertech.com

Thanks for all the help and sorry for not responding earlier. I finally had time to look into this, so went to Circuit City today and spoke to one of the Firedog people. They said that what I can do depends on whether my computer is an ATA or IDI (I know that's wrong, but something like that), which flew right over my head. He showed me the external units which were available for $39 and $69, I forgot which was for which. He said they otherwise offer the service for $100, and there's no need to buy anything. Either way I'm bringing in my computers tonight so they can tell me whether it's an ATA or the other thing, but I'm not sure if I should just let them do it or buy it myself and do it. As you can see, I'm pretty computer illiterate.:o

Again, thanks for all the help and I welcome thoughts!:)^