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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think that my precious data on old hard drive is not actually gone

28 replies

PyjamaDayToday · 07/12/2013 11:34

I needed a new hard drive in my laptop. Dell fitted it and the guy put my old hard dive in a 2.5 SATA casing thingy and showed me that the hard drive was functioning and the data could be recovered (not sure if thats the right word) and then put on the laptop again.

So i bought one of these SATA thingys and plugged in the old hard drive and now i don't know what to do.

There's some precious photos of DF who is no longer with us so really want to be able to do this but just don't know how to do it.

AIBU to think i can do this?

OP posts:
LittleprincessinGOLDrocks · 07/12/2013 11:52

DH downloaded our old hard drive using one of those. He said if you put the hard drive in to the reader, then plug it in to the USB port of your laptop you should be able to view the files.
Have you plugged it in to the USB port? If so what comes up?
If nothing pops up go in to your start menu and click on computer. It should bring up a list of what is plugged in to your USB ports. If it does so click on that and see what options you get.
Then you should be able to download what you want from there.
HTH, if not post again and I will get DH to talk you through it.

Original poster
PyjamaDayToday · 07/12/2013 12:29

I've done that Little as that's what I saw the Dell guy do. But when I click on computer nothing comes up apart from DVD RW drive (D) and local disk (C) which is what shows without the reader being plugged in - yet I know the Dell guy got it to show up.

Would you mind asking your DH what else I can do?

OP posts:
caroldecker · 07/12/2013 12:41

does the disk need a seperate power source?

HowardTJMoon · 07/12/2013 12:49

Did the SATA adaptor come with a power supply? What make and model is the SATA adaptor?

Original poster
PyjamaDayToday · 07/12/2013 12:55

caroldecker i don't think so.

Howard Its a Digiflex 2.5 Sata to USB case and USB parts. It has a USB to plug into the laptop and one to go in the case.

OP posts:
ineedanexcuse · 07/12/2013 12:58

Do you have another usb port or hub to try? I found that my external hard disk didnt like one of my usb ports but was fine with a hub.

LittleprincessinGOLDrocks · 07/12/2013 13:04

I would try another USB port if that is an option, as my laptop won't recognise one of the ports for some reason.

DH said that the device should have its own power lead as it needs 12 volts of its own to work.
Did yours not have any instructions with it?
If not could you return it to where you got it from and change it for one with a power lead, as it does need one.

Original poster
PyjamaDayToday · 07/12/2013 14:14

This is the device:

www.amazon.co.uk/DIGIFLEX-Drive-Caddy-Enclosure-Laptop/dp/B002UZO07C

Is this the right thing do you think?

OP posts:
Original poster
PyjamaDayToday · 07/12/2013 14:15

little There were no instructions.

OP posts:
fiorentina · 07/12/2013 14:27

I've had this with my laptop this week and used one of those to retrieve the files. It does also have a power lead?

Original poster
PyjamaDayToday · 07/12/2013 16:40

Sorry to sound dim, but does a power lead mean a cable that plugs into an electricity socket on the wall or does it mean something else?

OP posts:
Talkinpeace · 07/12/2013 16:57

the spec on OPs one says its powered from the USB
BUT
it might need two USB cables to give it enough oomph

AnUnearthlyChild · 07/12/2013 17:01

Ours needed 2 USB cables.

One for data one for power.

Original poster
PyjamaDayToday · 07/12/2013 17:33

Sorrry if I'm not using the correct terms but theres one USB connection that I put in the device, then there's two USBs, one which I plugged in the laptop, so the other USB doing nothing. Is this correct? What should I do?

OP posts:
chateauferret · 07/12/2013 17:38

And not all USB sockets on a computer are powered, so try a different socket. Is there not a wee light that comes on if there's power to the device?

Talkinpeace · 07/12/2013 17:38

they both need to run between the laptop and the cradle - because it will use one for power and the other for data ....

Original poster
PyjamaDayToday · 07/12/2013 21:36

I've got the wee light showing. I've tried plugging two of the three usbs into the laptop (with the other in the device) and still I'm not get anything showing up when I click on Computer, other than the dvd drive and local drive C from my laptop.

Beginning to despair Sad

OP posts:
Talkinpeace · 07/12/2013 21:40

OK
unplug everything
turn off the computer
turn it back on
then plug in both of the cradle cables at the same time and let the puter find it
oh and check that the drive is properly connected inside the cradle

Original poster
PyjamaDayToday · 07/12/2013 21:49

Yep, done that and still nothing Sad

Bless you all for trying to help me with this Thanks

OP posts:
Original poster
PyjamaDayToday · 07/12/2013 21:50

I'm clicking on Computer - is that all I'm supposed to be clicking on?

OP posts:
Talkinpeace · 07/12/2013 22:01

ooh, silly thing
have a look at the 1 star reviews on Amazon as there are a couple of pointers about where they can go wrong

connecting the drive properly into the cradle
getting the USBs the right way round

BUT
I'd suggest splashing out a bit more to get a mains powered one that reliably spins the drive up
I have one of these
www.maplin.co.uk/p/2535-inch-sata-usb-dock-a83hq
and thus can access the hard drives from all my old machines

friday16 · 07/12/2013 22:08

DH said that the device should have its own power lead as it needs 12 volts of its own to work.

Certainly not 12 volts.

Unless it's a very elderly hard drive, it will only need one USB connector to both power it and transfer the data.

However, some 2.5" caddies come with those funky Y-shaped cables that have two USB plugs. That's in case you do need to put one of the aforementioned elderly drives in the caddy, or in case your laptop is a bit naughty and can't deliver the full specified power out of a USB port.

A USB port should be able to deliver 500 milliamps of current at 5 volts. That means it can't power devices which consume more than 2.5 watts. So to power devices that need up to 5W, or to deal with naughty USB ports that can't deliver 500mA, you hang them off two USB ports and take the power from both.

However, only one of those plugs carries data.

If you have a caddy which has a Y-shaped cable, then only one of those plugs will have the data leads connected. Normally, it's fairly obvious that one plug is "closer" to the disk caddy: the long lead goes straight into a plug, and then a thin lead comes out and goes to another plug. You want to plug the USB connector that has two leads, probably one thin and one thick, into your computer. Ignore the one which has just one lead, probably a thin one. If you just plug that second one into the computer, little will happen.

Alternatively, plug both of them in and have done with it.

friday16 · 07/12/2013 22:11

I've tried plugging two of the three usbs

Three? WTAF?

Do you have another cable around the place which has a USB plug on one end and a micro- or mini- USB plug on the other end, that fits the caddy? The cable from a mobile phone, a camera, something like that? If so, give it a go. God alone knows there there would be three USB connectors on the end of a cable for a simple SATA caddy.

Original poster
PyjamaDayToday · 07/12/2013 22:24

I've tried all the combinations for plugging in the usbs, plus tried another usb lead - nothing works, so have taken the advice of Talk and ordered a better device as I'm losing the plot Confused but feel I need to try everything possible to try to retrieve the precious pics of my DF.

OP posts:
friday16 · 07/12/2013 22:27

Ah, OK. I've looked at the picture.

It's a weird USB enclosure, in that the connector at the disk end is a standard USB A Type. Normally the connector at the disk end is a mini-USB or a micro-USB.

What I said about how to select the correct connector at the end with two plugs still goes. It's the one with two leads running into it.