How Do I Get Data From My Old Computer?
Whether you are upgrading or buying a new desktop or laptop, one day you will have to say goodbye to a computer that you have been using for many years. Most of you will try to extract data from your legacy system before parting with it permanently. If you’re in a hurry – because you’re just as excited to create something new, faster, and prettier as I am – you’ll forget to do it and you’ll find yourself in a quandary.
At least that’s the situation presented by Lifehacker reader Corey, who recently sent the following messages to 911 :
I want to delete everything on my old computer, but …
“Hi David,
I have an older airlock too, but I sold the monitor that came with it.
I have a laptop and a TV and I tried to use an HDMI to VGA adapter thinking it would display on my TV or laptop, but it doesn’t work. I would like to completely clean my old computer before I simply dispose of it.
Any suggestions on how I can view content on my old computer? “
Why You Can’t Receive Signal From Your Old Computer
Good news: you have several solutions to solve this problem. First, let’s talk about what won’t work. Connecting your desktop to your laptop will do nothing, as your laptop’s connections are outputs. No matter what connection you use, connecting your desktop PC to your laptop will not display your desktop image on your laptop display. In theory, this is a great idea, but technologically it won’t work.
I’ve never tried using a VGA-to-HDMI adapter – in fact, this is the first time I’ve heard of someone actually using it, considering how old this type of connection is. I suspect this method will not work or has a high chance of failure because VGA is analog and HDMI is digital. You can choose the same, but whichever adapter you use will have to accept that VGA signal and convert it. If you have a simple cable with a VGA connector on one end and an HDMI connector on the other, it probably won’t work.
It’s also possible that whichever adapter you choose sucks for lack of a better way to spell it out. If you’ve been in a hurry with your adapter, or bought one that hasn’t been tested by a lot of other people yet, it may not be able to do what you want, because sometimes it does.
An adapter might help, but there is a better solution.
This is a tricky situation as what I usually recommend – a USB-to-DVI adapter that you then plug into a DVI-to-HDMI cable, or a simpler USB-to-HDMI adapter – will probably work. cost more than you are willing to spend on the solution. At the very least, I would probably ask around and see if any of my friends have an older monitor with VGA input before I shell out $ 30-50 for an adapter.
It’s worth checking to see if your old desktop has an S-Video port. This is unlikely, but if it does and your TV has one, you can pair them this way. It’s risky, but worth exploring.
Otherwise, I think your best option is to head over to Craigslist for your area and buy someone else’s cheap old display. Make sure they can confirm that it works with a VGA signal before paying for it, but this will be the best and most reliable way to get an image out of your system. And in doing so, you can start examining your data and wiping your system.
Looking at Craigslist in my area right now, people are selling their old crappy VGA monitors for about $ 15-30 . You can probably find something as cheap as this where you live; remember, it’s only important that it works, not that it looks good, has a giant screen, or something like that. Connect it to your computer, save or delete whatever you want, and dispose of it along with your old computer.
To access old data, try removing your hard drive.
Fiddling with displays and monitors is one approach. Since all you care about is the data on your drive, you can also open your desktop computer, unplug and remove its hard drive, and insert that hard drive into an external enclosure. I would recommend one, but I’m not sure if your drive is using an old IDE or SATA connection. (You can find cases and docks that work for both, so this is almost a moot point.)
Place your old desktop hard drive in one of these, connect the case to your new desktop or laptop via USB, and you’ll have access to all your files. Save whatever you want, wipe the disc and send it along with the old system for recycling when you’re done.
While it sounds like a process, removing a hard drive from a desktop PC is as simple as unplugging a few cables and unscrewing four screws. Try not to push the disc too hard when removing it. Do not turn it upside down or do anything similar, and make sure you touch the area of your (metal) case to discharge static electricity before fiddling with the internals of your system.
If I were you, I would go this route because it is easy and saves you money. Instead of spending $ 20-30 on a display you’ll never use again, you can opt for a docking station that you can definitely use in the future, whether you’re downloading files from another drive or copying files to a blank one. backup disk. etc. It’s much more practical than the crappy old display, but takes a little more effort for your situation. You can do it. I believe.