Noob question on receiving memory from an OLD and broken computer

So, I have finally found my OLD desktop (has not been working/used since around 2006 or so) that contains so many files/videos/pictures that would be nostalgic galore - if I could receive any of this data back, I would be happy beyond words, ha.

Well, the situation is...the desktop (old sony desktop, I'll have to find the details on the exact model) just randomly stopped working (blue screen problem or something, been so long ago) and I just said oh well and bought a new laptop. I always had planned on having it fixed for the data on it, but it went missing in storage until today! I do know that it's not working (my brother is where it's at and it's obviously not working and is extremely dusty), and I'm not really looking into fixing the whole computer system for a lot of money considering how old it is...but is there a way I could take it somewhere to have all of the memory (lack of better tech term) taken off of it and somehow have it again?

Now, I know this is a noob question and I'm sue in most cases you can easily do that - but it has been SO long since it's been used and I just don't know if it would even be possible. Is there a simple solution to this or will it most likely depend on the condition of the computer it'self?

I would like to hear good news, but whatever you can offer advice wise - it would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you for your time.

 

Please post the exact model number, before you buy this enclosure. If you want to get you data off the old machine a low cost solution would be to purchase one of these : Amazon.com: Vantec NexStar CX NST-300S2-BK 3.5-Inch SATA to USB 2.0 External Hard Drive Enclosure (Black): Electronics
Then remove the hard drive from the Sony desktop. put it in the enclosure and hook it up to the new laptop via USB cable. Note if the hard drive is dead this will obviously not work...
At that point you could send the failing drive to a Data Recovery service but that is normally expensive.
Good luck

 

Thanks very much for your quick response! I'm going to give it a shot, but do you think it would be best to just take it to a computer repair shop (I'm a complete noob).) Also, how expensive are we talking for the Data Recovery service?

 

I'll agree with JOSEA.. Make sure the enclosure you buy is compatible with your Hard Drive. What is your hard drive anyway? SATA or IDE?

 

Removing the hard drive from a desktop and installing it into an external enclosure is extremely simple as long as you know what part is the hard drive. As an alternative to the enclosure that JOSEA recommended, you could get something like this: Amazon.com: Connectland USB 2.0 External Enclosure for 3.5-Inch SATA/IDE Hard Drive CL-ENC35008: Computers & Accessories - SATA and IDE are both standards for connecting hard drives to the system, and this enclosure would provide a safe option that would work with either one - a desktop computer from before 2006 could potentially have either one I believe, though I would bet on IDE.

Once it's plugged into the enclosure and the enclosure is connected via USB to your laptop, the drive should function as an external hard drive and show up in your "My Computer" location. Note that you should ignore any messages you may or may not get regarding formatting the drive, since that would erase the information that's on the drive. If the drive shows up as an external drive and you can find your information, you're golden. If not, try using a program like Recuva to see if you can get any information off the drive.

If none of that works, then your final option would be to try a recovery service, but it's expensive. Most data recovery services don't publish prices, and that's because most people would opt to lose the data rather than pay them. The last time I saw prices advertised was over a decade ago and they were something like $10/MB. It's probably way less than that now, but throwing out a totally random guess, I would say $100 would be the absolute baseline for the service, and possibly much more.

In all likelihood, your desktop's failure was not due to a failure of the hard drive itself, so the first option - putting the drive into an external enclosure and connecting it to your USB port - will give you access to all of the files that are stored on the drive. Once again, it's a very simple procedure. You would simply need to remove a few screws and a couple cables, and even if you've got clumsy robot hands you're not going to break anything important in a scrapped desktop, so I wouldn't recommend taking it to a shop unless they're willing to help you put information onto your own storage drive for a price that's comparable to what you would spend on the external hard drive enclosure.

 

Another option you could consider would be an external hard drive dock, like this one: Amazon.com: Rosewill RX-DU101 Plastic 2.5-Inch & 3.5-Inch USB 2.0 Docking Station, Black: Computers & Accessories. You can plug in your desktop hard drive just like you would with a SNES or N64 game, just note that this is for SATA drives only. You'd need something else if it's an IDE drive, which is likely considering the age of the computer.

Going to a computer shop for data recovery will cost you about $100 at least, as Fat Dragon said. I usually charge ~$50 or so when I do it for people, but in reality it basically costs nothing to do (ignoring enclosure/dock cost, and assuming the drive isn't broken, which is likely the case). I don't even know what it is for the rip-off shop that is GeekSquad... Regardless of the shop you go to, you'd have to worry about what's on the drive; it's very easy to make a copy of your photos, passwords, whatever's on the drive that you want to keep for yourself. Hence why doing it yourself is a very, very good idea.

 

An actual HDD 'recovery' is in the range of $3K or more (and that was for a 'mere' 10GB of data).

Taking it to a computer shop is not recommended (they'll be pushing towards that $3K range or higher if they can...).

Buy an external enclosure (this is the best recommendation: afterwards the drive can still be used as a backup).

Being a 'noob' is not a problem - but staying one is.

Use this as a learning experience (and this is as basic as it gets).

Just remember to:

Remove all power.
Ground yourself when handling the drive.
Do not handle the drive from the flat areas (use the side edges only).
Do not touch the connectors with your (oily) fingers.
Do not go near powerful speakers (or other magnetic sources) with the HDD.
Allow the drive to reach room temperature before trying to power it on.


You don't need the old system running to get the data off - (this is assuming the 'data' is in current readable form of course: jpeg's, doc or docx formats etc.) all you need is the component (the hard disk drive or HDD) which stores all the data.

Hope this helps!

Good luck.

 

I'd imagine that if the old computer with the drive is in his house, it'd already be at room temperature

 

Actually, going by my 2005 Gateway desktop, there is a good chance the HDD is SATA while the optical would be IDE. That is something I've seen on a few computers from that era. I've also seen some sporting IDE HDDs too though.

 

OP's quoted:

Not necessarily true.

I have had clients calling me and ask what is wrong with their notebooks (after they have been left in the car for 10 hours at minus 30 Celsius). Lol...


Easier to mention it than assume, right?

 

My 2005 eMachines has an IDE. So probably either-or.

 

forget enclosures. just get an USB to SATA/IDE cable. if you can't recover or the drive isn't recognized then run a non destructive data recovery software.

 

Doesn't an external 3.5" drive need a power source? That's why they're such a pain - unlike 2.5" drives, you can't run external 3.5" drives off USB alone.

 

You have kits that include the adapter as well as the USB to whatever interface cable.

 

Ah, yes, I see some as low as $10 on Amazon. The kits come with more cables and parts than an enclosure would, which would make it a bit more daunting for a complete newbie, but they would probably function just as well as an enclosure, though an enclosure is better if the drive is going to be used as external storage.

 

I have a cable kit that does IDE and SATA which is pretty useful to bring along when you go to troubleshoot at someone's place or for simply getting data off a drive before trashing it. My enclosures are for more permanent solutions.