Broken Laptop
Photos and Documents Can Be Retrieved
Has your laptop taken a turn for the worse, and taken your photo's and documents along with it?
My old laptop is pictured above. I tried to keep it working for as long as I could. When the keys were popping off, I figured, who needs them? I can type without looking (for the most part). The charging plug came out, and a wire broke, no problem, I hardwired it. It was stepped on, breaking the screen. I thought, "Isn't that what remote screen is for?" I still used it every day, until one day, it wouldn't boot up.
I know, I know, why didn't I back up my files long ago? When the keys started popping off, it would have been a good idea. When the charging plug broke, it would have been a great idea. When the screen cracked, it would have been a stupendous idea. But I didn't. And when it died, it took everything with it!
But there is a happy ending to this story! All of the photo's and documents can be retrieved!
I used a SATA/IDE hard drive attachment.
Here are the steps I took to remove my hard drive and get the files off of it.
Remove the Hard Drive
You can pull your documents and photo's right off of the hard drive! There is an attachment wire that is needed to read the hard drive, and it isn't very expensive at all.
With the attachment wire, you can also use the hard drive as an extra, external, hard drive to store your documents and photos.
Here's what you do (you can follow along with the photo's below):
- Flip the laptop over and remove the battery. The .gif below is a general configuration of a laptop battery. There are usually two, maybe one, slide that when pressed in the correct direction, the battery will be released.
- Locate the cover panel for the hard drive. It may have an impression of stacked CDs on it. Using a screwdriver unscrew the retaining screws and remove the panel You will see the hard drive under the panel (.gif below).
- Manufacturers have different methods of securing the hard drive in your laptop. Even the various models can have a different configuration. Take a good look at yours and determine if it is screwed in, pressed in, or in a sleeve or frame of some sort. Sometimes a frame will be screwed or pressed in. To remove the hard drive, you have to remove the frame first, with the hard drive inside of it.
- Detach the plug connecting the laptop to the hard drive.
Great!! You have the hard drive out! You're half-way there.
Remove The Battery
Remove The Hard Drive Cover
Set Up the SATA
If you look at the wire set on the side of the hard drive, you will notice either a set up of pins or a flat bar with several connectors. Depending on your type of laptop use the appropriate connection.
Now attach the set up to a working laptop or computer using the USB attachment.
There may be a power switch on your cord to power on the hard drive once connected. Make sure the green light is illuminated. It won't work unless the hard drive has power.
Sata Set up
Click thumbnail to view full-size
New Drive In Your Folders
Attach the SATA Device
When you're all set:
- Turn your working computer on.
- Go to your files folder or computer folder.
- There will be another drive now. It may be named F:/ or G:/ or whatever according to what your computer already has.
- Click on the folder and all of your documents, photo's and various folders will be presented just like it was on the computer that broke!
You can copy them to another drive or keep them right where they are at and use the hard drive as an external folder for saving your things to. It's safe, has a large storage capacity and convenient if something happens to your current computer you have it backed up!
This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters.c
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