PC nearly dead, need to copy data from the hard drive

mr_rush

My PC from my university days (bought in 1999) started playing up a couple of years ago - wouldn't start sometimes, crashed all the time etc.

I bought a laptop and then left the PC at the back of my wardrobe.

At the moment it only loads in safe mode.

There are some files on the hard drive that I'd really like to transfer to my laptop: music, some photos and my thesis

What's the best way of doing this?
The computer runs windows 98 and has a cd burner but as I can only get ti to load in safe mode, I can't use the cd burner to copy the data over.
I've had it looked at but a few techy friends who have failed to get it to restart in full Windows 98.

The only thing I can think of is somehow using the hard drive of the old computer as a 'slave drive' or similar with my new laptop (or can get friend's desktop) and then copy and paste the data over.

Any tips on how I can do this? What cables will I need? etc etc...

Your help is most appreciated. I know I should have backed up when the computer was running properly (and do with new laptop).

Little_John

I have one of these I just cnect the drive to one side and the other end is USB it makes any IDE device a USB drive. just open the old pc remove the drive and connect itto the thing I have posted and copy your stuff off.

Or if you have an external hard drive take it apart and connect your drive to it also does the same thing.

mr_rush

John, thanks for the link.
how do i know if its compatible with the hard drive sitting in my computer. remember it is 8 years old now!

espresso

mr_rush wrote: »

John, thanks for the link.
how do i know if its compatible with the hard drive sitting in my computer. remember it is 8 years old now!

It's a standard IDE interface.

mr_rush

It's a standard IDE interface.

what does that mean?!

espresso

Means that it's compatible!

Little_John

IDE has been around since the dawn of time and it is only the last 4ish years that an alternative has become available in SATA. there have been many performance variations in IDE but the fitting has remained the same just the speed changes. it works with every working drive I have tried I have even used some faulty drives and managed to get the data off.

vaio

Or you could reinstall 98 and get it working that way

mr_rush

thanks for the tips.
i think i'll go with the USB/IDE connection

bigtel_2

If you have an iPod you can put the things you want on the hard drive of it and transfer them over that way.

Little_John

The problem is that windows 98 doesnt support USB until the second edition was released and even then it was a bit hit and miss.

I remember telling someone that USB was not the way to go as there was little support for it, how wrong was I?