Computer won't boot-up

[TLS]

Hello,

My XP computer won't boot up. No safe mode, no last working configuration.

Have a new desktop tower on order.

Can I simply put my old HD inside a USB HD case and pull my old files off of it like it was a thumb drive?

As you may be able to tell, backing things up wasn't always on the top of my list!

Thanks!

 

[GhislainG]

Yes as long as the drive still works properly.

 

[daship]

Well odds are your old drive is ide, so you will need a compatible usb to ide interface.

 

[TLS]

Old drive in the non booting computer is SATA.

Drive inside USB HD case is also SATA and alarmingly is the same brand Seagate Barracuda 7200.7

Only difference is the one in my computer is 120GB and the one in the USB case is 500 GB.

I was just curious as to if the HD in a USB case needs to be able to boot to get info off of it? I'm pretty confident that the drive isn't toast, ....yet!

Thanks all!

 

[jsc]

If I understand you, you want to get data off a drive in a dead computer. If so, you cannot connect an external drive to that computer.

You can, however, pull the drive from the dead computer and connect it to a working computer. Then you can plug the external drive into that working computer.

 

[TLS]

Yes...

Take dead computer HD

Put it inside USB HD case

Plug this USB HD unit into NEW computers USB port

Then go into this OLD drive (Now F: probably) from the new computer and save needed data.

Then....Backup, backup, backup like I should have been doing all along!!!!

 

[GhislainG]

That's correct.