Recovering data from old hard drive

[Shel_B]

I have a couple of approximately twenty-year-old hard drives sitting in a tower-type computer. Are they too old to have the information recovered? Any recommendations for a place that can do such work? Thanks!

 

[Shel_B]

Post a picture of the interface if you get a chance.

What's an interface?

It'll be a while before I can make any pics. Watch this space.

I appreciate your help.

 

[samven]

If the computer wont boot are you sure the battery on the motherboard isnt dead which it probably is. On old systems the battery would charge when the system was powered up. You might be getting a BIOS error. If you are just getting a No Operating system failure you may be able to use an old CD to boot the system and then access the hard drives but you might have to enter the BIOS and change the boot device to CD ROM. If the BIOS is working you should see a momentary screen saying something like PRESS F10 TO ENTER SETUP.

 

[vavavroom]

What's an interface?

It'll be a while before I can make any pics. Watch this space.

I appreciate your help.

We want to see the type of connector ports on those drives so that we can identify their type.

The connectors on yours may look different. These are SATA:



It should also say on one of the labels what kind of interface/connector type is used.

 

[Shel_B]

We want to see the type of connector ports on those drives so that we can identify their type.

The connectors on yours may look different. These are SATA:



It should also say on one of the labels what kind of interface/connector type is used.

This is very helpful. I recollect that the drives are Seagate Barracudas, each being 160 GB. Bear in mind I'm pulling up a 20+ yo memory. Thank you!

 

[Rand]

probably sata. 7200.10
were they setup in a raid? options raid 0 for striping or raid 1 for mirroring or 0+1 striped mirror.

 

[Shel_B]

probably sata. 7200.10
were they setup in a raid? options raid 0 for striping or raid 1 for mirroring or 0+1 striped mirror.

I have but the faintest idea about what you're asking. I just asked for two drives when the machine was built and didn't request anything else.

I am mostly ignorant of the technical aspects of computers. When anything has gone amiss with my machines, I've taken them to a shop. I can do simple mechanical work on them such as add/remove cards and discs, but much beyond that my knowledge and skill set take a dive.

Thanks for jumping in. Would having a raid setup, of whatever type, effect data recovery?

 

[Rand]

Thanks for jumping in. Would having a raid setup, of whatever type, effect data recovery?

Was there separate files on both drives (2 drive letters/names)
if so.. there was likely no raid.

Raid 1 would be mirroring.. so both drives would have same contents (would aid in recovery)
raid 0 is striping for performance and you would need both drives to recover anything.

Disclaimer: explanation is simplified.

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

Unless the computer they are attached to is broken, it'll be far easier to recover data off them while they are in place so don't go out of your way to start pulling them out of where they currently are.

 

[y_p_w]

probably sata. 7200.10
were they setup in a raid? options raid 0 for striping or raid 1 for mirroring or 0+1 striped mirror.

The Barracuda model name has been around for over 30 years, so who really knows. I looked it up and the name has been used for SCSI, IDE/PATA, and SATA drives. I think the only constant is that it was only for 3.5" drives.

 

[Shel_B]

Was there separate files on both drives (2 drive letters/names)
if so.. there was likely no raid.

Raid 1 would be mirroring.. so both drives would have same contents (would aid in recovery)
raid 0 is striping for performance and you would need both drives to recover anything.

Disclaimer: explanation is simplified.

That is correct, separate drive letters.

 

[y_p_w]

That is correct, separate drive letters.

Really all you need is to identify the style of drive connector and then find a suitable interface to USB. I've got a really old PATA to USB 2.0/FireWire "enclosure". But a newer one would probably be ideal. For a 3.5" drive you'll need both a connection and something to provide power to the drive.

 

[terry274]

@Shel_B any update on this?

 

[cptbarkey]

there are various external usb adapters on amazon. ide, sata, take your pick. the likelyhood if it being scsi are very low.

 

[sloinker]

I have a couple of hard drives I want to extract the data from. They were both starting to die when removed. I bought one of these but have not tried it yet. Pro recovery is $$$$$.

Zilkee

www.zilkee.com