by Kimberley Heit

Created on: May 02, 2008

In most cases, yes you can save the hard drive from your old computer and doing so has many benefits.

A hard drive is the storage device where the data you save on your computer is saved to. They are similar to floppy disks except they live inside the computer tower and store much more data. However, just like floppy discs they can be removed from one computer and used in another.

There are several reasons why you might want to save your hard drive from your old computer:

1. Security-selling or throwing out your old hard drive can represent a security risk. Unless you have used a good erasing program your old files can often be recovered even after you have deleted them and reformatted your drive.

2. Most computer towers have room to store several hard drives, so even if your new computer has a new hard drive you can install your old hard drive to give you more space to save to. It can also be a great handy back up drive or used as a place to store all your files whilst reformatting your computer.

3. It makes transferring all the data from your old computer to your new computer simple and easy. Once your hard drive is correctly hooked up and recognized in your new computer you can move all your old files to a new drive by simply copying and pasting like moving from one folder to another.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SAVING THE HARD DRIVE FROM YOUR OLD COMPUTER:

Warning this process does require a reasonable amount of computer literacy as it involves opening up your computer tower and knowing your way around inside. If you don't have this knowledge it may be a wise idea to pay a computer technician to perform the task for you.

-Remove the cover of computer tower (normally they just have thumb screws you can unscrew).

-When you have located the hard drive you will most probably find that it will be held in place by 4 screws. You will need to unscrew these using a small screwdriver. However, some manufacturers use release tabs which you press and then can just lift the hard drive out. Some manufacturers use both screws and release tabs.

-You will need to unhook two cables-one is for the power and one is for the data.

-You can now lift out your hard drive and replace the cover on your computer tower.

To insert the hard drive into a new computer follow the steps in reverse:

-Open the cover of your new computer.

-Place the drive in the appropriate assembly point. Instructions on connecting the drive in the new computer vary from computer to computer and the type of drive you are using.(There

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>