Hey guys.. I have an older Win 2000 laptop that is busted. Its screen is done. I have tons of pictures on the hard drive that I want to get off. I took my new laptop and took the H/D out and tried to put the old H/D in but the connections didnt fit. What options do I have to get these pics back? It has a ton of pictures of my first born and its going to kill me if I cant get them back. THANKS!!

There are a few methods. If the drive is worth recycling you could get an external enclosure and use the drive that way. You can get an adapter to allow connecting the 2.5" drive to standard desktop cables so it can be used in a desptop computer. I believe there is a USB adapter that can connect to the drive and allow access by means of USB without the External enclosure. That method is a temporary fix, as it isn't very protected. What is the capacity of the Harddrive? If it is small then it doesn't make economic sense to buy an enclosure. I know you don't want to hear this right now but your situation is why you should always backup. You are fortunate the drive is still functional, you hope. Well, if you are in the USA you are in luck. Newegg.com has an external enclosure for 2.5" IDE HDrives that is free after rebate. Look here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...

The majority of hard drives in Laptops are standard size, you need to swap over the drive carrier/connector to install in your newer laptop.

theese methods are very cheap if not bought at best buy i bought a 2.0 laptop drive enclosure for 12 dollars could have probably got it for less and an adapter for my desktop so i could use it as a slave for 3 dollars

The link I showed had an external for free after rebates but if you are fine with what you bought then it should solve your problem. You may need to take owership of the files. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308421

Cantholdmd: Laptops have used a standard laptop IDE connector (a little smaller than a standard desktop IDE connector) for a long time. Most of the time there is an adapter to connect it to the laptop manufacturers proprietory connector. These adapters can be very hard to visually distinguish between being part of the drive, especially to someone who is not familiar to these. Once you remove the adapter, you can't just place it in your other laptop. That installation of Windows is not configured for the difference in hardware. Also, your new laptop may actually have a SATA hard drive, vice IDE in your older laptop. I suggest you try an adapter or enclosure. These are great to have in your toolbox for emergencies: http://www.mwave.com/mwave/viewspec... They convert any standard IDE (laptop connector or full size connector) or SATA to USB 2.0. It even includes a power supply. At only 9.95 USD they can be a lifesaver. I have two one at home and at work.