Good morning, Sven. I am typing this with my left hand because there is a little purring cat head snoozing on my right hand which is holding my mouse, so literally yes.
Elena called last night and said she will come home this morning and they will pick up the cats later today. The cats will probably be back when they go to move later (they have been showing their house this week and last.)
OK, a computer question. Whenever an old PC stopped working for whatever reason, I stuck it in the garage thinking I’d do all kinds of things with it. Never did and I need the space and my criteria now for most things is “will I read, watch, wear, use, or do anything with this object in the next 5 years” and if not, it’s going away.
Anyhow, there’s an e-waste thing this weekend, so those old PCs have to go. I’ve removed the hard drives from each. I’m usually diligent about transferring old data from old to new, but I think there’s one where it crashed and I used an old backup to transfer data forward. I’d like to see what’s on these hard drives, and I see all types of cables and equipment that make it sound easy, but I’m worried that whatever caused the crash could create problems if I use my new Dell to view what’s on the drives.
I use those connectors, or external drive housings, to connect drives through USB in order to check or copy data. It should not pose a risk to your newer PC unless there is a virus or such. If there is a problem with the drive it will usually just not show up.
If they are regular hard drives you will want one that plugs into the wall for power. If they are old enough you might want a converter that has provision for PATA, the old ribbon cable, as well as the newer SATA connection. I have had a lot of these and one thing I ran into with some was that they were limited in the capacity of the drives they could connect. I had to buy a couple of newer ones for drives over 4TB. That was no problem when I got them but I found the bigger drives did not show up and I did not know why until I ran across that spec. The newer ones I got worked fine with the bigger drives, up to 14TB so far. There are very simple connectors that are powered by the USB connection, or a second USB connection, but I think those are best used with SSD drives or the 2 1/2″ HDDs for laptops.
Neither of these do PATA but any PATA drives will be small enough for my old connectors or drive housings. Just something to consider if the drives you have are that old
Thanks, Mac. I was looking at the Sabrent offerings on Amazon. Two of the drives are Seagate Barracuda 7200. One is 200GB and the other 1TB -- both came out of HP Pavilion desktops. Going to look at those first.
I have used a number of Sabrent products, as well as their enclosures. I have generally found them fine. As I mentioned, when I replaced that enclosure, I bought a newer version of the same one because I liked it. They look identical.
If you want to email me an address, I will send you my older one. It should work fine with those drives. I think the limit was 4TB but it might have been 2TB. I don’t do much with drives less than 6TB now so I would not miss it.
Thanks, Mac, but I don’t want to put you out -- they are cheap enough on Amazon and I’ll buy one there. One reason for even dicking around with these drives is that I’m trying to put together a personal chronology -- my memory is not what it used to be. There’s probably not much on these drives that I don’t have elsewhere, but maybe something.
Heh. I asked Mrs Sven if she thought there was anything on these machines worthwhile and she said probably not -- she kept her personal stuff on 5 1/4 floppies! I said I hadn’t seen any of those around the house and neither had she.
I have put old PCs in storage. I have in time dumped them but I have reused many parts from them in newer builds. I only use Thermaltake power supplies so I have salvaged ones out of old computers before. The power supply in my newest computer is from the previous build in 2013. I have a new one in the closet but this worked fine. My case was the one I bought for my first build in 2006. I have built four PCs in this case now. I always look at new cases, I am very picky and don’t go cheap, but I always end up looking at the new version of this same case, and it offers nothing I don’t have but USB-3 sockets on the front. I just add lots of them in the back, and run extensions around to the front. I like that better anyway. The case comes with a power supply but I would change it anyway. As I said, I only use Thermaltake power supplies. I buy one when it is on sale and keep it in storage for when needed. This has worked well. I also salvage drives, add on cards (I have reused some several times), and I have reused a CPU cooler from an earlier build in a previous build (I like Zalman coolers). On my last build I used a new German model. It seems fine and was easier to install (always a pain).
In my case, I’m just overwhelmed with stuff to the point where I can’t do anything, so it’s a fire sale -- everything must go. Plus, I’m not as steady on my feet as I used to be and prefer straight lines instead of meandering paths. Last month I was on the back porch feeding the birds and tripped over something, bounced off the patio table and crashed to the ground. I can’t handle any obstacles anymore.
Happy “That’s a good ‘coon” Caturday, Gerbil Nation!
Good day, Sven, and Mac!
Feeling better today, Paddy?
Marginally so. We have tickets to the Angel’s game tonight, but I’m not going, and I’m going to skip church tomorrow as I don’t want to spread this around.
Mac -- I like those HDD enclosures. I have an old one for PATA drives that requires installation on a sled. I like the idea of a tool-less enclosure, especially when going through a lot of drives.
My old enclosures were rather pain, I guess they were intended for long term connection. I have a lot of those but don’t use them much as many will not take larger drives. For short term use the one I showed is very convenient, and the ones that plug into the drive while it sits on the desk are also easy to use. For USB drives I mostly buy the Western Digital external drives as they are usually cheaper than the same size drive by itself. I have even taken some out of the enclosures to use as internal drives, though that does not always work. That Sabrent enclosure is not as robust for much handling but it sure is easy to use.
A vehicle-rodent update. Been more than a week now, electronic repeller in my truck; scent packs in Mrs Sven’s Jeep. So far, both appear to be working with no new signs of rodent activity. Just replaced the heat insulation pad in the Jeep’s engine compartment -- hopefully this will keep up as that pad was ridiculously high-priced.
Was forced to get a new work laptop. They set up all the programs and such, but content is my responsibility. More clean up jobs, plus I want to clean out the old laptop before turning it back in.
Good morning, GN.
Did you guys watch anything good yesterday, Dv8?
Feeling better today, Paddy?
Still held captive by cats, Mac?
Good morning, Sven. I am typing this with my left hand because there is a little purring cat head snoozing on my right hand which is holding my mouse, so literally yes.
You are the cat whisperer!
Elena called last night and said she will come home this morning and they will pick up the cats later today. The cats will probably be back when they go to move later (they have been showing their house this week and last.)
OK, a computer question. Whenever an old PC stopped working for whatever reason, I stuck it in the garage thinking I’d do all kinds of things with it. Never did and I need the space and my criteria now for most things is “will I read, watch, wear, use, or do anything with this object in the next 5 years” and if not, it’s going away.
Anyhow, there’s an e-waste thing this weekend, so those old PCs have to go. I’ve removed the hard drives from each. I’m usually diligent about transferring old data from old to new, but I think there’s one where it crashed and I used an old backup to transfer data forward. I’d like to see what’s on these hard drives, and I see all types of cables and equipment that make it sound easy, but I’m worried that whatever caused the crash could create problems if I use my new Dell to view what’s on the drives.
Is this a legitimate concern?
I use those connectors, or external drive housings, to connect drives through USB in order to check or copy data. It should not pose a risk to your newer PC unless there is a virus or such. If there is a problem with the drive it will usually just not show up.
Thanks, Mac
If they are regular hard drives you will want one that plugs into the wall for power. If they are old enough you might want a converter that has provision for PATA, the old ribbon cable, as well as the newer SATA connection. I have had a lot of these and one thing I ran into with some was that they were limited in the capacity of the drives they could connect. I had to buy a couple of newer ones for drives over 4TB. That was no problem when I got them but I found the bigger drives did not show up and I did not know why until I ran across that spec. The newer ones I got worked fine with the bigger drives, up to 14TB so far. There are very simple connectors that are powered by the USB connection, or a second USB connection, but I think those are best used with SSD drives or the 2 1/2″ HDDs for laptops.
This one I bought twice. The first one had the size limit I ran into. I had liked it enough I bought a new one. I like that I did not have to assemble it with the drive, it just slides in and you close the cover. It is nice when you want the drive connected for a while.
https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-External-Lay-Flat-Docking-EC-DFLT/dp/B00LS5NFQ2/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3S2934IV930VL&keywords=usb%2Bdrive%2Benclosure&qid=1686424677&s=instant-video&sprefix=USB%2Bdrive%2Bhousing%2Cinstant-video%2C106&sr=1-1-catcorr&th=1
There are cheaper ones that just plug into the drive sitting on your desk, like this one.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B5L96DW4/ref=sspa_dk_detail_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&pd_rd_i=&pd_rd_i=B0B5L96DW4p13NParams&s=instant-video&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWxfdGhlbWF0aWM
Neither of these do PATA but any PATA drives will be small enough for my old connectors or drive housings. Just something to consider if the drives you have are that old
These all work with any SATA drive, 3 1/2″ or 2 1/2″.
Thanks, Mac. I was looking at the Sabrent offerings on Amazon. Two of the drives are Seagate Barracuda 7200. One is 200GB and the other 1TB -- both came out of HP Pavilion desktops. Going to look at those first.
I have used a number of Sabrent products, as well as their enclosures. I have generally found them fine. As I mentioned, when I replaced that enclosure, I bought a newer version of the same one because I liked it. They look identical.
If you want to email me an address, I will send you my older one. It should work fine with those drives. I think the limit was 4TB but it might have been 2TB. I don’t do much with drives less than 6TB now so I would not miss it.
Thanks, Mac, but I don’t want to put you out -- they are cheap enough on Amazon and I’ll buy one there. One reason for even dicking around with these drives is that I’m trying to put together a personal chronology -- my memory is not what it used to be. There’s probably not much on these drives that I don’t have elsewhere, but maybe something.
Heh. I asked Mrs Sven if she thought there was anything on these machines worthwhile and she said probably not -- she kept her personal stuff on 5 1/4 floppies! I said I hadn’t seen any of those around the house and neither had she.
I have put old PCs in storage. I have in time dumped them but I have reused many parts from them in newer builds. I only use Thermaltake power supplies so I have salvaged ones out of old computers before. The power supply in my newest computer is from the previous build in 2013. I have a new one in the closet but this worked fine. My case was the one I bought for my first build in 2006. I have built four PCs in this case now. I always look at new cases, I am very picky and don’t go cheap, but I always end up looking at the new version of this same case, and it offers nothing I don’t have but USB-3 sockets on the front. I just add lots of them in the back, and run extensions around to the front. I like that better anyway. The case comes with a power supply but I would change it anyway. As I said, I only use Thermaltake power supplies. I buy one when it is on sale and keep it in storage for when needed. This has worked well. I also salvage drives, add on cards (I have reused some several times), and I have reused a CPU cooler from an earlier build in a previous build (I like Zalman coolers). On my last build I used a new German model. It seems fine and was easier to install (always a pain).
In my case, I’m just overwhelmed with stuff to the point where I can’t do anything, so it’s a fire sale -- everything must go. Plus, I’m not as steady on my feet as I used to be and prefer straight lines instead of meandering paths. Last month I was on the back porch feeding the birds and tripped over something, bounced off the patio table and crashed to the ground. I can’t handle any obstacles anymore.
Happy “That’s a good ‘coon” Caturday, Gerbil Nation!
Good day, Sven, and Mac!
Marginally so. We have tickets to the Angel’s game tonight, but I’m not going, and I’m going to skip church tomorrow as I don’t want to spread this around.
Mac -- I like those HDD enclosures. I have an old one for PATA drives that requires installation on a sled. I like the idea of a tool-less enclosure, especially when going through a lot of drives.
My old enclosures were rather pain, I guess they were intended for long term connection. I have a lot of those but don’t use them much as many will not take larger drives. For short term use the one I showed is very convenient, and the ones that plug into the drive while it sits on the desk are also easy to use. For USB drives I mostly buy the Western Digital external drives as they are usually cheaper than the same size drive by itself. I have even taken some out of the enclosures to use as internal drives, though that does not always work. That Sabrent enclosure is not as robust for much handling but it sure is easy to use.
A vehicle-rodent update. Been more than a week now, electronic repeller in my truck; scent packs in Mrs Sven’s Jeep. So far, both appear to be working with no new signs of rodent activity. Just replaced the heat insulation pad in the Jeep’s engine compartment -- hopefully this will keep up as that pad was ridiculously high-priced.
Was forced to get a new work laptop. They set up all the programs and such, but content is my responsibility. More clean up jobs, plus I want to clean out the old laptop before turning it back in.