Data From Damaged Laptop

I've been using a Knoppix Live CD for this. Here's what you need to do:

http://lifehacker.com/software/disk-recovery/geek-to-live--rescue-files-with-a-boot-cd-192982.php

Was the hard drive harmed? It shoulden't be a problem, but it does depend on the damage. Is it in the bottom of the pool? get run over my a mac truck? "fall" out the window of your 35th floor office?

The problem is that the laptop is not working at all. Water was spilled into it. I stopped the laptop and and removed the battery and the hard drive. I also tried to wiped the computer of any water. I later on got it dried at room temperature for a week.

What I noticed was that there was no water around the hard drive and the battery.

With the laptop damaged how do I get the other computer to read the hard drive?

If the hard drive has an IDE interface you can get an adaptor cable that will plug into the IDE cable of the desktop. Or you could buy an inexpensive case that has IDE to SATA circuitry built in.

Oops, forgot link:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812156017

I believe that this is the way to have my problem solved. I'm going to get me an external drive enclosure. Thanks very much for your help.

My drive is working fine with the external drive enclosure I got. Most of the programs are working. Few of the remaining programs like Microsolt Office Home Edition will not start for the external drive. I also can not open any documents that I created with MicroSolt Office Home Edition. each time I try to open any of the documents, I get a message " Access denied". Is there anyway that I can get to these documents?

When the drive was in the laptop, I had about three Accounts for three persons that could use the laptop.

Why don't people keep a backup of all important data????????

It really beats me how people treat their important data.........

The tip on removing the hard disk and connecting it to the PC is your best alternative....

Next time, keep a backup on a USB disk......

Dr. Moose's answer is the best. I had the exact same thing happen, and picked up an inexpensive enclosure at Circuit City. Yes, when they were still around. I think it was around $20. You simply drop the laptop drive into it, screw down the top, and now you have a portable external drive that you can use anywhere you go. Mine even had a USB connect to simplify everything.

Thanks guys, I purchased one of the enclosures at Micro Center. I did get some of my files working. I need to reinstall few of them. I'm very grateful for the information I got from you. Thanks tp CR$.

Good morning, all,

Kilomark, converting your 2.5" laptop drive to a portable external drive will work great as others have indicated. However, you didn't mention how old the drive is. In our lab we did the same thing with an older (made in 2001?) 2.5" drive. However, we found that it required more current than a single USB port could provide so we had to use a Y-cable that provided a double 'dose' of current to the drive. I think the newer generation of drives require less current to operate as compared to the older style. It's kinda weird but that was the only way we could get the drive to work. Good luck, let us know how it turns out.

Logan

GA from me.

Logan,

Thanks for your information. My laptop was purchased in 2002. Therefore I want to believe that the drive is a 2001 make. I'm not sure. I will have to remove the drive and take it to the computer store for verification. The technicians there should be able to advice me about the right items I will need.

Thanks again