External internal hdd

Georc

Honorable
Nov 18, 2013
4
0
10,510
Hi.
So recently my HDD in my notebook died (reallocated sector count run out or some such). I don't have the money to buy a new one at the moment so I though I would salvage my old IDE 3.5'' HDD from my pc and use it to boot my notebook. Now I know its not ideal and I found people on interned advising against it, but I am desperate.
So I went out and bought USB 2.0 to IDE & SATA Cable. I am convinced I hooked it up correctly. However. The usb light on the Cable lights up red. And when I try to boot it I see for a second windows loading screen then a blue screen with text flashes too fast for me to read a single word. On the next start up it says (when choosing normal, or safe mode) that the error occurred probably due to software or hardware change. Now I thought it is quite possible as it is from different pc and it might be looking for something it could not find.
So my logic was ''ok then I just wipe the disk clean and put a new windows on it'' as I put a cd in the drive though it meditated for a while but then when choosing where to instal windows it sees my old dead hdd bud doesn't see the one connected via usb.
I ended up putting HDD back in to my pc to write this question here (about the only thing I can do on my old pc).
So does any one know how I would be able to make it work?
 

PinchedNerve

Honorable
Oct 26, 2013
47
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10,610

The USB 2.0 to IDE & SATA adapter he bought and didn't work should be exactly what you are telling him to buy. I have the exact same sort of adapter which works great for reading a drive but I never tried to install windows that way. I would imagine either the bios and or the OS isn't going to look at a USB anything for a Windows install path. I could be wrong since I've never tried it, but I haven't read about it either.

The Linux option I gave was a bootable USB without installing. Just download to the USB & boot to the OS.

 


If you look at the link I gave, it's a cable extension, you connect any sata drive with the extension to the connector inside the laptop, if it's easily accessible.
 

Georc

Honorable
Nov 18, 2013
4
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10,510
when I had the trouble with starting notebook via the adapter I wanted to remove dead hdd from notebook so as to prevent the notebook to focus on it. However once I opened it and unscrewed the hdd (now keep in mind this was my first time looking on internal organs of notebook and like 3 time any insides at all) I couldn't remove it without applying raw force. I thought it shouldn't require that much strength to remove so I just closed him.I will try this again though.
 
What is the make and model of your laptop? With my Toshiba, I install the extension cable to the connector inside the laptop, on the other end, I plug any sata drive I need. You should not apply raw force to take out a HDD drive, should be easy to remove it.
 

Georc

Honorable
Nov 18, 2013
4
0
10,510
no worries, I am verrrrry careful. My laptop is HP pavilion dv6i or some such (bought it second hand, have to search for drivers on Norwegian HP site - don't speak Norwegian) and hdd is Toshiba.
I pulled it out already :D. Sadly I don't have in my kit cable I would need to connect my 3.5 hdd. Not so sadly I bought the kit quite recently so I should be able swap it for the component I need.


EDIT:
So I went to the store with my 2.5 hdd to ask for some sort of connector. The clerk at the store said that it was custom mode special for that notebook. We then proceeded to take the hdd apart and found that it would be possible to connect sata connector to this custom piece and to the kit I bought before and thus put it all in the notebook. However the one connector that my kit doesn't have would have cost too much. As in it would be cheaper to buy new hdd than all the pieces. He said however that windows 7 should be able to instal to usb drive so maybe now that I pulled the old hdd out it would recognize usb. It did not.
I searched a bit for a solution and found this - http://www.intowindows.com/how-to-install-windows-7-to-usb-external-hard-drive-must-read/

If I read it correctly though I would need my notebook working to do this. So... yeah.