"PATA 3.5 enclosure questions" Topic

First of all, I'm not a "techie", and all the terminology I use here is what I've learned so far, so here it goes…

I have this 9 year old hard drive (80.0 GB) that a friend of mine (who has since moved away) installed in an old Windows 98 I used back then, and I'm wanting to extract and save the files I have on it. My current computer, which runs on Windows Vista and is of a SATA configuration, is incompatible. I've been told that I would need an IDE/ADA/PATA 3.5 (laptop) external enclosure to encase it in to get the job done. I'm wondering if any TMPers here use or have used enclosures, and what are some problems or issues that I should be aware of when installing and using them?

I can tell everyone that, although they're out there, it's been a hassle to find one, as it's not an item that anyone can just purchase off the rack from their local Best Buy. Most of what I found are priced in the $25.00 USD to $35.00 USD range, but I found an eBay seller that offers them for $8.49 USD.

Most external hard drive enclosures are dead simple to use, plug the drive in and close it up. You're then set to go.

What you have alread discoverd is that getting the right one is vital as the standards have changed over the years, and its the connector to your drive that matters. . I got a £5.00 GBP case off amazon a couple of years ago and it was really good.

Make sure it has a power supply with it. 3.5 Drives will not run off USB connections. You might have to change the jumpers on the drive also. Was it your primary drive on the old 98 machine?

Micman, you've asked a question that I'm not very sure about. All I can say is that the 80.0 GB drive replaced an 8.0 GB drive (I think that's what it was) that originally came with the computer, and that I didn't run them both simultaneously.

If all you want are the userfiles off the old drive, (pics,data,music,vids etc.)\It would be easier to network the two machines and get them that way.

I always found the easiest way to connect an old drive is with a USB to IDE adapter like this link .
Will work with both 3.5" and 2.5" drives and includes a power supply.

Since you replaced the 8gig drive with the 80, then it should be set for master. So there should be no trouble putting it an external case.

If you want to use the drive for backup, then get a case. If it is a onetime copy then the adapter is fine.

Dale

Gentlemen, this is the very first time I've ever heard about the adapter! That's basically what I want to do – extract what I saved on my old hard drive onto my current one, and it appears that the adapter will be what I really need!

Thank you VERY much for your responses!