Hooking up laptop hdd to a desktop

[NosBoost300]

hey, i have a laptop that just died on me and i need to pull the information off of it....

is there any posibility of hooking up a laptop hdd to a desktop computer.. its the serial ata format, but its apparent it doesnt use the same interface connections.... so i need a little help on how to pull this information off... i can't hook it up to another laptop because of driver issues and whatnot..... and the one laptop i do have with 2 hdd's slots has a busted psu or something of the sort

 

[willsko87]

I don't know whether or not you can hook it up straight to a desktop, but I know that you can use a 2.5" HDD enclosure to plug it into the desktop as an external USB HDD. This will allow you to transfer the information.
Hopefully someone has another way that will allow you to do this without spending money.

 

[Lexluethar]

Correct, they don't use the same interface. You could do what the above poster mentioned, and get an external enclosure. My suggestion would be to purchase a kit that hase the interface you need. Most computer repair shops have them and generally speaking they are cheaper than external enclosures. Then you don't have to spend money on an enclosure that you won't use.

The kits come in a few different varieties, some have both SATA and IDE, laptop/desktop, etc.
Newegg.com - KINAMAX ADP-IDE23 Laptop 2.5" to Desktop 3.5" IDE Hard Drive Adapter Converter - Adapters & Gender Changers
Newegg.com - BYTECC BT-300 USB 2.0 to IDE/SATA Adapter - Adapters & Gender Changers

 

[CalcProgrammer1]

For IDE drives you can buy a pin adapter that lets you connect the smaller connector on the drive to the larger connector on the wire. The signal is exactly the same for IDE drives, so they'll work fine in desktops with an adapter (I had an IDE laptop drive that I had no use for so I used it in my desktop for a year before it died). As for SATA, they too use the same data format as desktop SATA drives, so you won't need a USB or other kind of external controller. You'll just need a special cable that lets you connect the different styled connector on the drive to the PC's SATA port. Look on Newegg and you should find what you're looking for.

 

[mikesgroovin]

2.5 USB enclosures aren't too expensive. And since you wont be using the drive in this laptop anymore, you could get a little case with the enclosure and use it as a portable drive full of drivers, games, portable apps... music, I don't know... the list goes on.

 

[KurrentEweser]

I have 8 enclosures filled with orphaned laptop drives. That's better than leaving them sitting in a drawer.

 

[CalcProgrammer1]

Last night I finally got my laptop SATA drive out and looked at it (it's going back to HP under warranty replacement, but I wanted to see what kind of connection it had).

Laptop SATA drives don't even need an adapter to connect to desktops. They have SATA data and SATA power connections on them. Just plug them in to your desktop and secure it to a drive bay and you've got another hard drive for your desktop.

 

[mikesgroovin]

SATA data

How is SATA Data different from PATA Data?

Other than the fact that "SATA Data" is just REALLY fun to say....

 

[CalcProgrammer1]

Serial ATA data meaning the SATA plug (as opposed to the SATA power plug), the one that carries the signal. Serial ATA and IDE (PATA) have totally different connections, though the data that goes through them, is, I guess, the same (SATA is faster though). My point is, you don't even need an adapter.

 

[mikesgroovin]

Serial ATA data meaning the SATA plug (as opposed to the SATA power plug), the one that carries the signal. Serial ATA and IDE (PATA) have totally different connections, though the data that goes through them, is, I guess, the same (SATA is faster though). My point is, you don't even need an adapter.

I was just being a jerk in the nicest way possible Clac, no need to explain yourself I think everyone here knows that you know what you are talking about. I suppose that I was just trying to help clear up the fact that you weren't trying to say that data on a SATA drive is somehow different than that of a PATA drive.

I had 2 Rockstars prior to my comment. Go figure...

Either way, SATA Data is still fun to say

(That rhymed too!!)