how do I access a hard drive without using its os

[Shieldwolf]

I have an old hard drive I want to pull files from before I format it. I want to know how to boot the hard drive in my new computer without running the winxp os that is installed on the system

[wisefool]

Easiest way would be to just boot it up and do file sharing to move any files you need. If you do not want to do that for some reason:

Pull hard drive out. While the computer is off. (You will not believe..)

You'll need to provide more information on whether your old/new drives are SATA or IDE. IDE cables are the ribbon type, about 2" thick. SATA cables are thin.

Basically you want to move old drive to new drive, and boot using NEW DRIVE on new computer. then just open explorer and drag stuff.

Usually there is a boot order, depends on what motherboard/setup you have.

[Rob Beschizza]

It isn't clear if you mean "pull the files of Drive N without booting the os on Drive N" or "pull the files off of Drive N without booting the OS on my current boot drive"


If you just want the files off the disk without booting from the disk, just connect it to one of your drive cables and a spare power connector, leaving your current hard drive as it is. Unless your current boot drive is misconfigured as a slave drive, you can boot the computer as normal, and Drive N should be given its own drive letter by the computer.

Alternatively, pick up a $15 USB hard drive enclosure from newegg.com or Best Buy or wherever, and plug the drive into it.

But that's obvious, no? What are you trying to do?

[Cosmic Hippo]

So you want to transfer files from your old HD to your new HD without booting from either? Is that what you mean?

Because you could just boot to your new HD and pull the files from your old, or boot from your old hd and put the files on the new. A third easy way to go about this is download a program called PEBuilder and use it to create a BartPE disk, which is a Windows live CD that you could use to access both drives and transfer the files. If you want to move any of the files onto your WinXP harddrive, then you need to use Windows one way or another, because only Windows has truly stable support for the NTFS filesystem (because they're guarding it so jealously).

[instant0]

Use a knoppix bootable cd, or BartPE or "HIREN Boot CD" - it has all the tools you'll ever need.

[Cosmic Hippo]

Use a knoppix bootable cd, or BartPE or "HIREN Boot CD" - it has all the tools you'll ever need.

I was gonna say Knoppix too, but the last time I checked, Knoppix still had "questionable" NTFS support, and you couldn't even write to NTFS with it unless you disabled some security setting.

[Aszurom]

Hook both drives up in the machine. Hook the old one up where your cdrom is now, and it's probably on IDE1. You'll be booting off IDE0. Then just go to my computer, D: and find your files.

[Shieldwolf]

It isn't clear if you mean "pull the files of Drive N without booting the os on Drive N" or "pull the files off of Drive N without booting the OS on my current boot drive"


If you just want the files off the disk without booting from the disk, just connect it to one of your drive cables and a spare power connector, leaving your current hard drive as it is. Unless your current boot drive is misconfigured as a slave drive, you can boot the computer as normal, and Drive N should be given its own drive letter by the computer.

Alternatively, pick up a $15 USB hard drive enclosure from newegg.com or Best Buy or wherever, and plug the drive into it.

But that's obvious, no? What are you trying to do?

My old system died. The hard drive is good but video card isn't I want to get all my important files off that drive and then format the drive and add it to my new system.

[Rob Beschizza]

My old system died. The hard drive is good but video card isn't I want to get all my important files off that drive and then format the drive and add it to my new system.

I recommend buying a USB hard drive enclosure and placing the old drive in it. Then you can plug the enclusire into any USB port and it will be immediately come up as a removable drive on whatever computer you plug it into. Just copy everything over from it.

This will cost you $15 or $20, but is easy as hell.

[DennyA]

Just set the new drive to master, the old drive to slave, and put it in the new system. As long as you have an OS on your new drive and ensure it's set as the boot drive in the BIOS, the OS on your old drive will be ignored.

Then, copy the files you want off the old drive and reformat it.

Nothing to it.

[soundnfury]

I recommend buying a USB hard drive enclosure and placing the old drive in it.

Anyone have any experience with the enclosures that have the "one touch backup" function?

[Bill Dungsroman]

Anyone have any experience with the enclosures that have the "one touch backup" function?

Like Maxtor's? I have the network-ready one, and hell if I know what they mean by that. That big button on the front isn't some kind of magic back up button (like I thought!), it's just the power button. I guess they mean "one touch of your mouse, for about 5 minutes."

[Rob Beschizza]

Onetouch has never done anything for me, and I have two maxtor drives that have it. I push the button and nothing happens. My guess is that you have to install some memory resident Maxtor drive/backup manager for it to be awakened.