Ancient harddrive (1998) recovery possible?

[neolithic3]

Hi guys,

I have a hard drive (Just the hard drive itself, the PC has long since been discarded) that is from a computer I purchased in 1998 (yes, you read that right). I really need to get a few small files from this hard drive - a handful of photos with a lot of sentimental value to me. The trouble is that I am sure the technology and connections have changed multiple times in the past 15ish years and I don't know how, or even IF, I can somehow hook up this old harddrive to a current PC in order to transfer the files. I am really kicking myself for not doing this long ago and procrastinating on it.

Can anyone offer some insight? Is it possible? Is there some way to hook it up externally so I don't have to start messing around inside my new PC (I am scared I will foul it up and ruin my brand new computer)?

I took some photos of the hard drive if that helps anyone provide suggestions.

Any help is greatly appreciated as I really want to get these old files back!

 

[DyGr00339]

*Nvm* Thought it was broke

[TEDWARDS]

You could possibly get a IDE to Sata conversion and use it in a newer pc

[Panda689]

Vantec NexStar3 inclocsure is IDE>USB2 and cost $14 $40 here in Canada. I have one for a 380GB IDE drive still kicking it. Works like a dream.

 

 

EDIT: lol that was the sale price at MemEx

Edited February 25, 2014 by Panda689

[Cwazywazy]

You could buy one of those external USB hard drive cases that takes an IDE hard drive. (Without a hard drive already in it, obviously.)

 

Something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-RX35-AT-IU-BLK-Aluminum-Enclosure/dp/B004BU6ITW/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1393289165&sr=8-7&keywords=ide+usb+hard+drive+enclosure+3.5

 

You should be able to stick that HDD in it and plug it into your computer and get the files. Or you could just borrow an older computer with an IDE connector on the motherboard and get the files off the HDD with that.

[neolithic3]

Vantec NexStar3 inclocsure is IDE>USB2 and cost $14 here in Canada. I have one for a 380GB IDE drive still kicking it. Works like a dream.

 

You could possibly get a IDE to Sata conversion and use it in a newer pc

 

Thanks a lot for the fast replies. I am a bit of a computer noob ( despite having owned them for quite a number of years haha) is that old hard drive I have the IDE type? If so, how do I tell that?

 

The Vantec enclosure you mention, is that something I attach to my old hard drive and literally just plug it into a USB port of my new PC and then my PC will read the old hard drive just like it was a device attached to the PC, like a thumb drive etc.?

[Tr3vor]

That hard drive isn't ancient, that one is just relatively old

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816124009 I like these. It would work for you.

 

You just got to have an IDE cable laying around and a Molex connector in your new computer.

[J-man]

Also, if you don't feel like booting that drive with the old os you could always use a linux live cd and pull the files off the drive that way.

[f22luke]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA2BP0U33777

[MuffinTopMike]

Well I had a couple of maxtor hard drives back in 2003 and since then maxtor were bought by seagate. You could take it to a data recovery place but that could be expensive.You could always try and contact seagate but I'm not sure if they would help you. You could try this...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPqdFnb340A

[Panda689]

Thanks a lot for the fast replies. I am a bit of a computer noob ( despite having owned them for quite a number of years haha) is that old hard drive I have the IDE type? If so, how do I tell that?

 

The Vantec enclosure you mention, is that something I attach to my old hard drive and literally just plug it into a USB port of my new PC and then my PC will read the old hard drive just like it was a device attached to the PC, like a thumb drive etc.?

It's a IDE drive (google hard drive interface for a diagram of a bunch different types). The NexStar3 is just a container for the HDD that will allow you plug it in to a USB2, and yes it will look like any other storage medium when plugged in.

[Tr3vor]

Well I had a couple of maxtor hard drives back in 2003 and since then maxtor were bought by seagate. You could take it to a data recovery place but that could be expensive.You could always try and contact seagate but I'm not sure if they would help you. You could try this...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPqdFnb340A

 

 

wut. Why would you do that? No one said it wasn't working. Just plug the darn thing in.

[target39]

Thanks a lot for the fast replies. I am a bit of a computer noob ( despite having owned them for quite a number of years haha) is that old hard drive I have the IDE type? If so, how do I tell that?

 

The Vantec enclosure you mention, is that something I attach to my old hard drive and literally just plug it into a USB port of my new PC and then my PC will read the old hard drive just like it was a device attached to the PC, like a thumb drive etc.?

You can tell it's an IDE hard disk drive by its interface. We can see that it has ~40 pins in 20 x 2 configuration in its connector, which is the IDE connector.

 

Hi guys,

I have a hard drive (Just the hard drive itself, the PC has long since been discarded) that is from a computer I purchased in 1998 (yes, you read that right). I really need to get a few small files from this hard drive - a handful of photos with a lot of sentimental value to me. The trouble is that I am sure the technology and connections have changed multiple times in the past 15ish years and I don't know how, or even IF, I can somehow hook up this old harddrive to a current PC in order to transfer the files. I am really kicking myself for not doing this long ago and procrastinating on it.

What PC do you currently use right now? If you have a PC that's over 5 years old, it may have an IDE port already. If you have a custom built PC, state which motherboard it uses.

[MuffinTopMike]

wut. Why would you do that? No one said it wasn't working. Just plug the darn thing in.

I wrote that because just in case he got the appropriate adapter and the drive didn't work then he could try my suggestions.

[neolithic3]

You can tell it's an IDE hard disk drive by its interface. We can see that it has ~40 pins in 20 x 2 configuration in its connector, which is the IDE connector.

 

What PC do you currently use right now? If you have a PC that's over 5 years old, it may have an IDE port already. If you have a custom built PC, state which motherboard it uses.

 Current PC has an ASUS Z87 motherboard

[neolithic3]

It's a IDE drive (google hard drive interface for a diagram of a bunch different types). The NexStar3 is just a container for the HDD that will allow you plug it in to a USB2, and yes it will look like any other storage medium when plugged in.

Great, thanks very much!

[neolithic3]

I looked at the NCIX website, since the store is closeby and found this http://products.ncix.com/detail/vantec-2-5-3-5-5-25-sata-ide-6b-36790.htm

 

Hopefully it will work. Thanks a lot, everyone who replied. It's great to have a place to get good/helpful feedback from people that are more knowleagable about these things than myself.

[neolithic3]

It's a IDE drive (google hard drive interface for a diagram of a bunch different types). The NexStar3 is just a container for the HDD that will allow you plug it in to a USB2, and yes it will look like any other storage medium when plugged in.

 

 

You can tell it's an IDE hard disk drive by its interface. We can see that it has ~40 pins in 20 x 2 configuration in its connector, which is the IDE connector.

 

What PC do you currently use right now? If you have a PC that's over 5 years old, it may have an IDE port already. If you have a custom built PC, state which motherboard it uses.

 

Hey guys,

I bought this item today http://www.ncix.com/search/?q=36790-1253

 

I bought it and brought it home to try. The guy at the shop seemed to think it wouldnt work for my old IDE harddrive but I was determined to try anyway. I read reviews and people said it worked for their old drives of a similar age. Plus I can use it for other things in the future.

I just gave it a try and it will read a 10 year old SATA drive, but nothing happens when I try it on my 1998 IDE drive. I dont even hear the drive spinning. Does this just mean the drive is toast and I am out of luck?

[target39]

Hey guys,

I bought this item today http://www.ncix.com/search/?q=36790-1253

 

I bought it and brought it home to try. The guy at the shop seemed to think it wouldnt work for my old IDE harddrive but I was determined to try anyway. I read reviews and people said it worked for their old drives of a similar age. Plus I can use it for other things in the future.

I just gave it a try and it will read a 10 year old SATA drive, but nothing happens when I try it on my 1998 IDE drive. I dont even hear the drive spinning. Does this just mean the drive is toast and I am out of luck?

If it won't even spin up, there may be a problem in its power delivery. Since it contains sentimental content, I suggest you take it to a professional storage recovery serviceman and recover as much content from the disk as you can. Just because the PCB doesn't work, doesn't mean the HDD is not salvageable.

[juretrn]

Even my X58 board still has an IDE port, so just find a C2D machine or older and plug it in, it should work just fine. 

[neolithic3]

If it won't even spin up, there may be a problem in its power delivery. Since it contains sentimental content, I suggest you take it to a professional storage recovery serviceman and recover as much content from the disk as you can. Just because the PCB doesn't work, doesn't mean the HDD is not salvageable.

Okay, thanks Target.

[emachado99]

Get an IDE to Sata conversion for your PC or get a IDE external hard drive enclosure.

[Calavera]

I had a drive like that laying around, was newer though, I think 2003 or so - had a ribbon cable laying around still and there's a port on my PC too - I just plugged it in, put a molex cable on it and booted up my computer - it showed up as a drive and I just copied the stuff over.

 

It's really not something to worry about, unless you dropped it in which case you should be careful of course.

 

It's really only a matter of plugging it in and copying the files (which is slow as it's super old)

[neolithic3]

Get an IDE to Sata conversion for your PC or get a IDE external hard drive enclosure.

I did that. It didnt work.

[flibberdipper]

I use this. The SATA power cable is a piece (doesn't have the orange wire, which nearly every SATA device needs nowadays). but for IDE drives it works great.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-2-0-to-IDE-SATA-S-ATA-2-5-3-5-HD-HDD-Adapter-Cable-/180550148600?pt=US_Drive_Cables_dapters&hash=item2a09a0a1f8