Best way to connect a laptop HD to another laptop or PC?

[Schfifty Five]

My GF's sister's laptop crashed recently and we need to pull some files from it. I haven't had a chance to look at the laptop yet, but before I do get a chance to, I just wanted to make sure I cover my bases in terms of accessing the HD.

What would be the easiest way to connect the laptop HD to another laptop/PC?

I'm assuming just buying a hard drive enclosure would be the easiest way to do so right?

Thanks.

 

[corkyg]

Since the target laptop has ceased functioning, the external enclosure would be the safest bet. If the target laptop crash is because of the HDD failure, that may not do any good. But, it would help diagnose the cause. And, to be safe, with the target HDD in an external case, I would do a thorough malware scan before trying to access any files.

 

[razel]

Easiest yes if you already have an enclosure and you can still get to the file system and copy the files. If you can't access the filesystem or after you got your files and assuming it's a SATA drive and you have a PC with SATA, it's best to connect it directly via SATA in that PC. Then IMMEDIATELY run the manufacturer's diagnosis program. You will want to at least do the SMART and short test.

USB 2.0 enclosures usually read around 33MB/s and don't normally pass SMART. Connecting natively via SATA is best for data recovery. Best of luck.

 

[Schfifty Five]

All right, thanks guys. Appreciate the responses.

 

[exdeath]

Native SATA is always best, but for laptop drives I use a bus powered SATA to USB 3.0 cable from a Seagate GoFlex:

Small, simple, cheap, no power brick or awkward multi connector brick with a SATA cable, etc.

 

[NP Complete]

The GoFlex looks like a nice solution, but depending on the hard drive, it may not always provide sufficient power to the drive.

USB spec states .5 Amps @ 5 V = 2.5 W. A quick search for "2.5 inch hard drive power draw" shows some drives have a 2.5 W or greater seek power draw.

Now, most modern laptop hard drives require less power, and likewise most USB ports supply more power than the spec mandates, but if the OP GF's laptop is older, or he has a older laptop he wants to connect the drive to, he may want to consider a USB to SATA solution that provides external power.

Still, the GoFlex looks awesome, and I'm thinking about getting one for myself since I bet it'll work with 99% of laptop drives out there.

 

[GammaLaser]

USB spec states .5 Amps @ 5 V = 2.5 W. A quick search for "2.5 inch hard drive power draw" shows some drives have a 2.5 W or greater seek power draw.

According to Wiki the USB 3.0 spec increased max current draw to 900 mA.

 

[Dessert Tears]

Now, most modern laptop hard drives require less power, and likewise most USB ports supply more power than the spec mandates, but if the OP GF's laptop is older, or he has a older laptop he wants to connect the drive to, he may want to consider a USB to SATA solution that provides external power.

There are very cheap USB to IDE and SATA adapters, but you get what you pay for. I bought one for under $10, and the included power adapter is downright sketchy. I use a jumpered PSU. I can't recommend a cheap one if your data is at all important.

 

[exdeath]

According to Wiki the USB 3.0 spec increased max current draw to 900 mA.

It's still a valid concern. USB 3.0 isn't ubiquitous yet, meaning that cable will be plugged into USB 2.0 ports 99% of the time for most people not obsessed with IO bandwidth.

That said I've yet to encounter any 2.5" drive that wouldn't power up on my GoFlex cables. Most of the drives I work with are 7200 RPM drives out of HP "elite workstation" laptops. In fact I originally bought it for a high performance 2.5" bus powered GoFlex Pro 7200 RPM external backup drive. You can obviously forget about 3.5" drives altogether. I've got a universal Icy Dock for those and IDE stuff.

I bought the cable at Best Buy for like $15.

It's a dream when you've got data on a SSD to transfer to a laptop equipped with USB 3.0 ports. Except for the part where it has to throttle writing to the laptops internal dino drive.

 

[GammaLaser]

It's still a valid concern. USB 3.0 isn't ubiquitous yet, meaning that cable will be plugged into USB 2.0 ports 99% of the time for most people not obsessed with IO bandwidth.

True, forgot that the 3.0 port itself is still needed

 

[KingFatty]

I use an external cable like the GoFlex, except it has a dedicated separate AC adapter power supply to provide power directly to the drive (includes adapter for molex or SATA power interfaces).

I dunno, something about having dedicated power makes me feel all warm and fuzzy? "Moah Powah!" or something. But a friend had an external bus-powered enclosure fail, but the drive was OK and the USB/SATA adapter in the enclosure had failed (I wonder if it was from not enough power from the USB port when the drive did a high-power maneuver?). Also, it's an additional worry to make sure you've used a high-power USB port especially on older laptops, to where you have enough juice to power the drive and not run afoul of anything? I can't wait till USB 3.0 is ubiquitous and we no longer have to worry about powered USB devices.