Laptop HD Swap

[leonardmp92]

Hello,

I have another post now about fixing a HD problem on my laptop (basically the OS doesnt start so I'm trying to pull all the data off it via SATA to USD).

My question: Would it be possible to install another 2.5" SATA HD in this laptop to try to see if the mobo is OK? Broken HD OS = Win7, replacement HD OS = Vista.

Thoughts?

Thank you.

 

[Baez]

Normally, if the motherboard has a problem it wouldn't get as far as recognizing the hard drive. You can try using the second hard drive but if the Vista drive is from an entirely different laptop it won't boot.

 

[leonardmp92]

Can you recommend any good data recovery freeware tools?

 

[Baez]

For repairing a hard drive, Seatools is the best freeware around. SpinRite 6 is the best paid. It can recover data from almost any drive as long as it isn't mechanically failing.

For recovering deleted or missing files, Recuva is your best option.

 

[leonardmp92]

Thank you. Will try Seatools, but not sure if it will work if I cant even access the HD via a SATA to USB cable.

 

[leonardmp92]

Seatools is just hung up, been saying "scanning for supported drive" for about 15 mins

 

[Baez]

What make and model of drive are you trying to scan? I've used it to repair WD, Seagate, Hitachi and others. Is the drive recognizable by the BIOS?

 

[leonardmp92]

It's a Seagate 2.5" 250GB. I'm just using a SATA to USB, not sure if I could even see it in the BIOS, could I?

 

[MindoverMaster]

Any USB device would be seen in BIOS. I think the only place it is stated is in Boot Order.

 

[Baez]

You won't be able to do hard drive repairs through USB. Most of the tools need direct hardware control completely bypassing the BIOS. The only way to do this is to connect it directly using SATA or IDE. That's very likely the reason it was hanging. Sorry I should have noticed you said you were using a conversion.