period bashed in computers.

[robgil]

so im down on the drive setting the vlave clearance on the landy , i take the lap top down with me because the work shop book is in pdf form.
so ive set the clearance , clear the wings of tools and lappy to stop them vibrating off then run the engine ,oooh i think , sounds lovely.
now because its a landy the hand brake doesnt work all that good so i normally just leave it in gear. it starts to roll. i slam on the brake and bring it to a halt.
the front wheel is right ontop of my lappy key board. its busted.

the good news is i think it missed the hard drive so i still might be able to get to my files, i just dont know how.
can i pull out the drive and somehow connect it to a computer as an outboard hard drive?
i am hoping my insurance will cover it but i will need to get to my files first in case they write it off.

i am using a tiny little not book thingy with no spell check so please excuse my crap spelling.

 

[LadyArowana]

No idea about the answer to your technical question, but I'm sorry for your loss.

 

[skier-hughes]

you can buy a laptop sized external drive caddy which will connect to your pc via usb or sata. You just need to get inside or read the manual to find out what sort of connection, ide/sata your laptop hard drive has so you buy the correct one.

 

[robgil]

i found this on tinternet,
http://www.1topstore.com/product_info.php?language=en&currency=GBP&products_id=5

would this do? not sure if it needs a power supply or not , would the usb power the hard drive?
i think the drive is sata.

 

[MdB]

I would guess that your hard drive is probably ok. I haven't driven over one myself but they are generally tough little beasties. Removal of the old drive will be easy. Typically it is remove a couple of screws from the underside (there will be a symbol on the base of the machine showing you where the hard drive is), remove cover, extract harddrive (may have another screw). I've never come across any that have taken me more than a couple of minutes to work out how to extract.

Once out, the important question is if it is a SATA or a IDE connection. If it is a SATA drive then it will plug directly into a modern desktop made in the last couple of years (i.e. one with a SATA connection internally). This will then enable you to copy the files off. If it is an IDE connection then the data connection will plug in directly but the power connection is different. This will require you to get an adaptor of some sort.

http://www.laptopparts101.com/hard-drive/

 

[robgil]

No idea about the answer to your technical question, but I'm sorry for your loss.

its not a great loss Lady Arowana , it was an old lap top and had its problems anyway , it was one of the HP entertainment lap tops that suffered from random shut down and freezing problems due to a bad chip in the ghraphics card and something to do with strata on the motherboard not being correct. Hopefuly i can put it down to accidental damage and get it fixed or even better replaced through my insurance although because there was a vehicle involved im am not too sure.

 

[robgil]

I would guess that your hard drive is probably ok. I haven't driven over one myself but they are generally tough little beasties. Removal of the old drive will be easy. Typically it is remove a couple of screws from the underside (there will be a symbol on the base of the machine showing you where the hard drive is), remove cover, extract harddrive (may have another screw). I've never come across any that have taken me more than a couple of minutes to work out how to extract.

Once out, the important question is if it is a SATA or a IDE connection. If it is a SATA drive then it will plug directly into a modern desktop made in the last couple of years (i.e. one with a SATA connection internally). This will then enable you to copy the files off. If it is an IDE connection then the data connection will plug in directly but the power connection is different. This will require you to get an adaptor of some sort.

http://www.laptopparts101.com/hard-drive/

Thanks Mdb , its a sata drive i think. i dont have access to a desk top , just this little aspire note book thingy but itys got a usb drive so hopefully i can use it to copy files.

i do have an iomega screenplay hd external drive so do you think i might be able to use this?

 

[skier-hughes]

The one you linked to requires a desktop to get the powe supply for std hdd.
If it is a sata drive then something like this
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dynamode-SATA-External-Housing-inch/dp/tech-data/B000UO9I54/ref=de_a_smtd

 

[AMc]

If you only want to extract the data then if you google/ebay search SATA to USB you will find any number of converters e.g. http://www.usbnow.co.uk/Adapters_&_Connectors-USB_to_SATA_Adapters/c42_49/p52/USB_2.0_IDE_&_SATA_Cable_%28with_Power_Supply%29/product_info.html
Make sure it has power supply connections. Buy one from a supplier who has a decent feedback and will accept returns. Once you have the drive out of the laptop you should be able to check the connections before you order.

If you want to use the drive for a more long term external storage then you need to buy an external drive caddy which will wrap the hard drive up in a case to make it durable enough to move around.

If you ONLY want to extract the data and then abandon the drive then I would give your local PC repair place a call and find out how much they would charge to burn the contents to DVD's - might be cheaper and would free you from having to tinker about yourself.

 

[another_richard]

If you do take the back off remember to first remove the battery.

If you know the make and model number you should be able to search and download the manual for your laptop. The manula should then show you how to remove the hard drive.

Try not to touch any of the uncovered gubbings of the hard drive as will suffer especially if you are wearing a fleece, i.e. rub your hands on summit metal before attempting to move it.

SATA is dead easy to recognise the connecting pin is about 1.5cm wide.
The laptop will be 2.5".

 

[Penners]

rub your hands on summit metal before attempting to move it.

Can I just add... rub your hands on something metal that is grounded...

 

[Flyfisher]

As mentioned, the laptop drive will almost certainly be a 2.5-inch drive so, even if it is a PATA interface, you'll need an adapter to connect it to a standard PC.
Something like this: http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?moduleno=36945

 

[robgil]

i am getting confused now guys , would the cheapest and easiest option to just buy one of these?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/2-5-SATA-External-Enclosure-Caddy/dp/B003CFSUVG/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t

i probably wont use the drive in another lap top although it does have a lot of useful programs on it so using it as an external hard drive for storage would probably be the best thing to do with it.

 

[MdB]

That would make sense if you don't have a desktop PC and your drive is a SATA drive. Take it our first to check the connection and see if there is any visible damage. There is no point in buying a SATA case if you have an IDE or damaged hard drive.

 

[robgil]

if i take the cover off and plug in the laqppy i should be able to at least hear the drive working shouldnt i? the fan works so i assume power is getting to it.

 

[Flyfisher]

I'd go with MdB's advice and carefully remove the hard drive first so you can positively identify the exact type and if it looks damaged.

If you just open up the laptop, you might be able to hear the hard drive spinning, but they are pretty quiet - quieter than a fan.

 

[MdB]

If you have run it over, I would want to unplug everything including the battery and not use it until all my data is backed up. It is unlikely that plugging it in will destroy data but a damaged machine could do anything.

 

[Penners]

i probably wont use the drive in another lap top although it does have a lot of useful programs on it so using it as an external hard drive for storage would probably be the best thing to do with it.

Rob - just to be clear, you won't be able to run the programs on this drive, if it's attached to another computer as an external drive. But if the drive is undamaged you should be able to get to the data files.

You'll need to reinstall the programs on your new computer.

 

[robgil]

thanks guys , i shall have a play with it later tonight.
now the question is what do i replace it with? is anyone clued up on entertainment based lap tops?
the old one was a HP dv2630ea and performed ok ish but had the HP shut down problems and over heating. HP have said the closest thing to it now is this the dm4

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_can_series.do?storeName=computer_store&category=notebooks&a1=Category&v1=Ultra-Portable&a2=Screen+size&v2=12.0+-+14.9&series_name=dm4t_series&jumpid=in_R329_prodexp/hhoslp/psg/notebooks/Ultra-Portable/dm4t_series

although i think the dv6 is a better spec.

http://www.comet.co.uk/shopcomet/product/651249/HP-DV6-3085

what do you think guys , if you wanted a lap top spacifically for watching films , listening to music etc etc would you buy one or build one?

 

[Penners]

What's your budget, Rob?

I certainly wouldn't try to build a laptop. And if you're considering it for budgetary reasons, I should forget it. It's unlikely to come in much cheaper than a manufacturer's model, and you carry all the risk if it malfunctions.

If you want a laptop to play music, make sure you get one with a decent sound card and add some external speakers. Laptop speakers are invariably "tinny".

And if you plan to store movies on your hard drive, get a generously sized one. Movie files are very big.