Laptop help

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

I have a laptop that is slowly dying. I have the hard drive that I want to transfer all the data to. It is a Dell Inspiron 700M. I can't connect the drive to my computer because it's like really small and I don't have an adapter for it. Is there a way I can like transfer everything from the laptop to my desktop and then switch the drives and then transfer it back? Is there something that I can use to do that?

 

[Fardringle]

The easiest way to do this is to get an external USB caddy, put the old drive in the caddy, connect it to the new computer, then copy the files.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

Originally posted by: Fardringle
The easiest way to do this is to get an external USB caddy, put the old drive in the caddy, connect it to the new computer, then copy the files.

If not then any easier way? Do I have to like image the drive?

 

[corkyg]

Actually, to do a laptop HDD change, it is useful to use a good software capable of cloning the old drive to the new drive. Cloning is a bit-by-bit duplication of everything properly placed so that result is immediately bootable. It is beyond imaging, and an image has to be restored.

There are several ways to clone - but I always use Acronis TrueImage to do it. It has a specific user controllable clone function best done with the bootable CD the oprogram prepares. One of the options is "Proportional" cloning. That is when going to a different size drive. It camn even include partitions.

For XP Pro, I would use TI 10 build 4942. For Vista, I would use TI 11.

To do a laptop, unless you can add a 2nd HDD internally, an external case is needed. You can use any external drive capable of holding your old HDDs data. Clone to the external (can be any external) and then replace your old laptop drive with the new one. Then clone back from the external to the laptop drive. Or, . . . get an external case for your laptop 2.5" drive - clone to it, and then swap the drives.

A side benefit of this procedure is that you then can have a spare duplicate drive ready to go in case of an emergency such as a drive failure.