Accessing a HDD on another laptop

cambsno

cambsno

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Seeing if this is possible rather than take somewhere (may be quicker too):

Friends motherboard has broken - so can't use laptop (Windows - 5 or 6 years old). No backups but stuff on HDD they need. I have a MacBook so wondering if I can take HDD out of laptop and connect to MacBook and drag files over?

Assuming its a no, as its Windows to Mac, plus I have no idea why connector I would need to plug the HDD in - so a long shot but if possible please advise.
 
I think that should work as long as the windows disk is not encrypted and you have something like a SATA USB dock to plug it onto

Edit

Something like this, assuming it’s a 2.5” SATA HDD


IIRC an NTFS formatted drive from the Windows laptop will probably be read only on a Mac unless you out and pay for software, but that might even be a benefit in the circumstances
 
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Yup, a suitable connector should do it. a laptop drive shouldn't need any additional power, just what comes from the USB connector. I've done this many times.

The format of the drive will be a factor, as will any encryption.
 
Is it definitely a HDD? Or could it be SSD?
 
cambsno said:
will check, prob hdd
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It shouldn't matter as the connectors are the same. An HDD will need more power than an SSD but not more than a USB3 connection can supply.
The cable suggested by @Musicman is a sensible choice but you might need the USB-C version depending on what connections your Maccbook has.
 
Snapsh0t said:
The cable suggested by @Musicman is a sensible choice but you might need the USB-C version depending on what connections your Maccbook has.
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True, but I figured anyone with a Mac that only has USB C ports would already have some kind of USB A adapter or hub, just because so many things still come with USB A cables, and you save a few quid for a one-off use.

With an SATA drive you won’t see any difference in speed as long as the adapter is USB3.1; the drive will be the limiting factor.
 
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Looks like it could be an NVME SSD under the metal guard in the bottom left of the photo which has the sticker on it starting ET21C...

Remove the two screws to gain access. There may be another screw underneath at the end of the drive holding it in place, but that should come out easily and it will pop-up allowing you to remove it by pulling to the left.
 
JohnStewart said:
Looks like it could be an NVME SSD under the metal guard in the bottom left of the photo which has the sticker on it starting ET21C...

Remove the two screws to gain access. There may be another screw underneath at the end of the drive holding it in place, but that should come out easily and it will pop-up allowing you to remove it by pulling to the left.
Click to expand...

Yep, that part number is a caddy for an M.2 NVME SSD

www.ebay.co.uk

Dell Inspiron 3583 15-5570 SSD M.2 Caddy ET21C000300 0HTHJM | eBay

P/N: ET21C000300 0HTHJM. Dell Inspiron 3583 15-5570. SSD M.2 Caddy. N-332, Km 49. Do not buy any item for troubleshooting. 03189 Orihuela. CompuRed Technologies SL. Consult Experts.
www.ebay.co.uk
 
cambsno said:
Thanks, yes, I decided it must be there after finding out no-one had taken out a HDD.

Would this be ok to plug into and access? https://www.amazon.co.uk/KingSpec-Enclosure-Adapter-10Gbps-Support-Grey/dp/B0BMPN6DBD/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=3LL8VQD2PDWF4&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.W0EJxfo_VfoZqk_-koekyHAmHGCUgYLdx4yWgOEVDmhvM50D7kRdOJyG0k6UAsdR1g7txQWbtmLEBAoEbQ5cQXCkroThl1UIFe1byFND-25kAZBgnvYB6UMHnzs_V2DJGwJft8gE-YTT4E4dZmCTDG1BOlcBtVwVJQWKMVOjYrGSy1uXFTfsutdE3X0QfSuqjtomQHZD0_Ke7388gqqNVL9axhji6hL5TJoFU4HnXjY.W7Prtfxz1hH6-7B1eMAkKW4ren92TYAjmRz52BDYeUg&dib_tag=se&keywords=nvme+ssd+cable&qid=1716481477&sprefix=nvme+ssd+cable,aps,94&sr=8-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

There is no cable style that I could find like the SATA one posted above.
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Yes, that will work just fine. I have a similar one I used when I swapped to a larger drive. I resisted the temptation to return it after use as I know I’ll need it again in a few years time when I get a new laptop.
 
I would double check the drive you have because from the picture it looks like it has two 'holes' in it rather than one which means it's an M2 SATA drive not an NVME drive and that enclosure you've linked to says it doesn't work with sata drives.

This page shows NVME and SATA drives:

www.pcguide.com

NVMe vs M.2 vs SATA: Which is the best for your SSD?

NVMe vs M.2 vs SATA: what makes them different, and which is best for you? Let's find out together.
www.pcguide.com www.pcguide.com

Note that on the gold connector along the bottom, the sata drive has two holes whereas the nvme drive only has one.

I might be wrong but it's easy to check first.
 
JohnMcL7 said:
I would double check the drive you have because from the picture it looks like it has two 'holes' in it rather than one which means it's an M2 SATA drive not an NVME drive and that enclosure you've linked to says it doesn't work with sata drives.

This page shows NVME and SATA drives:

www.pcguide.com

NVMe vs M.2 vs SATA: Which is the best for your SSD?

NVMe vs M.2 vs SATA: what makes them different, and which is best for you? Let's find out together.
www.pcguide.com www.pcguide.com

Note that on the gold connector along the bottom, the sata drive has two holes whereas the nvme drive only has one.

I might be wrong but it's easy to check first.
Click to expand...
Good observation. Yes, B and M keys together mean it's SATA rather than NVMe.
 
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