Using HDD as backup

ste1234

Hello, My desktop has died and I have taken the HDD out of it before disposal. No files worth saving but thought it may be possible to use the drive for extra storage. How would I connect/use this with a new computer?

The specs are (reading off the drive) WD800JD
Sata interface
80GB capacity
RPM 7200

Many thanks for any suggestions.

S0litaire

You can pick up an external USB caddy for a few £ on amazon or Ebay.
you might need one with an external power pack to power the drive.

Something like this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/HDE-Inch-SATA-Drive-Enclosure/dp/B009CXPZVK/

ste1234

Thanks for the reply. That looks ideal. I assume no software is needed.. like writing to a standard drive.

S0litaire

no extra software required!
just stick the drive into the caddy, power it up and plug into the PC.
After a few seconds and windows will find this as an external drive and let you access it as normal

ste1234

Thanks for your help SOlitaire.

searchlight123

out of interest, how do you know if you will need a 'powered' caddy or can just use a usb powered one?
many thanks.

Avoriaz

tonygold wrote: »

out of interest, how do you know if you will need a 'powered' caddy or can just use a usb powered one?
many thanks.

As a general rule:

3.5 inch drives will usually need a separate power supply. They normally require 12 volts and quite a few amps.

2.5 inch drives can usually be powered via USB as they usually only require 5 volts and lowish amps.

As in everything there may be exceptions. The label on the disk should state the power requirements.

Avoriaz

ste1234 wrote: »

Hello, My desktop has died and I have taken the HDD out of it before disposal. No files worth saving but thought it may be possible to use the drive for extra storage...

A small word of caution.

That disk may be getting old and may fail sooner rather than later. It could of course last for many more years.

It makes sense to use it for extra storage while it is still working but make sure that everything on it is properly backed up in case of a failure.

You should be backing everything up anyway.

I apologise if I am teaching granny to suck eggs.

kwmlondon

For the sake of 80GB I'd not even bother. A 1000GB external HD is about £50, a 64GB USB key about £20 or so. If you bought a caddy (and you may need an older type as the drive is probably IDE not SATA - see, it's getting complicated already) then you'll be shelling that much out already. And as someone pointed out, your drive could be about to fail anyway...

S0litaire

It all depends on how hard the drive was being used!

I've got a couple of drives over 10 years old that I still use from time to time, with no creeping bad sectors or loss in capacity.

As it is a SATA then it's probably still fine to use unless it was the cause of the system failure that is... ^_~

Their are drive testing tools you can use to check the drive for any errors, if it comes up with any then wipe and dump the drive, otherwise, it's a usable storage for backups!

*NOTE*
both these utilities below CAN wipe the drive if you are not careful. So If you decide to try these then make sure their is nothing on the drive you need!
*NOTE*

WD diagnostic program for Windows:
http://support.wd.com/product/download.asp?groupid=603&sid=3&lang=en

Other disk checking software:
http://crystalmark.info/software/CrystalDiskInfo/index-e.html

benjus

kwmlondon wrote: »

you may need an older type as the drive is probably IDE not SATA

SATA has been around for quite a while now - I wouldn't be surprised if an 80GB drive were SATA.

I do agree that it's probably not worth it for 80GB though...