Reddit mentions of AGPtek SATA/PATA/IDE Drive to USB 2.0 Adapter Converter Cable for Hard Drive Disk HDD 2.5" 3.5" with External AC Power Adapter

Your MIL is a bitch, but you know that part.

On to the important part. Buy a new laptop. Then buy this: https://www.amazon.com/AGPtek-Drive-Adapter-Converter-External/dp/B00BIE996S/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1542401955&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=hard+drive+to+usb&dpPl=1&dpID=51ap6s9o3qL&ref=plSrch

These are amazing and super easy. Remove the old hard drive from the broken laptop. Plug it in. Pull all desired files onto new laptop. Lost files recovered. TADA!!!

That's just a standard IDE hard drive. something like this should work for you. It comes with the cables you would need, and you simply plug it into your computer like you would a flash drive, no software needed and it should show up as another storage device.

You're missing a master/slave jumper as well. Some drives won't operate correctly without it on.

Edit:

Here's the easiest way to deal with older drives people need stuff off of:
https://www.amazon.com/AGPtek-Drive-Adapter-Converter-External/dp/B00BIE996S/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1506453457&sr=1-3&keywords=ide+to+usb

I would:

1. get the new computer
   
   
2. take the old computer apart to check the "hard drive connection"
   
   
3. make sure that connection matches this thing (or something similar)
   
   
4. Buy that to just connect the old hard drive as an external drive and copy files over
   
   If you sent pictures of the old hard drive, I could likely verify it'd work before you spend the $14. A possible complication is that the new (Windows) computer may have NTFS protections and the new (Windows) computer may respect those, not allowing you to access the files. There are ways around that, like running a Live CD for Linux that disregards NTFS protections.

You can go cheap on the opening tools without being penalized.
Laptops and the like aren't cars - they don't require tons of force but you DO need the right bits and/or shims to get them open without stripping heads or damaging plastics.
Something similar to this which has a bunch of bits, magnetized pickup, and "guitar" style plastic pry tools should do fine.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073ZWY386/ref=twister_B07FMWPBKN

A portable multimeter is always useful, I like the ones that fold in on themselves so you can throw them in a bag.
https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Multimeter-Ranging-Pocket-Tester/dp/B06Y4RZY45

Get some Cat5e clips, put them in a ziploc, and throw them in your bag along with a crimping tool, needle nose pliers, and wire stripper. You will be surprised how often you need to re-crimp a cable or make a new one on-site.
Note - if you don't know how to make a cable, definitely practice that first!

Get an ethernet/phone continuity tester. You don't need a Fluke CableIQ (they're nice though!) but a basic continuity tester will let you (laboriously) trace any ethernet jacks that need tracing. And you can test those cables you just made or just fixed.
I have one basically identical to this and I've used it for over 10 years now I think. Money well spent.
https://www.amazon.com/Tonor-RJ45-Network-Cable-Tester/dp/B00OUFX38W

As mentioned before, something to read a drive(s).
Any multi sd-card reader will do but instead of a dock you may want something like this since it is more portable. Yet another thing I've had for over 5 years and used countless times.
https://www.amazon.com/AGPtek-Drive-Adapter-Converter-External/dp/B00BIE996S

Getting the data off to a new machine is simple so long as the disk isn't shot: https://www.amazon.com/AGPtek-Drive-Adapter-Converter-External/dp/B00BIE996S/

The Goodwill up off of Delta has a good computer parts store for a new supply if needed.

You can try a cheaper USB to SATA adaptor like this one instead of buying another $50 dock. I have a similar dock to yours and there have been drives I could not get it to work with. The adaptor I linked to has always worked flawlessly for me though.

this attached to the old hdd and the new pc's usb port, old hdd will show up as another drive on your new pc.

Pop out the hard drive, grab one of these guys: https://smile.amazon.com/AGPtek-Drive-Adapter-Converter-External/dp/B00BIE996S/

Then plug it into any computer you have around and it will show up as another drive.

You could try taking the drive out of it and hooking it up to one of these but some external drives have firmware that only works with the enclosure it came with.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BIE996S/

USB to IDE adapters/docks/enclosures exist. Search amazon or your favorite retailer and you'll find 100s of them.


here you go -


AGPtek SATA/PATA/IDE Drive to USB 2.0 Adapter Converter Cable for Hard Drive Disk HDD 2.5" 3.5" with External AC Power Adapter
by Mambate USA
Learn more: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BIE996S/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_m-BmDbDCBHR35

Honestly, I would check out something like the below and just plug it in when you need to rip something. Unless you need to use cd-based media frequently, the use cases for installing one of these drives permanently are disappearing and you can leave the front of your PC looking fresh.

https://www.amazon.com/AGPtek-Drive-Adapter-Converter-External/dp/B00BIE996S

Like the other commenter mentioned, a usb adapter is fantastic for these things. I kept something like https://www.amazon.com/AGPtek-Drive-Adapter-Converter-External/dp/B00BIE996S in my bag for a long time when I was frequently doing various recovery things; I don't really anymore but it's still come in handy at home for projects. It's super-cheap and covers basically any hard drive you're going to encounter in the wild. The power supply is a nice touch too.

You'll need a second Mac. Take out the harddrive, plug it into this converter and plug the converter into the second Mac. Then you should be able to back up the data. Always backup the data.

https://www.amazon.com/AGPtek-Drive-Adapter-Converter-External/dp/B00BIE996S/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=usb+to+sata&qid=1572453990&sr=8-7

https://smile.amazon.com/AGPtek-Drive-Adapter-Converter-External/dp/B00BIE996S/

This will work with a desktop optical drive for use on your laptop.

Something like this will do the job for a one-time data recovery. You can get fancier docks if it's something you do on a regular basis. There's even the option of getting an empty drive enclosure to make it into a permanent external drive (but desktop drives will require an external power supply so it's not really portable).

You will not need to buy another Windows license, as the one you have is tied to the BIOS of the laptop. But, it's a good idea to link it to a MS account just in case.

To clone the HDD to the SSD you can use Macrium Reflect which is free. It's a simple straight forward process. You will need a USB to SATA adapter, or an enclosure, to do this.

Cloning is fine and seems to be the route you want to take as you mention you do not want to re-install all your programs, settings, etc. The only drawback is it's not a fresh/clean install.

So it looks like an old laptop PATA connector.

Option 1: if your desktop motherboard has a connector and you have a ribbon cable for it, go ahead and hook it up directly.

Option 2: Get an adapter example and hook up the drive to a USB connector on a machine you want to review the data on.

Complication 1: while unlikely, if the drive is encrypted you may have some challenges accessing the data.

Complication 2: The drive may be degraded to the point where reading data is dicey.

Complication 3: Infection. Make sure your host system's anti virus is up-to-date, and run MalwareBytes in parallel prior to initial connection if you're feeling paranoid.

For extra credit, wipe the drive when you're done. It might have personal information that's still relevant and frankly it's good practice. Check sourceforge for a good wipe utility like DBAN.

I think you'll find that if you pop open the enclosure, it's just a regular old hard drive in here. Stick that bad boy in a desktop you have floating around somewhere and presto.

You also might need something like this if you don't have a desktop.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BIE996S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_lXGBzbSD84EHJ

A kit like this should work:https://www.amazon.com/AGPtek-Drive-Adapter-Converter-External/dp/B00BIE996S/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1539560101&sr=8-4&keywords=usb+hard+drive+adapter

You can remove the old IDE drive and connect to another computer with a USB adapter, like this:

https://www.amazon.com/AGPtek-Drive-Adapter-Converter-External/dp/B00BIE996S/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1543411607&sr=8-3&keywords=ide+to+sata+usb

I don't know for sure but your desktop probably has a 3.5 inch SATA drive. There are adapter kits which allow you to do both.

Something like this is sort of the swiss army knives to read any type drive. Don't have this product, just showing you what you are looking for.

https://www.amazon.com/AGPtek-Drive-Adapter-Converter-External/dp/B00BIE996S/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1550609721&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=ide+to+usb3+with+power&psc=1

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https://www.amazon.com/AGPtek-Drive-Adapter-Converter-External/dp/B00BIE996S/

You'll need a sata to usb adapter. Find one on Amazon and buy it. No formatting will be needed. For the future, ALWAYS backup your data.

https://www.amazon.com/AGPtek-Drive-Adapter-Converter-External/dp/B00BIE996S

I've got one similar to this:

https://www.amazon.com/AGPtek-Drive-Adapter-Converter-External/dp/B00BIE996S/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1485535450&sr=8-7&keywords=usb+sata+ide

Works well.

Buy this. It will let you hook that hard drive up via usb. It has miles power you can plug into a wall socket so you don't have to mess with your internal psu.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00BIE996S/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1511903393&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=ide+to+usb&dpPl=1&dpID=51ap6s9o3qL&ref=plSrch

Hi there! I'd like to start a different line of troubleshooting here. Firstly, IDE drives are very old, and old drives are very vulnerable to crashing. Your end-goals should be:

• Retrieve the data from the drive
  
• Buy a new SATA drive to replace it
  
• Additionally buy an external hard drive and start doing regular backups. This proofs you from future problems like this, and from random crashing, which can happen when you least expect it.
  
  So, for that first goal, if you are not successful in getting the drive to be recognized by your motherboard, I would suggest buying a USB-IDE adapter, like this: https://www.amazon.com/AGPtek-Drive-Adapter-Converter-External/dp/B00BIE996S/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1527291387&sr=1-6&keywords=usb+IDE+adapter&dpID=51ap6s9o3qL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
  
  This will let you get the data off that disk and onto modern hardware.

I would pull the drives out. Desktops are easy, laptops a little more challenging because sometimes they are under the keyboards. There is a cable that provides power and data to the larger desktop drives and power over the data cable to the laptop drives. You plug it into your working machine via USB and it mounts as drive D or E on your working machine and then you can copy everything off.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BIE996S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_vhzcBbE6PP9AN

I have no experience with those adapters, but you're looking for something like this, since they are PATA drives.

However, if I understand what that means, but I'm sure there is a problem when something like this everything-to-USB adapter.

Get one of these https://www.amazon.com/AGPtek-Drive-Adapter-Converter-External/dp/B00BIE996S/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1521585067&sr=8-5&keywords=ide+to+usb&dpID=51ap6s9o3qL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Plug it up, get your data off and throw it in a drawer somewhere. if you computer often... youll probably need it again someday.

I have some old hard drives, and I want to see what they have on them before I get rid of them. I don't know what connectors they use, and I'm hoping to find something for relatively cheap if possible. I don't think I have anything for them already. They are 2 Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 160 GB and 1 Western Digital Protege 20 GB. Any help is appreciated!


Here is a link to images of the HD's and their connections: http://imgur.com/a/voGHU

This item was suggested but I want to either confirm that this will work or get other suggestions. Thanks!

https://www.amazon.com/AGPtek-Drive-Adapter-Converter-External/dp/B00BIE996S/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1504967360&sr=1-3&keywords=usb+to+pata%2Fide

this should work with a PATA IDE HDD right?

You will want sata to USB with power for the 3.5in HDD.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BIE996S

I would go for one of these instead:

https://www.amazon.com/AGPtek-Drive-Adapter-Converter-External/dp/B00BIE996S/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_147_bs_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=RC1TW0ZABBSN9K1A1WG5

Granted it only does 2.5A, this should support ~46 LEDs at all white max brightness. IIRC the LNP is limited to 4.5A, which is a limit of the SATA plug. There might be other options too.

How about a usb adapter? Get one of these to normal 3.5 ide, https://www.amazon.com/Micro-SATA-Cables-Adapter-Converter/dp/B004CS4NRW

then a ide to usb adapter like this one https://www.amazon.com/AGPtek-Drive-Adapter-Converter-External/dp/B00BIE996S/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_147_bs_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=VQ9AS5K7ZGA4603QK6EN

This is what I have at home: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BIE996S/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B00BIE996S It lets me connect with IDE drives and pull the data off of them. It's not very expensive. An alternative, if you have an old hard drive enclosure sitting around, is to take it apart and put the old drive in the enclosure.

Rule 4.

On a sidenote, you need this: https://www.amazon.com/AGPtek-Drive-Adapter-Converter-External/dp/B00BIE996S/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1540892612&sr=8-6&keywords=ide+to+usb

I have powered many drives "outside" the case. They don't care if they are powered and the computer is not. This is akin to powering on an external drive, but not connecting it to usb. Using the power from something like this: https://www.amazon.com/AGPtek-Drive-Adapter-Converter-External/dp/B00BIE996S/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=sata+external+power&qid=1559323673&s=gateway&sr=8-3 is what you need.

Thanks! Am going to try this: https://www.amazon.com/AGPtek-Drive-Adapter-Converter-External/dp/B00BIE996S/

you could get something like this, I used a similar one in the past and it worked without a hitch. And it won't fry anything as long as you plug both in the same extension cord.

You can use a USB adapter: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BIE996S/

The small area between the data cable and power cable should be set as Cable Select mode (CS) with a jumper: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HMJ5QL9/

On Toshiba's website it's listed as a 2.5 IDE.
https://support.toshiba.com/support/staticContentDetail?contentId=638398&isFromTOCLink=false.


This should work
AGPtek SATA/PATA/IDE Drive to USB 2.0 Adapter Converter Cable for Hard Drive Disk HDD 2.5" 3.5" with External AC Power Adapter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BIE996S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_zvL2Bb4T6SAY1

Maybe this?

If you have another computer you can use a sata to USB adapter to plug the HDD into it and get the data off then wipe it and reinstall windows.

AGPtek SATA/PATA/IDE Drive to USB 2.0 Adapter Converter Cable for Hard Drive Disk HDD 2.5" 3.5", Compatible with USB 1.1/2.0/3.0, With External AC Power Adapter Included https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BIE996S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_2nrMBbDX0BYKJ

Buy this. https://www.amazon.com/AGPtek-Drive-Adapter-Converter-External/dp/B00BIE996S/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1522989853&sr=8-4&keywords=hard+drive+adapter

It'll allow you to move everything over. You're going to have to remove the hard drive from your old MacBook to do it, but that's really simple.

Typically three wires; common, +5V, and +12V. See the power supply that comes with this.

You could use two separate power supplies, and just plug them in separately. Or use a 12V supply and a buck converter to generate 5V from that.

I expect that the motor won't spin up without the electronics telling it to. The electronics can spin down the drive at the host's request, so it likely needs to be running to control the motor.

Thanks for the reply.
Do you think this one work?

If your storage drive is not installed as C: during the reinstall then it should work. You will need to reinstall Windows to a C: drive, then later physically attach your storage drive as D:. I just use a no-hassle USB external drive for this. You can also buy an adapter for about $30 to make your internal drive into a USB drive. Get an adapter that comes with a power supply. Like this, which is for SATA, PATA, and IDE all in one. This allows me to use the same data drive for many years with no fuss as I get new PCs. The USB support on desktop PCs will be here for quite a while I think.

Get the right one for your drive. 2.5" drives don't have to have an external power supply But I recommend it to reduce frustration. 3.5" drives do need an external power supply.

Unfortunately as @atomks86 said, you need some kind of adapter for it to be feasible as 3.5 drives need more power than 2.5

Update: something like this also works (https://www.amazon.com/AGPtek-Drive-Adapter-Converter-External/dp/B00BIE996S/ref=sr_1_14?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1519514169&sr=1-14&keywords=3.5+drive+adapter), but is far more uglier XD

https://www.amazon.com/AGPtek-Drive-Adapter-Converter-External/dp/B00BIE996S

This should let you copy files to the existing drive. If you need a slightly (laugh) more moden HDD to use the seagate st-225 works allegedly.