Extract data from old HD

What kind of connections does the older HDD have? If it has a SATA data interface you can plug it into a Newer computer. If it uses an IDE (big-ribbon cable) you must change some things such as jumpers.

Make sure you turn off the computer while plugging it in. And also plug the appropriate power cord. The system should recognize the drive and you'll be able to access the files.

if you mean the hard disk no longer powers up then you will need to take it to professionals to move the platters to a working drive. if your hard disk is detected by the computer but you are having difficulty accessing the data then try:

TestDisk, Data Recovery
TestDisk is powerful free data recovery software! It was primarily designed to help recover lost partitions and/or make non-booting disks bootable again when these symptoms are caused by faulty software, certain types of viruses or human error (such as accidentally deleting a Partition Table). Partition table recovery using TestDisk is really easy.

TestDisk Step By Step to recover lost partitions and repair damaged FAT/NTFS boot sector
Recover deleted files from NTFS partition

NOTE If seeked lost file are still missing, give PhotoRec a try. PhotoRec is a signature based file recovery utility and may be able to recover your data where other methods failed.

PhotoRec is file data recovery software designed to recover lost files including video, documents and archives from hard disks, CD-ROMs, and lost pictures (thus the Photo Recovery name) from digital camera memory. PhotoRec ignores the file system and goes after the underlying data, so it will still work even if your media's file system has been severely damaged or reformatted.

No SATA only wide ribbon. RustyMan

HD wouls power up in old pc that died. The problem on that pc was the MOBO, and nothing to do with HD. RustyMan

so did I answer your question? or are you still having difficulty? Please advise on the steps you have taken and the progress you have made.

Got HD hooked up and got data I needed. Thanks

Got HD hooked up and got dada I needed. Thanks, RustyMan