My friends grandmothers computer won’t turn on. She wants me to get photos and a few files off of it. Can I just take out the hard drive, put it in my working computer alongside my hard drive and transfer the stuff over to a disk?
I just did it anyway before anyone answered. It did in fact work.
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Favorite Answer
Transferring files between separate hard drives is much like transferring files to different locations on a single hard drive. Whether both hard drives are internal, both are external or you have one of each, the hard drives will always show up in the "Computer" folder. The default action in Windows for file transfers between hard drives is to make copies of the files, but if you choose, you can move the originals instead.
1
Connect an external hard drive to your computer (if that's what you want to use). If it has a USB connector, connect it to a USB port. If it has an eSATA connector, connect it to an eSATA port. Plug in its power connector to turn it on; your computer will recognize it automatically.
2
Open the "Computer" folder. It will usually be located on the desktop or in the Start screen/menu.
3
Right-click the hard drive icon containing the files you want to transfer and select "Open in New Window." Navigate to the folder containing the files and click and drag or press "Ctrl-A" to select them.
4
Click the "Computer" window and double-click the internal or external hard drive to which you'd like to transfer the files. Create a new folder or navigate to the folder where you want the files.
5
Click and drag the files you selected in step 3 into the folder. Press and hold the "Shift" key if you want to move the original files; don't press any key if you want to copy the files. Release the mouse button to transfer the files to the hard drive.
geek-in-training
Yes, you can IF the reason for the dead computer isn't that the hard drive is toast.
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I'd agree with Old Man Dirt, unless you're experienced with the innards of a computer I wouldn't try to install it internally. Get one of those cases, often called caddies, put granny's drive in it and connect it with the usb cable it comes with. It should be recognised by your machine and you should then scan it with whatever antivirus and antimalware programs you have. Then you can copy the files etc. she wants off it and put them onto a disk or whatever you plan to use.
Lambda
Yes you should be able to do this no problem. Make sure to power off your PC before trying to connect the disk. The files can be found in the user folders under C:\ . There you will find the Desktop, Downloads, Documents etc folders where the files will be located.
Old Man Dirt
First you had better know why that other computer is not working. Secondly make sure you have a system recovery method in mind and all the stuff you need.
There are cases made to convert an internal hard drive into an external drive. Invest in one of these. I suggest this because opening a case, setting jumpers and the like is very likely not something you have done and an external hard drive kit does away with the need. It should include a cable to connect to your PC.
Before transferring data- make sure the data is safe data! This includes pictures. I would suggest a scan of the entire hard drive is in order, provided some virus doesn't eat your system before you get this far.
Once you have insured the hard drive is safe to down load from, proceed.