W-A-Y Off Topic - Hard Drive Imaging??

[shawnc]

I have a question for the more technically inclined folks out there. We recently had a severe thunderstorm in Pgh that fried my PC. The insurance company has agreed to spring for a new one (yeah for me :D ). I am hoping that my hard drive is salvagable as I have considerable unbacked-up (yeah, yeah, I know :evil: ) data on it. CompUSA is going to do a process called "imaging" my hard drive onto a 30G internal drive. According to the specs on the new Dell I'm getting it has 3 internal 3.5-inch storage bays for additional hard drive storage devices.

My question is whether installing this internal drive from CompUSA is difficult for a "non-techie".

My other options are to purchase a kit from CompUSA for an additional $50 that will allow me to convert the internal drive to an external drive, or to pay an additional $30 to have them "image" my drive onto my new PC. The problem with the latter option is then I have to lug the new tower to the store and who knows how long they will have it. Plus, I just don't know that I'm comfortable with the CompUSA personnel playing around with the insides of my new PC. By the way, their charge for imaging my old drive is $99, and that includes the price of the 30G internal drive. That seemed reasonable to me, but I don't really have a frame of reference for this type of thing.

Any thoughts/advice is greatly appreciated.

[Pat Logsdon]

My question is whether installing this internal drive from CompUSA is difficult for a "non-techie".
Nope. Installing a hard drive is easy. It'll need to be screwed into one of the three available slots in your new Dell. It screws into two vertical rails inside the machine using 4 screws. Then you just need to run a cable from the HDD to the motherboard, and plug it into the power supply.

It should only take about 5 minutes.

If you've got more than one hard drive you want to use in the machine, you'll have to mess with some jumper settings to make one the "master" and the other the "slave", but I'm pretty sure all hard drives have jumper instructions on a sticker attached to the drive. So even that'll be easy. 8)

Good luck!

[Steven Cedrone]

Agreed...

It should only take you a few minutes. Take the drive out of your existing computer (keep the screws and the "ribbon" cable), put it into the new PC useing the screws and the cable. Now if you really want to put the image of your first machine on the second, you will need software to do that. If you just want to get at the data, this is the way to go...

If you have any problems, you can always post here (assuming you have access to another computer)

Steve

[Janak Parekh]

I'll provide a slight counterpoint. If you are nervous working with a little bit of electronics or equipment, then I don't recommend you do it. I've seen disasters when people tried to "fix" their computers and had no idea how a computer worked.

But if you've opened your PC before, or the idea doesn't daunt you, it's not really hard. You can certainly pop off the cover and make an evaluation then if you feel comfortable doing it. And, of course, feel free to ask here for help. I've worked with thousands of PCs in my lifetime, so I've seen nearly everything in the book. 8O

--janak

[shawnc]

Thanx to all 3 for the responses. Surgical Snack, your response was timely and on-the-mark.

Steve, maybe I wasn't clear but C/USA is doing the imaging and providing a new hard drive. I simply have to install it into my new PC. The message I got from your reply is that you thought I was removing the old HD from my old PC. Either way, I appreciate the interest. BTW, where is Harleysville? I'm in Camp Hill frequently on business. Is it near there?

Yanak, I'm usually pretty handy when it comes to electrical components, but for some reason, I have never been inside a PC. Not that I'm nervous about it, just never really had a reason to. But based on these responses, I think I'm going to give it a try. I don't know about anyone else's experience with C/USA, but the personnel in the store I shop doesn't inspire the kind of confidence that would allow me to be comfortable with them inside my new PC.

Again, thanx to all for the interest.

[Kati Compton]

Yanak, I'm usually pretty handy when it comes to electrical components
Janak - I think it's time to give a pronunciation guide to your name... ;)

[Janak Parekh]

Yanak, I'm usually pretty handy when it comes to electrical components, but for some reason, I have never been inside a PC. Not that I'm nervous about it, just never really had a reason to. But based on these responses, I think I'm going to give it a try.
Go for it, and good luck! :) Computers aren't that different from electronics, just a lot more modular. In other words, it should be easier to work inside a computer once you get the hang of whatever case you have.

--janak

(P.S. As Kati implies, my name is pronounced with a hard J, so it has to be there. ;))

[shawnc]

(P.S. As Kati implies, my name is pronounced with a hard J, so it has to be there. ;))

As much help as you have provided me with, I can't believe I misspelled your name. My apologies, believe me, it was strictly a function of being at work at dealing with the normal "fire-drill" of the day.

[Janak Parekh]

As much help as you have provided me with, I can't believe I misspelled your name.
Don't worry 'bout it. I've seen much, much worse. 8O

--janak

[GoldKey]

Just for an alternative point of view, I say make it an external. I like being able to backup my PC onto an external drive and then take the drive to work for storage. That way even if my house burned down, I wouldn't loose my data.

[shawnc]

Goldkey,

Alternative point of views are welcome and even encouraged :D. Have you ever converted an internal to an external hard drive? If so, how difficult is it? I picked up the HD from CUSA yesterday and it didn't come with ANY installation instructions. I am also considering using it as an external drive for much the very same reason you mention. Any tips on which "kit" to purchase or the degree of difficulty of converting is appreciated.

[Janak Parekh]

Shawn,

Just so you know -- if the hard drive itself didn't come with install instructions, you can probably find them on the manufacturer's website.

--janak

[GoldKey]

Shawnc,

I did not buy a kit, but rather a Maxtor one already put together. I would recommend making sure you get a USB 2.0 or firewire one for the speed difference.

I would imagine putting it in the enclosure should be pretty easy. I would also guess that the enclosure kit would come with the instructions for installing the drive in it.

[Janak Parekh]

I did not buy a kit, but rather a Maxtor one already put together. I would recommend making sure you get a USB 2.0 or firewire one for the speed difference.
Did the kit support bootable support, however? If I gather this situation correctly, Shawn needs to be able to do so with his new hard drive. I suspect boot support from USB/1394 is all over the map.

Also, if one goes with an enclosure, do not get a USB 1.x solution. It's just too slow.

--janak

[GoldKey]

According to the specs on the new Dell I'm getting it has 3 internal 3.5-inch storage bays for additional hard drive storage devices.

Janak, actually, I assumed it was an additional drive since he was buying a new PC from Dell and getting a new HD from CompUSA. I figured he would be booting the new PC and wanted the additional drive as an extra and as a way to get any of the old data that could be recovered onto the new machine.

Since it was a second drive, I figured external might be great.

I don't know that I can boot the the external drive. I doubt it though.

I agree that you want USB 2.0. I tried using it on my laptop that only had a 1.1 connection and very quickly bought a USB 2.0 Belking PC Card.

[Janak Parekh]

I don't know that I can boot the the external drive. I doubt it though.
I know it's theoretically possible, given a sufficiently modern BIOS. However, I read the post to mean that Shawn was replacing his existing drive. Based on that, I'd still suggest internal. Of course, I might be totally off the mark. ;)

--janak

[GoldKey]

I think his old pc died. Bought a new dell, took old drive to compusa and paid 99 for a new drive and having the data transferred. So, now he has two.

[shawnc]

I didn't realize this thread continuted without me. I've been pretty busy. Just to clarify, Goldkey is right. My old computer got fried and I paid C/USA $99 to "image" my old hard drive. My new Dell finally came and I am going to attempt to place the imaged HD from C/USA into the Dell as a means of extracting my old data.

I'm a little dissapointed that the new HD did not include installation instructions, but that is typical C/USA. I will take Janak's (got the spelling right :wink:) advice and check the mfg website for assistance.

I'm planning on taking the plunge today. Keep your fingers crossed.

[Janak Parekh]

Ah! If you're only temporarily connecting the hard drive for the purposes of transfer, my suggestion to you is to plug the hard drive into the "secondary channel". Most machines today have two IDE channels on the mainboard. The hard drive is usually plugged into the first one, and the CD drives into the second. You can temporarily unplug the CD drives and plug the hard drive in, turn it on, copy the data off, and then restore the connections.

If you're planning to have a 2nd hard drive permanently, you either want to configure it as a "slave" and run it off the primary channel, use the secondary if there's an extra port, or use Goldkey's trick of putting it in an enclosure.

Good luck. :)

--janak

[shawnc]

I followed the instructions in the Dell owners manual and things went perfectly. I simply moved the internal hard drive from the 1st to the 2nd bay and placed the new HD into the 1st bay (don't really know why that was necessary, but who cares?). Connected the two cables already supplied inside the computer, and WALA!

Time spent stressing about recovering old data or frying my new Dell - 2 weeks.

Time spent reading (without comprehending manuals) - 2 - 4 hours

Time spent actually installing the drive (once I FINALLY got the courage to "Just do it") - 10 minutes.

Of course by the time the wife comes back, I will have dreamt up so many horror stories about how difficult a procedure this was and how "exhausted" I am as a result of my extensive efforts. Eventually I'll come clean, but not until she has finished pampering me for all of my work :D .

Oh well, it was great experience. Thanx again to all who took the time to help.

[Pat Logsdon]

Of course by the time the wife comes back, I will have dreamt up so many horror stories about how difficult a procedure this was and how "exhausted" I am as a result of my extensive efforts. Eventually I'll come clean, but not until she has finished pampering me for all of my work :D .
EXACTLY. Milk it for all it's worth, my friend. 8) Glad it worked out for you! Now you need to try overclocking your PC, changing jumpers, voltages, etc. :mrgreen:

[Kati Compton]

EXACTLY. Milk it for all it's worth, my friend. 8) Glad it worked out for you! Now you need to try overclocking your PC, changing jumpers, voltages, etc. :mrgreen:
I don't know... I was told it's never a good idea to change a jumper on a motherboard that you're not supposed to touch, even if it's labeled "Sex and Free Beer". :)

[Pat Logsdon]

I don't know... I was told it's never a good idea to change a jumper on a motherboard that you're not supposed to touch, even if it's labeled "Sex and Free Beer". :)
8O
Good thing I don't like beer then, eh? :mrgreen:

Seriously, though - I hardly ever have to mess with jumpers these days. In the old days, however (if I remember correctly), voltage was controlled by jumper settings. Now it can be done via BIOS, but wow...it would be interesting to see "Sex and Free Beer" as a jumper label. Or "Universe 1" and "Universe 2". 8)

[shawnc]

EXACTLY. Milk it for all it's worth, my friend. 8) Glad it worked out for you! Now you need to try overclocking your PC, changing jumpers, voltages, etc. :mrgreen:

SS - You can count on it :lol: . As I looked back over the posts on this thread, your's was right on the mark. Thanx again for the help.