Some techie help puhleeze

[BarryBobPosthole]

I have three old computers that I have in storage in my attic. I've only kept them because all three have hard drives that still worked when I put them away and they have data on them I want. Mainly old pictures but there's some other data on there too that I want. I've been waiting on that proverbial 'round to-it' that never seems to come around.
My question is, what's the best way to get the data off of them? I'm not sure all of them would boot up. Should I remove the hard drives? How do you get power to them if you do? Is there an app somewhere that makes this easy peasy?

I also don't want to donate them or throw them away with potentially personal data on the hard drive so after I've done my thing getting the data off should I smash them or is just erasing the data good enough?

BKB

[Big Muddy]

This is what I did with mine...........;)


3390

[Big Muddy]

Be sure and post all those porn pics from your old computers. ;)

[Thumper]

Funny you should mention this. I just recently (like just a couple months ago) decided I'd been hanging onto my old PC's for way too long. I don't even remember what was on the hard drives that I wanted to recover, but if I've lived this long without it, I guess I don't REALLY need it. I do still have a PC and a laptop I'm hoping to dig some stuff out of, so I haven't done anything with them yet. I finally scrapped my old pile of crapped-out computers, but still have the hard drives here to use for target practice if I ever make it back out to the range.

3391

[Buckrub]

Take 'em to some local "Computer Doctor" and tell him to do it. You have one in some strip mall close by, somewhere.

[Thumper]

Bucky, that won't work for Posthole. He and I share the same disease. We're "do-it-yourselfers"! He ain't gonna pay someone to do what he "thinks" he might be able to do himself ... SOMEDAY! ;)

[LJ3]

If you have another computer you can install them in, that's the way to go. You may have compatibility issues though. The connectors for the drive itself will be one of two types, depending on age. You may also have compatibility issues with the power supply connector for each drive as well. If you have a regular desktop PC you can bust it open and look. You'll usually have at least one extra power connector and hard drive connector. Look at hos the existing drive is connected and that will let you compare the other drives to see if you can do it.

Whether or not you can, or should, boot from them is another matter entirely. Step 1 is see if your PC has the power and drive connection types to support the operation.

[BarryBobPosthole]

I guess that's my question. Can you just connect them like they were another drive and not boot from them and just search them like you would any external drive?

BKB

[Niner]

I have heard that the best way to ensure that no one could ever recover any of the data from a hard drive is to ventilate it with a cordless (or corded even) drill. Prolly about 1/4" holes should do it. Bunches of them.

OR....do like Eddy done his.

Seriously, there's supposed to be programs out there that erase everything. Then write jibberish to each sector. Then erase that, and re-write jibberish again....etc. BUT physically destroying the drive is prolly the bestest way to kill it.

NOW...if you wanted to keep the drives around and someday pull the data off of them.....you *should* be able to pull the cover off of your current computer and plug up the old drive in there. There's two cables you'll need to find. One is the power cable (INSIDE THE PC). The other is the data cable (Usually a ribbon cable). HOPEFULLY the cable inside that PC has more than one connector. You may even want to scavenge the data cable from your old computer.

I'll betcha old Kim Komando has some good advice on this subject.
http://www.komando.com/

[Niner]

Looks like Len an I were typing at the same time.... :biggrin

[BarryBobPosthole]

Thanks! I'll check it out!
BKB

[LJ3]

I guess that's my question. Can you just connect them like they were another drive and not boot from them and just search them like you would any external drive?

BKB

It depends on the drive type but it should be technically possible to boot from your regular drive and then see those. Depending on the age and connectors and how the drives are configured to boot or will drive your success.

Honestly, I'd take them somewhere, plop them on a counter and say "transfer all these to a USB hard drive please. Then take the old drives and USB drive home and copy the USB drive to your current hard drive. You're looking at hours and hours of trial and error, and likely technically impossible tasks to get what you want.

I setup a NAS at my house that backs up everything nightly. All my images and hard drives from my last 4 computers are all there, anytime I want. Less than $400 invested in the whole operation and any new PC I have takes 5 minutes to setup the same way. Multiple fail-over drives (RAID) and everything. I can steer you in that direction when you're ready :)

[Chicken Dinner]

I think it's cute that y'all think anybody cares what's on your 15 year old hard drive. Almost as cute as the NSA caring what you say on your cell phone...

[Niner]

Hank, I'd bet some identity thief would love to see the inside of the hard drive of a high-roller like BBP.

I like Len's idea of taking them to a confuser shop and having everything moved over to a USB hard drive. :thumbsup

When I got my new conufser last year, I got a "bonus" external USB hard drive.
I copied all of the "stuff" from my old confuser (pics, docs, etc), and used that drive to move the stuff to my new confuser.

[Thumper]

Well, I dunno .. I have all my banking/credit card info on mine. I've had the same bank account over 25 years and as for credit cards, as ONE example, I've had my AmEx account for 30 years. I'm not all that paranoid, I'd just rather know for sure my hard drives are destroyed ... I'm not too concerned about recovering anything.

[Buckrub]

Remember where he works. It's probably 20 years of all our cell phone calls he has backed up on there.

[Thumper]

Well, if he doesn't have it, I'll bet Carnivore does. ;)

[Buckrub]

If so, Posty gave it to him. And I bet "he" did! :)

[Egghead]

BBP! Get one of these: http://www.frys.com/product/5466019?source=google&gclid=CjwKEAjw9eyeBRCqxc_b-LD8kTESJADsBMxSnXL_Wn9NiKFma_zk2rwIlSu-vxdiPpbdnvHbv1tY4hoCEFLw_wcB Pull the old hard drive and connect via USB to your current computer. Copy the stuff you want...

Then, go here: http://www.dban.org/ and create a boot CD (assuming your old machines will boot to CD and that they have a CD). Boot the old computer with the original hard drive in place, and follow the instructions.

If you can't boot the old computer from CD, then perforate the old drives after you've gotten any data from them using your favorite method.

The rest of the machine can go to Goodwill - they will recycle and get what can be got from them financially.

E

[BarryBobPosthole]

Now that looks like a snap. Thanks!



BKB