06-26-2003, 04:38 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,051
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W-A-Y Off Topic - Hard Drive Imaging??
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  ). 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.
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06-26-2003, 04:46 PM
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Magi
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 2,186
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Re: W-A-Y Off Topic - Hard Drive Imaging??
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Originally Posted by shawnc
My question is whether installing this internal drive from CompUSA is difficult for a "non-techie".
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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!
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06-26-2003, 05:38 PM
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Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 6,878
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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
__________________
"My eyes are rolling back in my head so far I can see my grey matter bubbling and frothing from reading this thread....bleh." JD
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06-26-2003, 05:56 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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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
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06-26-2003, 07:17 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,051
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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.
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06-26-2003, 07:26 PM
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5000+ Posts? I Should OWN This Site!
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 5,133
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by shawnc
Yanak, I'm usually pretty handy when it comes to electrical components
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Janak - I think it's time to give a pronunciation guide to your name... 
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06-26-2003, 07:41 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by shawnc
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.
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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. )
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06-26-2003, 07:45 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,051
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Janak Parekh
(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.
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06-26-2003, 07:46 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by shawnc
As much help as you have provided me with, I can't believe I misspelled your name.
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Don't worry 'bout it. I've seen much, much worse. 8O
--janak
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06-27-2003, 08:02 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,264
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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.
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