Connect the hard drive from the computer to the laptop. IDE connection
Imagine the situation: you are doing urgent work on your laptop and suddenly... the laptop turns off and won’t turn on again. There are only a few hours left before the work is due, and the repair of the capricious device does not promise to be quick. What to do?
The main thing is not to panic! You can still do everything if you have a desktop PC. It is enough to have a screwdriver on hand and know the secret of how to connect a hard drive from a laptop to a computer. This is what we will talk about now.
Briefly about the drives that are found on laptops
On modern laptops there are not only classic HDDs, but also . Both of them may have different, incompatible connection interfaces.
SATA
The most common interface for both hard and solid state drives is called “SATA”. It is represented by a 7-pin data connector and a 15-pin connector for power connection.
The SATA interface is most often found among drives for desktop computers; any modern motherboard supports it (if you do not take into account specialized and older devices). It is completely identical to the SATA standard, which is used in laptops. More precisely, this is a single standard.
IDE (PATA)
Drives with an IDE (PATA) interface today can only be found on very old devices – those released more than 10 years ago. Their distinctive feature– long 40-pin connector for data cable and 4-pin power port.
Desktop PC Motherboards latest generation The IDE (PATA) interface is no longer supported. To connect an IDE drive to a computer that only supports SATA, you will need an adapter.
mSATA
The latest generation of miniature drives are produced in the mSATA format. The shape of the mSATA connector is very similar to mini PCI-E, but electrically they are incompatible.
You can connect an mSATA device to most desktop motherboards only through an adapter, since this interface is rarely found on them.
M.2
M.2 SSDs are even more compact than mSATA and are used mainly on ultrabooks. They are produced with three types of connectors, which differ from each other in the location of the key cutout:
- Type B has a cutout towards the left edge. The part that is to the left of the key holds 6 contacts.
- Type M has a cutout closer to the right edge. The part that is located to the right of the cutout holds 5 contacts.
- Type B&M has both keys.
SSDs with slots B and M can only be connected to their slot type, while B&M can be connected to both.
M.2 slots are still very rare on desktop motherboards.
Connecting a HDD from a laptop to the same type of interface on a PC
Everything is simpler here. To connect a SATA drive from a laptop to a similar interface on the motherboard of a desktop PC, you will need a SATA data cable (in the picture on the right) and a suitable connector on the power supply cable. If the latter is not available, buy a Molex-SATA adapter at a computer store (in the picture on the left).
The other end of the SATA cable is connected to the port on motherboard. The port speed (3 Gb/s, 6 Gb/s) does not matter in terms of compatibility.
To connect an IDE(PATA) drive to IDE port On the motherboard you will need a wide 40-pin cable, a Molex power cable + an IDE 3.5-2.5 adapter.
To prevent the computer from trying to boot from a “non-native” drive, the latter must be switched to the “slave” position. This is done using jumpers (jammers) on the IDE drive contacts, which are located next to the power port. Information about the location of the jumper in the “slave” position can be found on the disk itself or in its manual on the manufacturer’s website.
When the jumper is set to the “cable select” position, the master and slave media are determined by the cable. In this case, the “slave” disk must be connected to the block in the middle of the cable (it is white in the picture).
mSATA and M.2 drives can simply be inserted into the appropriate slot on the motherboard.
Connecting a different type of drive
To connect a drive that is not supported to your computer motherboard, you will need an adapter adapter. For example:
- IDE-SATA (SATA-IDE).
- SATA-USB.
- mSATA-USB.
- M.2-USB-SATA.
- IDE-USB, mSATA-SATA, M.2-SATA, etc.
There are many types of adapters, but not all of them are easy to find on sale.
How to place a small mobile HDD in a system unit
Another problem that often puzzles users is how to place the HDD from a laptop inside a desktop computer. Here, too, several options are allowed:
- Installation in a 2.5" basket. Many computer cases the latest generation have SSD cages where you can insert a 2.5-inch HDD from a laptop.
- Using a 3.5”-2.5” adapter The mobile drive is placed inside the adapter, fixed, then inserted all together into a cage for a standard 3.5” hard drive and screwed in place. There are adapters for more compact media – 1.8”. January 13, 2018 by: Johnny Mnemonic
There are two types of hard drives - internal and external (like a USB flash drive). Connecting hard disks via the IDE interface, which is used on all older models hard drives. Or – SATA, which has a much narrower connector and cable width.
When connecting a hard drive to a laptop, remember that not all modern laptops have external connectors for of this connection. Then the connection can be made using USB interface. But for these purposes you need a specialized SATA/IDE to USB input adapter. This adapter can be found complete with a hard drive power supply. The unit is required due to lack of power from the USB interface. When connecting a hard drive through an adapter, you need to be extremely careful not to inadvertently damage the hard drive when it is lying next to the laptop. Manufacturers computer office equipment They produce special pockets for hard drives with the necessary built-in adapters. This pocket serves as a kind of protective cover for HDD. The container's connectors should be connected to the hard drive by installing the HDD in the container's pocket. Then to USB input laptop, connect the connecting cable and, if necessary, external power to the container.
If you often have to transfer information from your computer’s hard drive to a laptop, or vice versa, then you should purchase a special portable HDD. Such kind of hard disks has USB cable for connection, is protected from external damage by a durable case and is used specifically as a portable storage device.
Hello, friends.
Do you know how to connect a hard drive from a laptop to a computer? In fact, it is easy and today you will see it. The main thing is to find the compartment behind the laptop where the hard drive is located and do simple steps. Now I'll show you everything!
So, to connect a hard drive from a laptop to a PC, we need to complete 2 steps:
1. Remove the disk from the laptop
2. Insert it into the computer and connect
Let's move on to the first step. Turn the laptop over and take out the battery. This important point, so don't forget to do this. Next, we need to find the cover behind which the hard drive is hidden and unscrew a couple of screws. Usually on this cover there is an inscription HDD.
If there are several covers, but there are no inscriptions, then you will have to open each one and see exactly where the disk is located. The main thing you need to remember is where you are unscrewing the bolts from, in some cases they differ in size and they need to be put in their original place. Otherwise, then it will be like mine - the entire laptop is completely without screws.
We move the cover to the side and see a small hard drive. Here it is also secured with screws and they need to be unscrewed.
Great. We removed the hard drive from the laptop. Now you need to connect it to your computer.
Let's go to the computer. At the back of the system unit, unscrew the 2 screws and move the cover to the side.
The hard drive bays are located in the lower right corner. Now you already have at least one disk there. We will install the second one nearby.
To connect the hard drive from a laptop to a computer, we need two cables: .
There are corresponding connectors on the disk for these cables:
Let's connect!
Downsides These cables look similar. The SATA interface must be inserted into the connector on the motherboard. It is usually located at the bottom and there you will already have the first disk connected. We insert the wire into the adjacent connector.
And the second SATA wire is connected to the power supply. We look at the wires that come from the power supply and find the connector we need. All interfaces are unique, so you won’t be able to connect the wrong one or the wrong side.
As you noticed, the laptop hard drive is smaller in size than a standard one computer disk. This means that by default it cannot be secured to the system unit with bolts. Of course, if you inserted the disc for a short time, for example, to download it to your computer important files, then you can simply put it neatly on some shelf.
Otherwise, if you are using it permanently, you will need to take care of purchasing a special adapter, using which you can bolt the disk into a special compartment. Thus, due to the vibrations that are inherent in these types of disks, it will not break prematurely.
Good luck connecting the drives!
In order to connect HDD from our laptop to the PC, first you need to remove the hard drive from the laptop, this is done like this:
Connecting the hard drive to the computer
- First of all, let's open system unit(unscrew the side cover and move it to the side).
- Find the SATA ports on the motherboard (they are shown in the picture) that do not have wires inserted into them.
SATA ports on the motherboard
- Now we need a SATA cable to connect hard drive to the computer. You can find one of these in any electronics store; by the way, it’s inexpensive.
SATA cable
- The SATA cable has two identical ends, so we connect one end of the cable to the hard drive.
- And we insert the other end into the SATA port on the motherboard.
SATA cable to port
- Now you need to connect power to the hard drive. To do this, we look for a free wire that comes from the power supply and connect it to the hard drive.
Connecting power to the hard drive
- The hard drive from the laptop is connected to the computer, now we turn on our PC. After loading the operating system, go to My Computer and see a display of our hard drive. Now you can use this hard drive for any purpose.
BOX for connecting a hard drive to a computer via USB
Technology does not stand still and does its best to make our lives easier. A special BOX has appeared on the market, into which a hard drive is inserted and connected to a computer or another laptop via USB.
BOX for disk
Box is a rectangular box into which a disc is inserted.
BOX for hard drive
Such devices often have built-in power supplies. They are needed if the power USB port There is not enough hard drive to work.
Why connect a hard drive from a laptop to a computer?
This question has an infinite number of answers. Many people whose work involves working on a laptop store work information on their portable computer. And sometimes there is not enough memory on the laptop and then you have to dump some files on desktop computer. It also happens that the laptop broke down, and there were important files on it that were needed. In fact, there are a lot of possible answers to this question, because everyone’s situation is different.
Video on how to connect a laptop hard drive to a computer
If text instructions was unclear, or if you still have questions, watch the video on how to connect a hard drive from a laptop to a computer.
Any user may want to connect a hard drive from a laptop to a computer, for what purposes it is not important to us, but if he does not know how to do this, then after reading this guide everything will become clear to him.
As an example, we can give the following: the laptop on which you worked long and hard on some project broke down, repair is not a quick thing, and the deadlines are running out. In order to start editing or finalizing the project again on another computer, you can put the hard drive from the faulty laptop there.
Existing Interfaces
To connect hard drive and SSD there are two interfaces – SATA and IDE.
SATA– presented in all modern laptops and computers with more capabilities than the IDE. It has 7 data pins and 15 power pins. This can be seen in the picture below.
IDE- the standard is outdated, but is still found in many devices, albeit older ones. Released more than ten years ago, it looks like a 40-pin connector for data transfer via a special cable and a 4-pin power port.
If you need to connect a hard drive with SATA interface to the IDE connector, you will need an adapter.
mSATA– made in miniature form, most often found in laptops of the latest generation.
If you want to connect this interface to a PC, you will need an adapter, because even many modern motherboards do not have such an interface.
M.2– the format is even smaller than mSATA, made using this format often found in ultrabooks. The interface is usually found in 3 types:
- View B with the cutout positioned towards the left edge;
- View M with cutout positioned towards right edge;
- B&M view with both cutouts on both sides. This type can be connected to slots B and M.
How to connect a laptop hard drive to a computer?
So, everything is really simple here. In order to connect a hard drive with a SATA interface from a laptop to a computer, you will need a SATA cable (it would be more correct, of course, to say a cable). This cable is needed for data transmission. Next we need a cable for the power supply.
So, connect one end of the SATA cable to the hard drive, and the other to the connector on the motherboard. There may be several connectors, which are designated 3 Gb/s and 6 Gb/s, it’s up to you to decide where to connect, it’s just the data transfer speed.
Same thing with the power supply.
IDE connection
If you have an IDE interface, then you will need a 40-pin cable and a Molex cable for the power supply.
The computer can consider the inserted drive as a native one and boot from it, so that this does not need to be switched to the “Slave” position. Usually there are jumpers on the contacts of the disk itself, located near the power port, and they move the disk to the “slave” position. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you exactly where they are located; each drive is different. Read the manual or find information on the hard drive manufacturer's website.
How to connect drives with different interfaces?
If you have a drive that has a connector that is not on the motherboard, you will need an adapter. They are different types, for example, like this:
- Adapter from SATA to IDE or vice versa.
- From SATA to USB.
- From mSATA to USB.
- From M.2 to USB and to SATA.
There are many other combinations. If you need one, you can search for the product on the Internet.
What to do if you need to place a small drive in a computer case?
Many users still have old cases that cannot accommodate a laptop hard drive compactly. What can we say about modern buildings, they already have special blocks(baskets) for placing HDD and SSD in them.
You can try purchasing special adapters for 2.5 or 3.5 inch drives. There is even one for 1.8. 
Before connecting drives to your computer, it is recommended to completely turn off the power.