My desktop has died - wont boot into windows, following a power cut during the boot process. Probably time to replace as the basics of the machine are 7 years old, although had a new motherboard and cpu 4 years ago.

Anyway, jI took a backup to a USB drive about 4 weeks ago but don't have a back up of some photos and other bits and pieces since, which I would like to recover if possible. Is it possible to fit my old HD to a new machine - bearing in mind the old drive is IDE and is it is possible how do I set the jumpers?

Assuming the new machine uses sata drives, just leave the jumpers as they are and connect to the IDE socket. Disconnect any other drives, already on it for simplicity with slave or master settings (assuming this was the master drive in the old computer). Even new machines have at least 1 IDE socket, although if it is not in use you will need the ribbon cable from the old computer.

You should then be able to see the folders on the drive, but I have had issues with them being encrypted in the past when you try and look at them in another machine, if you had it set up that way in the old one. Indeed I have not been able to access anything in my own directory before and lost it after a similar situation.

Assuming the new machine uses sata drives, just leave the jumpers as they are and connect to the IDE socket. Disconnect any other drives, already on it for simplicity with slave or master settings (assuming this was the master drive in the old computer). Even new machines have at least 1 IDE socket, although if it is not in use you will need the ribbon cable from the old computer.

You should then be able to see the folders on the drive, but I have had issues with them being encrypted in the past when you try and look at them in another machine, if you had it set up that way in the old one. Indeed I have not been able to access anything in my own directory before and lost it after a similar situation.

Thanks. Yes the drive was the master drive in the old pc. I have success fully used the configeration in the past but not done it myself as the system builder did teh installation of teh slave drive. Hoping to buy an off the shelf machine this time and install teh slave my self.

Even new machines have at least 1 IDE socket

I'd be wary; that's not necessarily the case!

Some new motherboards don't have any IDE ports at all.

Just be careful when you're shopping around and check the specs of the motherboard

I'd be wary; that's not necessarily the case!

Some new motherboards don't have any IDE ports at all.

Just be careful when you're shopping around and check the specs of the motherboard

Or get one of these:

http://www.kikatek.com/product_info.php?products_id=108435&source=froogle

Or get one of these:

http://www.kikatek.com/product_info.php?products_id=108435&source=froogle

good find

I'd be wary; that's not necessarily the case!

Some new motherboards don't have any IDE ports at all.

Just be careful when you're shopping around and check the specs of the motherboard

Very true, had to lower myself to PC World at 7,55pm on friday night for a sata dvd drive as the new board didn't have ide

Or turn it into a portable drive

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/136250

Or turn it into a portable drive

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/136250

100% agree with this - stick it into a Caddy, and use it as a USB drive... did this with a few HDD's when i changed over to my iMac.

Al.

OK, inveted in a caddy, stuck in the drive from the old desktop and plugged in into the laptop. The laptop sees the old drive (in usb caddy) but will not read - "file or directory is corrupted or unreadable" error message.

Not the end of teh world if the drive is fubar as has another usb drive backup which is about a month old but if there is anything relatively simple that I can try I would appreciateideas!

Try doing an error check from within windows.Right click on the drive and look in properties

Try doing an error check from within windows.Right click on the drive and look in properties

tried that. error checker starts to run but then exits almost immediatly. :(

Try it in gparted then, failing that I'd try running a recovery program, are you trying to recover or just make the drive useable ?

sorry don't understand gparted!

Trying to recover data

Edited 26 March, 201115 yr by slider

Then you need something like this

http://www.recovermyfiles.com/

Then you need something like this

http://www.recovermyfiles.com/

Fantastic - recovered everything I needed

thries a couple of free downloads first with no joy then tried Recover My Files and got the lot back

well worth sitting in a darkened room on a lovely spring day

Result, good little program that, good for home use, powerful enough to find most peoples lost data.

Glad I could help, now format the drive and use as a spare !!

Result, good little program that, good for home use, powerful enough to find most peoples lost data.

Glad I could help, now format the drive and use as a spare !!

Thanks, but think i'll wait a week or two in case I need something that I have forgotten to recover. I have anothe USB back up drive in any case - just need to get my self back into the habit to taking weekly backups :S