Can I install old HardDrive from old computer in new PC?

[Guest]

My former PC's motherboard shorted out against the metal case. I saved some
hardware from it mainly the hard drive etc..

Now it has been a few years since, that I have acquired this new PC. This
one is:

From Dell: Dimension B-110 with Intel Celeron 2.53GHz with 512MB Ram
160GB-HardDrive
CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive and no floppy drive
Windows XP Home Version 2002 SP2

I did not get a windows CD with the system. Just the way the package was
setup. I could have included it with the order but was trying to cut cost.

The old drive is a WD 4.GB with I believe either win 98 or 2000 OS.

Q:1) My goal here is that I have some music files on the old drive that I
would like to retrieve, then wipe it clean and possibly use it as a secondary
on my new PC. Is this possible and is there an article or a how to web site
to guide a person in this task?

Q:2) Since I do not have a floppy and there is a secondary plug attachment
coming from the CD/DVD combo drive in this PC, can I use that to plug to the
old drive? Assuming I get that far, of course.

 

[Jim]

My former PC's motherboard shorted out against the metal case. I saved
some
hardware from it mainly the hard drive etc..

Now it has been a few years since, that I have acquired this new PC. This
one is:

From Dell: Dimension B-110 with Intel Celeron 2.53GHz with 512MB Ram
160GB-HardDrive
CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive and no floppy drive
Windows XP Home Version 2002 SP2

I did not get a windows CD with the system. Just the way the package was
setup. I could have included it with the order but was trying to cut cost.

The old drive is a WD 4.GB with I believe either win 98 or 2000 OS.

Q:1) My goal here is that I have some music files on the old drive that I
would like to retrieve, then wipe it clean and possibly use it as a
secondary
on my new PC. Is this possible and is there an article or a how to web
site
to guide a person in this task?

Yes, you can connect this very small drive to your new computer. You can
copy the files that you want to a location on your new drive. However, a
drive that only holds 4 GB is not very useful.

Q:2) Since I do not have a floppy and there is a secondary plug attachment
coming from the CD/DVD combo drive in this PC, can I use that to plug to
the
old drive? Assuming I get that far, of course.

Sorry, I can't see the relevance of the floppy drive unless you intend to
use the slot that might otherwise contain a floppy drive for old very small
drive. The interface for a floppy drive is quite different from one for a
hard drive.
You can certainly use a connector on the IDE cable that connects the CD/DVD
combo drive to the motherboard. However, you must get the jumpers set
correctly. Get jumper settings for the manufacturer's web site.

An alternative solution would be to mount the old very small drive in a USB
enclosure (about $25) which will then allow you to connect the drive to the
computer through an available USB port.

Jim

 

[Guest]

Thank you for your response Jim. I did go to Dell's support site to try and
find the make and model of the big drive. Ain't it funny, that they listed
the wrong one. However, after doing some more reading on it and taking the
plunge; I got lucky.

The Seagate 160gb had diagram of jumper settings and so did the old drive. I
used the old cable that had the double connectors and used the same primary
IDE slot that the 160 was connected to . I mounted the old drive in the empty
floppy slot. Hooked it all up and entered the bios in bootup and set the
small second as slave. There wasn't even an option in bootup for the small
drive so I didn't have to worry about the old Win98 trying to boot.

I agree with you that the 4gb is wayyyyy too small. Like I said, I wanted
to save some files from this old one so I'll probably move them over then
take it back out and put something more usefull in later. Thanks again, for
your help.

BTW, Those music files are playing just fine and I can access most files on
the old drive, some will not open and I ain't even going to try and run any
programs from it.