Connect Hard Drive To Laptop Computer

[joe.s-b]

Is there any hardware which will enable me to connect a hard drive to a Samsung laptop. Some time ago I had a new desktop with 3tb drive. I gave my old machine away but still have 2 hard disk drives. I will pass them on but need to wipe the existing files. I could do this by reinstalling Windows XP which the recipient of these drives as a gift uses. I,m sure that it can be done but how please?

[Old_Geezer]

You can connect them externally by purchasing a suitable external caddy and plugging them into the USB port. But I'm unsure if you want to do more what with all this reference to reinstalling Windows. Can you rephrase the aim please ?

[hc4361]

Have you got the XP licence for each and every hard drive?
I would use the method OG suggests and wipe the hard drives to use as external back up drives.

[joe.s-b]

Thank you. With Windows 7 a reinstall wipes the current files as part of the installation and yes I have licences for the hard drives as theywere in the computer I gave away. Thanks. I don't know if XP wipres fioles on a drive when reinstalliong as 7 does but we will see.

[joe.s-b]

Oops for the typos but I'm sure you understand

[bhg481]

Your answer confuses me, Joe. Do you have the original Windows 7 discs or a repair disc.
If the former, you can install Windows 7 on a new computer but it can only exist on one computer at a time legally.
If the latter, the Windows 7 applies to the COMPUTER it came with, NOT the discs. That means you can replace the system disc in the computer and re-install Windows 7. It's possible that you can go through the motions of installing Windows 7 (including wiping the disc first), but it won't work as a boot disc.

[VHG]

Buy an external caddy to hold the disk drive. Make sure it can take your size drive with the right connector (probably SATA)

Then on the Windows 7 PC download and install CCleaner. Within CCleaner is a "Drive Wiper" option.

Plug one of the hard drives (in the caddy) in to the Windows 7 PC.

Start up CCleaner, select Drive Wiper (under Tools).

Select the external drive from the list of drives displayed.

Select "Entire drive" (as opposed to Free Space Only).

Leave the "pass" as "1 pass". Note you can select 3 pass, 7 pass, even 35 pass, but the more you do the longer it takes.

Start the wipe and it will overwrite all the data on the disk in the caddy.

Note on a 3Tb drive this could takes AGES, possible all night, so kick it off just before you go to bed.

[bhg481]

How many discs are there in your new disktop. If there's only one you will almost certainly have room for a second one. Fit your old disc into it and then use VHG's suggestion to wipe the disc with CCleaner. Repeat for second disc.
Incidentally, if there is only one hard disc in your new computer, what do you back-up onto?

[Old_Geezer]

Unsure I'd assume any reinstall wipes remaining free space well. You can get programmes that write and rewrite everywhere with random garbage, which would be sufficient for most non-criminal/non-spying situations.

[VHG]

>>>You can get programmes that write and rewrite everywhere with random garbage

Which is what CCleaner Drive Wiper does.

[joe.s-b]

Thank you forthe comments. I was not wanting to install Window 7 but XP. I will look inside my desktop to see if I can connect the hard drives and if so there should not be a problem. I am well aware of the licencing rules and follow them. No further help is needed and if I can't wipe the spare nard drives I won't give them away but destroy them. Thanks

[mikey4444]

I am no expert in this area but couldn't you just connect them to your computer with a USB cable ?

[bhg481]

Unfortunately Mikey, internal drives have completely different connectors to external drives. You can get adapters to allow them to use USB ports, which is what Joe was asking about.

[mikey4444]

bhg481...I didn't realise that ! I did say that I am not a very good techie !

[bhg481]

Just to enlighten you even further Mikey; if you took an external drive and opened it up you would find that the disc unit is actually an internal drive and the internal/external adapter is built in. Used externally they have the convenience of being able to be plugged into or removed from any USB port without needing to power-down the machine but at the expense of losing access speed.

[mikey4444]

bhg481...thanks again...I will add that to my meagre computer knowledge.
I bought a 1 terabyte Toshiba external drive and I am very pleased with it. Its small enough to just put in your pocket, so that I can take it with me when I go down to my caravan, and use it in my small Notebook computer there.

I am so glad I didn't take the advice that PC World gave, when they tried to sell me Cloud Storage ! I would have bought a pig in a poke, in that I could only use it with access to Wifi, or an expensive dongle connection to the Web.