How to connect a second hard drive to a laptop? How to connect a hard drive from a computer to a laptop (netbook) Adapter for connecting a hard drive to a laptop

There are four ways to connect the second hard drive to the laptop.

1. The simplest option is when the laptop has a second seat for a hard drive. Unfortunately, this option is very rare - literally in a few models. If your laptop has this capability, you can find out about it from the instructions - and connecting a second drive will not be difficult.

2. There are special adapters designed to connect a hard drive to a laptop, for example: SATA-IDE, SATA-USB, IDE-USB.

They can be used to connect a 3.5" (or 2.5") hard drive from a PC to a laptop - most often via USB interface. However, due to the versatility of this solution, such an adapter cannot be called very convenient - for example, power for the HDD should be connected with a separate wire.

3. The third method is to use, which connects the hard drive to the laptop via a USB port.

Just insert HDD into this container (of course, it is important that the dimensions and connectors of the pocket and the hard drive match) and connect it to the USB port of the laptop. The hard drive is recognized by the operating system as a removable drive, after which you can start working with it. Available for both 2.5" and 3.5" hard drives hard drives.

4. You can simply use by connecting via USB 2.0 or Hi-Speed USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt. Additional benefit will become the outer shell external drive- it can be shockproof or splashproof, which will allow the use second hard drive without any worries. In addition, there are protected versions of external drives - with hardware password protection.

Eat alternative way connecting a second hard drive instead of the built-in DVD drive, but few laptops support it. In this case, you will need to disassemble the laptop, remove the DVD drive and replace it with an adapter with the necessary SATA cable. Most often, such modifications are made MacBook laptops 2008-2012 release. Since it is increasingly rare to find a built-in DVD-ROM in laptops, this method is losing its relevance.

The hard drive serves as the main storage medium for storing user files and programs, including documents, videos and music. There are many reasons why owners might want to connect a PC hard drive to a laptop. For example, to retrieve data after an operating system crash or to transfer data to new laptop.

The most in an accessible way connecting a hard drive to a laptop is to use an adapter or docking station.

Such a docking station costs about $30-40. For example, Anker USB 3.0. Its only problem is that it most likely does not support IDE and SATA interfaces. If you want to connect an IDE or SATA hard drive, it is best to use special adapters.

Sabrent USB-SATA/IDE adapter

An example of an adapter between USB and SATA is the “Sabrent USB-SATA/IDE adapter”, which allows you to mount hard drives as a portable HDD or flash drive.

Historically, these adapters were quite complex, but advances in technology have made them much simpler and smaller. Modern USB/SATA adapters provide reliable functionality for affordable prices. The model we are considering is Sabrent USB 3.0 to SATA/IDE adapter. This is a reliable, fast and at the same time powerful adapter. It has a built-in Molex transformer. This makes it possible to include disks with any interfaces. You can purchase most adapters at almost any store. computer equipment. They provide connection between the hard drive and the computer, but will not be able to support its power supply (especially for older HDD desktop computers). To work with such adapters, you need power through the computer's old power supply, which is not always possible.

Connecting the adapter

If you already have the hardware, then all you need to do is connect the appropriate side of the adapter (3.5 IDE, 2.5 IDE, or SATA) to the hard drive.

Note: Make sure the HDD jumpers are set to “Master” (especially if the drive is old; modern SATA drives rarely use jumpers).

Connect the adapter to USB port on your computer and turn on the power via the MOLEX connector on the adapter. Then turn the switch on the cable to power the drive. This is what a properly connected IDE drive looks like

Once power is connected, the drive will turn on and should appear in Windows Explorer as a removable or local disk. Here's what a detected drive looks like in Windows Explorer.

Now you can see all the old data that can be copied to the main media.

Note: When opening, copying or deleting folders on old hard drives With a previously installed Windows OS, you may encounter an access problem. This error occurs because file permissions were managed by the previous operating system. In most cases, it is enough to click the “Continue” button in the pop-up window.

If your drive is not detected by the operating system, but you have connected everything correctly, then the reasons may be as follows:

1) Jumpers are set to “Slave” mode. You must set the jumpers correctly.

2) File system drive is not supported by the OS. Most often, this problem occurs if the hard drive was formatted in Linux OS. In this case, you must boot into Linux to access the data.

3) The disk is damaged. In this case, it will be almost impossible to extract the data.

Practice shows that the likelihood of having to connect the hard drive of one of the computer devices to a laptop or the implementation of the opposite reconnection scenario is prohibitively high. A precedent for this could be a “digital disaster” that suddenly or naturally appears... The methods described in the article are intended to help the “puzzled user” in solving the common problem of how to connect a laptop’s hard drive to a laptop. Of course, valuable material, consisting of extremely effective recommendations, will affect all options for interface interaction of various types of information storage devices in order to obtain full access to the data on them.

Discord in the single purpose of the hard drive: a threat to a healthy psyche

Wow, how confusing everything is! are equipped with one type of storage device, laptops and a separate type of computing device with a NET prefix are equipped with another. However, all these devices have a single universal ability - storing and processing information. This means that “interface differences” when deciding how to connect a hard drive from a computer to a laptop can be circumvented. And also to avoid the state of slight confusion that often arises (for a “victim of technological circumstances”), when the hard drive of a failed PC contains extremely necessary data that is needed “right now.” Relax, dear reader, there is a way out! Take a breath... and not even in a single version!

to the laptop: instructions for SATA devices

Let's take a closer look at this situation: there is a working laptop to which you need to connect the HDD from the PC.

First of all, you need to purchase a special SATA-eSATA adapter, when choosing which you must be guided technical characteristics receiver device. In our case, this is the presence of a “favorable” eSATA connector on the laptop.
Most modern portable configurations have this interface. Which ultimately will become a kind of answer to the question of how to connect a hard drive to a computer or laptop.

If your laptop has this type of interface, then the further initialization process takes place almost instantly. operating system It will literally immediately identify the connected device as an external drive. Moreover, the operating speed when organizing this kind of synchronization process is incredibly high, up to 6 Gbit/sec. Agree, with such parameters you can quite comfortably interact with data of any (within reasonable limits) volume.

Guide for IDE hard drives: universal USB port

How to connect a hard drive to a computer (laptop) if the drive has a somewhat outdated interface and the laptop only has a universal USB connector? Undoubtedly, it is a rather “complex symbiosis”. However, as mentioned earlier, there is a way out!

Everything is resolved using a special adapter that connects to the laptop using a USB cable.
The device's IDE input connector allows you to connect a PC hard drive, and a separately routed cable is used as a power supply.

As a rule, such devices are often universally used gadgets. Since they often provide two types of connections - SATA-USB and IDE-USB - using one controller adapter.

“Brotherly understanding”: two cords decide everything!

You will not have a question about how to connect a laptop hard drive to a laptop if your laptop has the previously mentioned serial interface, and your “reconnect” arsenal has an eSATA to SATA adapter (7+15 pin). Otherwise, you should pay a visit to your nearest electronics store and buy an inexpensive “pocket” for an external HDD.

This option is the most acceptable for the optimal solution to the stated difficulty. Since the owner of such an HDD container may well use the purchased device (in the future) for its intended purpose - as an additional external storage device.

By the way, the “HDD pocket” can be connected not only via the eSATA interface, but also via a universally used USB port. Which will make the situation incredibly easier when you need to connect a 2.5 ̎ drive laptop computer to a desktop PC. Do you see benefits from such an acquisition?

Climactic finale: extreme ascent of information at random

When deciding how to connect a laptop’s hard drive to a laptop, if the situation requires quick access to data on an external hard drive and when there is no necessary adapter, but there is a flash drive and access to the Internet:

Download Live USB distribution.
After you create a bootable Flash drive, turn off and unplug your laptop.
Remove the device's battery.
On the back of the laptop, find the text designation HDD, which is a kind of landmark that indicates the location of the installed laptop hard drive.
Unscrew the protective cover and carefully remove the HDD.
In the freed space, install a hard drive on which the information you need (urgently!) is stored.
After you boot from the flash drive, you can view the “secret data”.

This is how you can get a practical answer on how to connect a laptop hard drive to a laptop. Basic techniques for gaining access to stored information external HDD information has been reviewed in full. Good luck to you and all the best!

The computer stopped working, and there was a whole bunch of important data left on the disk that you don’t want to lose. What to do in this case? The answer is simple: connect the hard drive to the laptop and transfer everything to it. It sounds complicated, but it's actually quite simple. Anyone can cope with this task. This article will talk about how to connect a hard drive to a laptop. Let's figure it out.

Use external drives to copy important files

The most common are two interfaces for connecting hard drives. The first is IDE, the second is SATA. Everyone has long forgotten about IDEs, since this is the last century. However, if you have an old PC and need to move data, then do not worry, because the principle of connecting IDE and SATA is no different except for the type of connector. SATA is used on all modern computers and laptops. SATA is a serial interface for exchanging data directly with the drive. Connects to the motherboard using a SATA cable.

To remove the hard drive from your laptop, first turn off the power, then turn the laptop upside down and unscrew the cover hiding the hard drive. As a rule, it is located on the left under the battery. Once the cover is removed, disconnect the cables and remove the hard drive. In some (rather rare) cases, it will not be possible to get the hard drive this way and you will have to completely disassemble the computer.

Now let’s move on to the most interesting part: how to connect a hard drive to a laptop. For this you need a special SATA-USB adapter. The principle is quite simple and straightforward: the hard drive itself is inserted into the appropriate connector of the adapter, and the USB cable must be inserted into the laptop. The most convenient among the adapters are the so-called boxes. The device looks like a small case with a USB cable. Power is connected to the device, the HDD is inserted into the “box” itself, and the USB is connected to the PC. Very simple and convenient. Please note that hard drives may vary in thickness. This factor should be taken into account when purchasing an adapter. The type of USB port is also important. The newer the better. If your laptop has USB 3.0, then it is better to buy a “box” that supports it, because in this case data can be moved much faster. When you go to “My Computer”, you will see that another disk has appeared. Now, as usual, you can freely move all information between disks. If the connected drive is not displayed, then the reason may be in the drivers. Make sure the driver for this device has been installed correctly. To do this, go to the “Device Manager” of your computer, find “HID (Human Interface Devices)” in the list. There, also in the form of a list, all similar devices. If the driver is not installed or was installed incorrectly, try reinstalling it or updating it by going to the “Properties” of the device.

Of course, you can do without adapters, but in this case you will need to disassemble the laptop to gain access to the motherboard. If you have a regular desktop computer, then this is not difficult. Unscrewing side cover system unit, find motherboard and use a SATA cable to connect the hard drive. If you decide to leave the hard drive connected, do not just leave it dangling. It should be secured with screws in special “runners”.

As you can see, such an operation only looks complicated and requires special skills. Of course, if you are a complete beginner and have no idea about the structure of a PC, then it’s probably not worth going to disassemble it and it’s better to turn to a specialist. Now that you know how to connect a hard drive to a computer, you will always be calm about the safety of your information on the laptop HDD. Write in the comments about how useful this article was and whether you encountered any difficulties connecting the hard drive to your computer.

Today, many people know how to connect a hard drive to a laptop. But there are also those who do not yet know this.

There is absolutely nothing complicated in this procedure, and now we will look at it all step by step.

After reading of this description any user can easily replace a hard drive in just a few minutes.

Before that, let's say that there are only two connection methods - as a replacement for an existing hard drive and as an external drive.

Although it is interesting that many do not even know whether it is possible to connect the drive so that it is located outside the laptop case. So, let's begin!

As internal storage

Let's start with the most difficult thing - connecting the hard drive as a hard drive, that is, as a replacement for an existing one.

In this case, you need to do the following:

Turn off the laptop. All operations are performed exclusively with the power turned off. Otherwise, you can simply “kill” your device and nothing can bring it back to life. Of course, this doesn’t happen often, but it does happen.
Remove the battery. Most often, this is done as shown in Figure 1 - first you need to press the fastening locks (just move them to the side), and then remove the battery from the laptop case.

At the bottom of the laptop panel you need to find a cover measuring approximately 13x7 cm (it could be a little larger or smaller, but in any case it will be a rectangle). This cover must be removed by unscrewing the screws. This is done using a regular shaped screwdriver as shown in Figure No. 2.

Note: In some cases, laptops will have a single back cover, and it will not be divided into any compartments. In this case, you need to remove it entirely. Then you will need to immediately find out where the hard drives are. You can recognize them by their characteristic appearance and size (approximately 10x7 cm). Their appearance is shown in Figure 3.

Accordingly, it needs to be removed. The hard drives are always in a small mount, which is also held on by small screws. Accordingly, you need to unscrew them with the same screwdriver and remove the hard drive from the mount with your hands.
First, the mount itself is removed, and then the hard drive itself is removed from it. Figure No. 2 shows the discs in the mounts. But we need to take them down.
You can understand that the mount has been removed by one simple sign - you will see the board itself, that is, its physical appearance, without any insulation or additional coatings. Its appearance is shown in Figure No. 4.

In some cases, the hard drive is in a box that insulates it on all sides. Then it also needs to be disassembled.

This is not difficult to do, because it is attached to the hard drive on all sides with screws.

After the box or mount is removed, you need to install a new hard drive there. It is worth noting here that there are two types of hard drives - SATA and IDE. Appearance each is shown in Figure 6.

As you can see, they have completely different mounts. It's good if you are replacing an old hard drive with a new one of the same type. Then you just need to paste everything as it was.

The vast majority of laptops use SATA.

Otherwise, you will have to buy an adapter from SATA to IDE or vice versa. They look something like what is shown in Figure 7.

But it is highly not recommended to use such adapters in laptops, because there is simply nowhere to insert them.

There are short adapters, which are a regular board with a SATA contact on one side and an IDE contact on the other.

The appearance of one of them is shown in Figure No. 8.

These are used in laptops, but in most cases it is recommended to simply take the type of hard drive that is already in the laptop.

That's all! Now the new railway is in place.

If your computer has a free slot for a second hard drive, you can install it in the appropriate place in exactly the same way.

You may also be interested in:

Hard drive cloning: 5 best programs for your PC

What may be difficult?

The main difficulties during installation may arise with the fastenings of an existing hard drive.

The fact is that different companies make different mounts or even full-fledged boxes, and often users simply do not know how to remove them and what to do with them next - how to remove the hard drive itself from the computer.

For example, some Toshiba models have a small, one might say “auxiliary” compartment that needs to be removed before removing the main cover.

This process is shown in Figure 9.

After this, you will also need to remove the mount on the disk itself. This mount is shown in Figure 10.

As for the above adapter, it is usually called a connector in the literature. The process of removing it is shown schematically in Figure 11.

Some models by default have such a simple element in their design. And you don’t always need to remove it. There shouldn't be any problems with the rest.

It is worth saying that replacing a hard drive with a regular personal computer much more complicated, because there the corresponding wires and buses are connected to the IDE and SATA interfaces.

Often people confuse some of these and then problems arise.

On laptops everything is much simpler. Although, of course, everything also depends on the computer.

How to set a password on a laptop - step-by-step instructions

As an external drive

So, at first we said that many people do not know whether it is possible to connect a second hard drive as an external drive.

Of course, it is possible and this is done very simply - via USB, the most common and familiar port to all of us. Only for this you need to buy a special hard drive.

It’s called “external”. An example of this is shown in Figure 12.

As you can see, such a device has a single cable, which is connected via a USB connector to the computer.

In principle, for the user the process of connecting an external drive looks exactly the same as connecting a regular flash drive.

Yes, and on the computer it appears as if regular USB drive, just not in the “Devices with removable media” section, but in the “Hard drives” section.

Important: In the case of an external hard drive, be sure to select Safe Removal when removing it. Otherwise, damage is inevitable!

Today we can say with confidence that external hard drives are the future. They are very easy to use and do not require special knowledge to use them.

Therefore, very soon everyone will have a pocket hard drive.

In the meantime, it would be nice to know how to replace the hard drive inside the computer.

More details about the replacement process on laptops different types shown in the video below.