Hard drive backup?

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06-20-2007, 03:11 PM
Natedogg

Hard drive backup?

My Sony VAIO laptop wont start up, so I am getting the warranty dept to look at it. However, I havent backed up my files since buying a digital SLR, so I have a crap load of photos on there that Id like to back up before mailing off my computer. They were pretty adamant about having everything with the computer, so it sounds like sending it without the HD is not an option. I pulled the drive to see if it would fit in my company's laptop (so I could attach an external HD to back up the files), but the pins are different. Any other way of backing up the HD without paying Circuit City or Best Buy $100 to do it? Any Boston mags have a VAIO laptop who wouldnt mind me swapping out HDs? :FIREdevil
06-20-2007, 03:27 PM
bio-smear

Buy a cheap 2.5" external USB/FW enclosure and mount it with another machine, then copy.
06-20-2007, 03:37 PM
tigerstripe40

Get one of theseHard Drive Adapters and you can put it in your desktop and copy files to your hearts content.
06-20-2007, 03:43 PM
advres

You can buy one of these . It is a USB2 mounted hard drive adapter so you can plug any hard drive into it and mount it to any computer that has USB2. You also may find it for less then $24.95 if you shop around.
06-20-2007, 04:22 PM
danhikeski

I have an enclosure for an IDE 2.5" drive that I bought for 15 bucks that doesn't work with the compaq hard drive that I bought it for, 10 bucks plus shipping and it's yours. PM sent
06-21-2007, 07:15 AM
Natedogg

Quote:

Originally Posted by bio-smear

Hard Drive Adapters

Quote:

Originally Posted by tigerstripe40

Hard Drive Adapters

Quote:

Originally Posted by advres

USB2 mounted hard drive adapter

Quote:

Originally Posted by danhikeski

10 bucks plus shipping and it's yours.

:yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock::yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock:
06-21-2007, 07:56 AM
Natedogg

Two questions:

1. If I cant get Dans in time, is this something I can get at BestBuy, Circuit City, CompUSA or something?

<edit> nevermind, found it: http://www.compusa.com/products/prod...ode%20matchall

2. In general, how would I do this? Do I just pull the cable from the desktop HD and plug it into the notebook HD, then start the computer? Or is it more complicated than that? Im a computer JONG, but I envision the computer starting up and running normally as my notebook system, since the operating system is on the HD.
06-21-2007, 08:34 AM
PearlJam09

Much more complicated.

What you have to do is attach the laptop HD as a slave to the desktop HD if you were to use the 44 pin female to 40pin male adapter. Your best bet is to get either a 2.5in HD enclosure or 2 adapters (The 44pin female to 40pin male and a 40pin male to USB adapter) thus making it so that you dont have to worry about slave vs master and you can plug directly into the desktop USB. Also, most laptop HDs have some sort of female-female plastic thing covering their pins, so you'll have to pull that off with some pliers to expose the pins (be careful not to bend them). Maybe a fellow mag from Boston could help you. Otherwise, I'll be in Ft. Devens and Leominster this weekend and could help you out if you're somewhere in that area. PM me where you live and maybe I can help ya out.
06-21-2007, 09:12 AM
Natedogg

Quote:

Originally Posted by PearlJam09

Much more complicated.

Right on. Figured it'd be harder than what my feeble brain could comprehend. :biggrin:

I like the USB idea... sounds a helluva lot easier. So Dan, ju gonna write me back, maing? I hope your thingamajob does the trick. Shit, if you think yours will work here, throw it in the mail today and Ill mail you a check.

Here's a pic of the pins (I assume these pin-looking things are the pins?). There are 12 sets of two, separated by a single pin, then 9 more sets of two, and then 2 sets of two surrounded by a metal enclosure (going from right to left in the pic)... which makes me utterly confused about 40 vs 44 pin adapters... :confused: <edit> when I re-insert the HD, the four pins in the metal enclosure thingy dont insert into anything (?)

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/2654/vaiohdnv9.jpg

Assman, I might take you up on that if Dan's doesnt work out--Devens isnt too far... :yourock:
06-21-2007, 09:47 AM
hemas

Quote:

Originally Posted by Natedogg

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/2654/vaiohdnv9.jpg

Assman, I might take you up on that if Dan's doesnt work out--Devens isnt too far... :yourock:

The visible 12-1-9 pins are the contact for the IDE-cable (ie. 44-pin cable), and the ones covered behind the housing are control-pins the set it as slave/master...

The easiest option would be to get a USB-housing (Dan's, or from your generic comp shop for ~20 bucks).

With the housing, it's really easy. Open the housing, connect the cable(s) the the HD and usually fasten the HD into the housing (screws or clips or something). Then just plug the included USB cable to your running desktop and then you can copy everything you need to the desktop...

Off course, all these efforts are moot, if it was the HD that explodet /corrupted.
06-21-2007, 10:13 AM
PearlJam09

Quote:

Originally Posted by hemas

The visible 12-1-9 pins are the contact for the IDE-cable (ie. 44-pin cable), and the ones covered behind the housing are control-pins the set it as slave/master...

The easiest option would be to get a USB-housing (Dan's, or from your generic comp shop for ~20 bucks).

With the housing, it's really easy. Open the housing, connect the cable(s) the the HD and usually fasten the HD into the housing (screws or clips or something). Then just plug the included USB cable to your running desktop and then you can copy everything you need to the desktop...

Off course, all these efforts are moot, if it was the HD that explodet /corrupted.

Exactly right. USB housing is easiest and the blank spot where there is no pin allows for you to properly position the female end based on the blank (empty) pin for proper drive reading and data transfer. I would bet that if you brought the drive into best buy and took it to the computer counter, bought an enclosure and slipped the guy a ten spot he'd put it in right quick for you. Its literally a 45 second install.
06-21-2007, 10:30 AM
RShea

That is a standard pin config on all 2.5 inch hard drives. Some notebook manufacturers stick an adapter on the end so it has a female plug on it and can slide into the the notebook without having to worry about the pins. This adapter usually is removable (and must be removed if you use the USB enclosures recommended). I'd suspect that is the only reason the drive did not fit in the other work notebook computer.

As others have stated if the drive can be read the cheapest is to do the enclosure and back it up yourself before shipping off. Otherwise, I have had times where the computer goes back and you clearly state that the drive is not backed up and you do not authorize them to reformat or reload anything! It has worked before with some companies, but there is a risk that they do not read that or ignore the instructions.
06-21-2007, 10:59 AM
Natedogg

Quote:

Originally Posted by hemas

The visible 12-1-9 pins are the contact for the IDE-cable (ie. 44-pin cable), and the ones covered behind the housing are control-pins the set it as slave/master...

Off course, all these efforts are moot, if it was the HD that explodet /corrupted.

Aha, I see. Good info, thanks.
Dont think it was the HD, so I *should* be set (fingers xed).

Quote:

Originally Posted by PearlJam09

I would bet that if you brought the drive into best buy and took it to the computer counter, bought an enclosure and slipped the guy a ten spot he'd put it in right quick for you. Its literally a 45 second install.

Right on. I may try that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RShea

This adapter usually is removable (and must be removed if you use the USB enclosures recommended). I'd suspect that is the only reason the drive did not fit in the other work notebook computer.

So if I wanted to do this NOW, could I pull apart the other laptop and pull this adapter thing off the pins and my HD would fit?? (would this be an easy swap-drives kind of thing??) Id kinda like to see if all my data is still there...

Great advice, as usual... thanks for all the replies.
06-21-2007, 11:03 AM
PearlJam09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Natedogg

Aha, I see. Good info, thanks.
Dont think it was the HD, so I *should* be set (fingers xed).

Right on. I may try that.

So if I wanted to do this NOW, could I pull apart the other laptop and pull this adapter thing off the pins and my HD would fit?? (would this be an easy swap-drives kind of thing??) Id kinda like to see if all my data is still there...

Great advice, as usual... thanks for all the replies.

It would be a bad idea to switch the hard drive into another laptop for 2 reasons. 1. If its configured differently, it most likely wont boot. and 2. You could damage the 2nd laptop. You're better off running out to get the drive enclosure and doing it right rather than potentially breaking something else.
06-21-2007, 11:59 AM
Natedogg

Quote:

Originally Posted by PearlJam09

It would be a bad idea to switch the hard drive

Understood. Thank you sir.
06-21-2007, 08:55 PM
dfinn

let me know if you get into a pinch and need some temporary storage. I have free space on my server, I could create you an account and you could upload your files there until you get the laptop back. Depending on how much data you're talking about this might not be the fastest option but it wouldn't cost anything.
06-22-2007, 07:42 AM
Natedogg

Thanks Dan, thats awesome. I *should* be good to go... I have an external HD and several computers at work I can use.

Dan (ie., Danhikeski; how many fucking Dans ARE there around here?!?!), did you get my PM? Unfortunately, the warranty dept sent a box for my computer, and I need to ship it before midweek next week--so thats why Im in a time crunch here. I bought a $50 enclosure at Best Buy (I know, wayyy too much), but havent opened it yet. I was not going to open it until I heard from you, in case you would sell me yours, but Im hot-to-trot on getting this drive backed up. So I guess if I dont hear back by the end of the day, Ill pass on your offer for the $10 enclosure. Thanks, though...
07-08-2007, 02:56 PM
Huck_Schmuck

Can someone tell me if I can do this to a G4 iBook hard drive? I fried the motherboard or something last year, replaces it with a MacBook but would love to get some of the stuff that I didn't back up before it died...

Sadly, I can't boot the machine as an external drive.

What do I need some sot of USB cradle?

I'm a computer jong. Thanks.
07-08-2007, 03:41 PM
advres

Quote:

Originally Posted by Huck_Schmuck

Can someone tell me if I can do this to a G4 iBook hard drive? I fried the motherboard or something last year, replaces it with a MacBook but would love to get some of the stuff that I didn't back up before it died...

Sadly, I can't boot the machine as an external drive.

What do I need some sot of USB cradle?

I'm a computer jong. Thanks.

What I posted originally will work...

Quote:

Originally Posted by advres

You can buy one of these . It is a USB2 mounted hard drive adapter so you can plug any hard drive into it and mount it to any computer that has USB2. You also may find it for less then $24.95 if you shop around.
07-09-2007, 02:25 AM
Huck_Schmuck

Thanks advres I'll check that out...