Need some info about HDD enclosures

[Gig-O-Ram]

Ok, let me see if I can relate this correctly -

I'm going to be building a new system for my sister in the very near future, and she's in the process of backing up files from her 8 year old Compaq system to be put into the new system.

She told me that some coworkers suggested she take her existing HDD from the old system (running Win98SE) and put it into an external HDD enclosure, and then use it like a standard external drive to transfer the files to the new system, which will run XP Pro. I haven't looked in her computer, but I will assume her HDD is an IDE drive.

They were also telling her that she could just hook the old system to the new system and do it that way and that it would require extra hardware, but I told her that may involve networking the systems (thus the extra HW), and I told her I didn't think a 98SE system could be networked to an XP system.

Anyway, what should I tell her about the external enclosures? Can data from an 8 year old HDD be backed up and transferred this way?

[screwballl]

yes 98SE will network fine to an XP computer and as long as there is at least 1 shared folder on each, files can be transfered. You can hook it up to a router on the same network or can use a network "crossover" cable that goes directly from computer to computer. there is also the XP files and settings transfer wizard which will allow her to choose the files on her old computer to be imported into the new one.

My suggestion is the external drive option using USB 2.0 and since it is Win98, she is looking at maybe 5-10GB worth of stuff.

[gvblake22]

If you get a computer with an onboard PATA connection, you can just connect the drive directly to the motherboard and use it that way so you don't have to spend money on an external HDD enclosure. Or better yet, just plop all the files you want to save onto a CD, DVD, or flash drive and transfer them. You could even use the same HDD if you really had to save pennies!

[Gig-O-Ram]

Originally Posted by gvblake22

If you get a computer with an onboard PATA connection, you can just connect the drive directly to the motherboard and use it that way so you don't have to spend money on an external HDD enclosure. Or better yet, just plop all the files you want to save onto a CD, DVD, or flash drive and transfer them. You could even use the same HDD if you really had to save pennies!

The motherboard will have onboard PATA, so that wouldn't necessarily be a problem. But I tried this once in another setup and the drive wasn't detected by Windows. I was never sure if I did something wrong or what. And I'm not sure, but I don't think her old comp has a CD burner, and it definately doesn't have a DVD burner. She does have a SanDisk flash drive, but her system won't detect it.

[screwballl]

In Win98, the flash drives (and most USB items) need drivers to be installed to be recognized.
but as long as the Drive is FAT or FAT32 (but not FAT16) then it should be recognized by anything XP or newer

[Gig-O-Ram]

Originally Posted by screwballl

In Win98, the flash drives (and most USB items) need drivers to be installed to be recognized.
but as long as the Drive is FAT or FAT32 (but not FAT16) then it should be recognized by anything XP or newer

I tried to have her system look for drivers online, but to no avail. I don't know what formatting her drive has, but I could probably find out easy enough.

[fstroupe]

Personally, I'd try hooking it to the new computer, and if for some reason it doesn't recognize it (I'm assuming you did do something wrong before) then worry about spending money for an external enclosure. You can pick them up relatively cheap (under $50), but really no need for it.

Many, many, many people that think they know something about computers don't know that you can connect the drive into the new computer at all...or that you can have more than one hard drive in a computer. I know from the many blank stares I get when I say how many I have to a non-geek.

Get Windows installed, drivers installed, etc, in the new computer before you screw with it though. The new computer will be dual boot temporarily, so make sure that you boot Windows XP...it will ask during POST which one you want to boot.

Many flash drives aren't backwards compatible to USB 1.1, even ones that claim they are. And I've got one that one of my XP rigs won't recognize.

[screwballl]

the only time I have had issues was when I had a Windows 3.1 drive installed with FAT16 (or maybe just FAT) back with XP (before SP1 or 2) and it wouldn't recognize it... yet put it into my system with Win2000 Pro and it saw it immediately... but same drive in XP SP2 was picked up right away