Brainstorming: How to recover files from a dead laptop?

[CALSinCM]

My work-horse computer just bit the dust.  It's an 12 year old Samsung NP300E series notebook and either the power supply or the onboard connector to the battery has gone south.  Anyway, can't charge the battery.  Lucky I keep a backup system running and I walked away with 95% of my data intact. Unfortunately the other 5% is still on the system's 9.5mmH SATA HDD drive. 

The system has other problems so I'm not going to resurrect it.  But I want to get the data off of it and then retire it.

 

What are my options?

 

If I could get a fully charged battery I'd have the time to dump the HDD to an external hard drive.  But I don't feel like buying a new battery for this one-time data dump.  Dumb question: Is there a way to recharge a laptop battery without using your computer?

Or
I could pull the 9.5mmH SATA HDD, but I don't have another computer with a notebook SATA interface (my current system now is SSD).

Or
I could just get a price estimate on getting it fixed one of the laptop repair shops in Chiang Mai (maybe it's something simple), but after the Covid-19 lock-down ends in a coin toss at how many of those shops will ever reopen no less when.

Or ......

I'm open to other suggestions?  Thanks.

 

[doctormann]

How about getting a cheap SATA dock - Oriko or something similar?  You could pull the drive from your dead laptop and use the dock to extract the data via USB to your other machine.  A dock is always useful to have anyway.

 

Edited April 23, 2020 by doctormann

[johng]

I thought SATA was SATA is there a different standard for notebooks ?

Anyway there should be a device available "notebook" SATA to USB

So the data could be retrieved.

[kekalot]

as far as I know SATA is SATA.

 

you could connect that hard drive inside another computer or you can get either a USB to SATA connector or one of those little docking stations (wouldn't get a docking station for this myself)

even a USB hard drive enclosure, have some cheap ones on Lazada

 

 

[CharlieH]

Get a hdd enclosure, put the hard drive in it, you then have a portable storage solution with full access to all you files. This you can connect with a usb cable to almost anything.

 

Example here.......

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/25-inch-hard-drive-enclosure-usb30-to-sata-i276043506-s440159842.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.7.21682f05wUNKu5&search=1

[lopburi3]

These work well and take up no room and you can use later for external backups.

[tomazbodner]

Unless you're using bitlocker to encrypt your hard disk, you should be able to place disk into the dock, external enclosure or SATA to USB adapter to mount it to another computer. If disk has no issues, you should be able to copy all the data off. If the disk is corrupt, you may require R-Studio to recover data from it.

[gamb00ler]

8 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

These work well and take up no room and you can use later for external backups.

AFAIK those cables only work for SSD's which don't require much power and the USB connection can provide enough.  However a SATA hard drive usually requires more power than available from the USB port.  He should buy a USB dock with a separate power supply or take the old drive to a shop and have them transfer to his other laptop.

 

It's problems like this that prompt me to recommend that users that don't need to take their work on the road buy a small form factor desktop rather than a laptop.  Issues with hard drives, batteries and screens are much less of a problem for desktops.

Edited April 23, 2020 by gamb00ler

[ukrules]

21 minutes ago, gamb00ler said:

AFAIK those cables only work for SSD's which don't require much power and the USB connection can provide enough.  However a SATA hard drive usually requires more power than available from the USB port.  He should buy a USB dock with a separate power supply or take the old drive to a shop and have them transfer to his other laptop.

 

It's problems like this that prompt me to recommend that users that don't need to take their work on the road buy a small form factor desktop rather than a laptop.  Issues with hard drives, batteries and screens are much less of a problem for desktops.

Not quite right, I have quite a few USB spinning drives which work just fine over a USB only connection - the full sized HD's from many years back required a separate power supply but not the little ones.

 

In this instance I'm talking about my 'WD my passport ultra' drives, the older ones are not SSD and they work just fine.

[richard_smith237]

A laptop / notebook should work when connected to a power supply even when the battery has been removed. Or this is how my laptops have always been.

So, its likely a connection from the power supply itself. As such it could be something as simple as minor connection.

 

Years ago my laptop failed, power was getting to it, but it wouldn't boot up. A computer shop had it for 3 weeks. Couldn't fix it (no charge). So I just took it apart to check out what was in it... when I put it back together it worked fine!! it turns out the Motherboard had worked its way loose.

 

Thus: If you are going to bin it, its worth having a dig around and seeing if you can spot anything.

 

[gamb00ler]

7 minutes ago, ukrules said:

Not quite right, I have quite a few USB spinning drives which work just fine over a USB only connection - the full sized HD's from many years back required a separate power supply but not the little ones.

 

In this instance I'm talking about my 'WD my passport ultra' drives, the older ones are not SSD and they work just fine.

Thanks.... I didn't know the 2.5's work with those cables.  I do have one 2.5 spinner and cable like lopburi3 suggested.  That drive will be easier to use now.  I'll use it with my Raspberry Pi 4 that is arriving in a couple of weeks.

[andy72]

even if the batteries dead it should power on

 

so no lights at the front when plugged in?

 

fiddle about with the jack pulling slowly to left right up down see if its just a worn connection rather than no delivery

ive found that pulling the cable tight underneath the laptop sometimes works to

 

could simply be the charger light is on but nothing coming out
just a few things to check before you pull the drive out 

im using a 300e right now 

 

samsung chargers are cheap

 

also if your windows is password protected you wont get in

if ur using it on a usb i have my old hd in the dvd space i bought an hd caddy

just set ur new laptop/desktop to the same password

 

also try a different cable on charger difficult as its a clover leaf shape
a figure eight also fits you dont need the earth
if your is standard rob the kettle or rice cooker lead to try

 

 

Edited April 23, 2020 by andy72

[bendejo]

Yes.  Get an USB hd case, open up the dead computer and remove the hd, and put it in the case.

Connect it to a working machine and you should be good to go.  You can keep it for your archives, or after you've salvaged all your data you can use it as a place to backup to.  Done this lots of times.  Beware of the 300b USB cases you find in the cheap shops in the tech malls -- they may be seconds and of course all sales final.

 

 

 

[Metropolitian]

10 hours ago, CALSinCM said:

 

If I could get a fully charged battery I'd have the time to dump the HDD to an external hard drive.  But I don't feel like buying a new battery for this one-time data dump.  Dumb question: Is there a way to recharge a laptop battery without using your computer?

Or
I could pull the 9.5mmH SATA HDD, but I don't have another computer with a notebook SATA interface (my current system now is SSD).

Or
I could just get a price estimate on getting it fixed one of the laptop repair shops in Chiang Mai (maybe it's something simple), but after the Covid-19 lock-down ends in a coin toss at how many of those shops will ever reopen no less when.

If the battery is gone, most laptop are able to start with only the power adapter.

I have only had with a Macbook that it won't boot without the battery, but all other would.

 

And yes, it is possible to charge the battery without the computer but not casual. It involves disassembling of the battery pack and there is a big possibility the battery management system (its in the battery pack) is locked and won't work unless reset with a special device, even if the batteries were charged/fixed.

 

Check the adapters and plug, the NP300E laptop should start without the battery.

 

Yes you can pull out the harddisk and there are then a few options to do: 

 * in a enclosure with usb connection, then you can use it as an portable external harddisk

 * a usb - sata adapter (member lopburi3 said already) but the right one.

 * get a drive bay hdd adapter for notebook and replace the dvd drive of another notebook with this.

 * a few more, like another harddisk, put in the harddisk bay, and boot a live system (linux) to access the harddisk and copy the data over to usb (stick or another harddisk)

 

I can't answer the question price estimate and shops. I never do that ????.

 

10 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

These work well and take up no room and you can use later for external backups.

This one are for 3.5" sata harddisk.

His Samsung NP300E has a notebook harddisk and the sata connection are smaller.

 

 

[Metropolitian]

 

10 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

These work well and take up no room and you can use later for external backups.

 

 

This one will work with the harddisk from his Samsung notebook.

 

 

 

This is what I am using for accessing harddisks and can also be used for his harddisk.

It has both sata's and ide connections.

 

 

 

Edited April 23, 2020 by Metropolitian
double pics.

[Metropolitian]

31 minutes ago, andy72 said:

also if your windows is password protected you wont get in

Not impossible, done many times.

[Samt78]

I think the possibility that these files can be recovered is extremely small.

[CALSinCM]

Well, a Happy Ending that didn't include a massage visit.  Found an electrician who found a break in the power cable DC power cable.  A little solder and shrink tape and Bob's Your Uncle.

Backing this puppy up but probably going to look for a inexpensive replacement computer in the short-term.  Anyhow, it's good to go!

[teacherclaire]

Just take the HD out, connect it to a PC and copy the DATA you need.

 

    Most PC's have an extra DATA and power cable. If not, it's only a few baht. 

 

   But boot it from your HD, by pressing F 11 that you don't have interference from the still bootable HD of your laptop. 

Edited May 9, 2020 by teacherclaire