# Laptop hard drive, Need Help Bad
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-hard-drive-need-help-bad/22751
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 18, 2000, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-hard-drive-need-help-bad/22751 "2000-06-18T03:31:43Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2000, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-hard-drive-need-help-bad/22751/1 "2000-06-18T03:31:43Z")
I accidently physically destroyed my laptop. THe hard drive though is intact. I need information off of it. What I would like to do is install it in my desktop so that I could access this info. Unfortunately it doesn’t have the same connectorys as a standard hard drive. Does anybody know where I can buy a convertor so that I can put this hard drive in my desktop?
It’s a 4.3 gig drive out of a presario 1655.
THe drive in question is a Fijitso model 4hc2040at.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
---
### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2000, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-hard-drive-need-help-bad/22751/2 "2000-06-18T03:51:48Z")
Not a problem. I have one of these adapters in my gadget box. The connector is based on IDE spec although it is different physically than the standard IDE connector.
You can get adapters for around 10.00 - 15.00 that will allow you to connect this drive to a standard IDE cable.
**MAKE SURE** you know the pin out of this drive and where pin one (1) is for purposes of cable polarity because the power is sent through one of the the cable pins and if you connect the cable backwards to a notebook drive you can blow out the drive electronics.
See
[http://www.dalco.com](http://www.dalco.com)
[http://www.cyberguys.com](http://www.cyberguys.com)
---
### Author:  [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2000, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-hard-drive-need-help-bad/22751/3 "2000-06-18T04:08:04Z")
Thanks! I’m not sure what the name of what I am looking for is though. COuld I trouble you tro provide a link to the specific product I need?
Thanks again in advance.
---
### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2000, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-hard-drive-need-help-bad/22751/4 "2000-06-18T04:25:07Z")
[Shortened link](http://www.dalco.com/cgi-bin/tame.exe/dalco/!GoldPaint/cartview.tam?cart=00F18wvx.blu&uu=7797395&lpg=/dalco/search2.tam&lpt=961302048)
the above is all one link
or go to the [http://www.dalco.com](http://www.dalco.com) site and look for part number
48760
It’s $ 9.00
**[Moderator’s note: I shortened the link to prevent screen scrolling. -manhattan]**
---
### Author:  [@billehunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billehunt)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2000, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-hard-drive-need-help-bad/22751/5 "2000-06-18T06:23:26Z")
Do you have another laptop? Even a different brand has a good chance of reading it. Suck the data off via network or ‘direct cable connection’ (assuming this is Windows; I believe you mentioned using Power Point on it.)
---
### Author:  [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2000, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-hard-drive-need-help-bad/22751/6 "2000-06-18T15:15:46Z")
Billiehunt, how would you connect _two_ drives into one laptop?
In my desktop I back up but just connecting a second drive and making an exact copy. Then I disconnect it and put it away. (I have not put the cover on the box since I bought it)
I would like to have two identical drives for my Acer Extensa 368 and do the same thing. I guess it would require a sort of combination y-conector - extension that would provide two external connectors.
---
### Author:  [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2000, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-hard-drive-need-help-bad/22751/7 "2000-06-18T15:39:37Z")
I think the question has been answered, but I thought, given the name of the poster, that I would express my regret that the question wasn’t titled “Between a rock and a hard drive”.
---
### Author:  [@billehunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billehunt)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2000, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-hard-drive-need-help-bad/22751/8 "2000-06-18T18:42:33Z")
**sailor** wrote
> [@](#):
>
> Billehunt (spelling corrected), how would you connect _two_ drives into one laptop?
I don’t know if this can be done. I’ve never actually seen it done, although it may be possible.
You are right, having two drives set up would be an easier solution for copying the contents. I was just pointing out that without a special adaptor, another solution is available.
---
### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2000, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-hard-drive-need-help-bad/22751/9 "2000-06-18T19:14:52Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*\*
> **sailor** wrote
>
> > [@](#):
> >
> > Billehunt (spelling corrected), how would you connect _two_ drives into one laptop?
>
> I don’t know if this can be done. I’ve never actually seen it done, although it may be possible.
>
> You are right, having two drives set up would be an easier solution for copying the contents. I was just pointing out that without a special adaptor, another solution is available.
> \*\*
If your really want to do this Apricorn replacment drive kits come with just such an adapter (see [http://www.necx.com](http://www.necx.com))for transferring info from old drive to new with both connected at once but few notebooks (if any) would allow both drives to be inside unit. The IDE channel chipset in a notebook is based on the same drive channel setup as a desktop and allows a single notebook IDE channel to accomodate two drives via connection off that channel.
---
### Author:  [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)
#### Post date: [June 19, 2000, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-hard-drive-need-help-bad/22751/10 "2000-06-19T17:31:43Z")
Ordered that stuff today. Thanks astro. You are a lifesaver!
---
### Author:  [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2000, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-hard-drive-need-help-bad/22751/11 "2000-06-21T22:44:23Z")
Ummm. Okay, I got the connector. How do I figure out which side the power goes to?
---
### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2000, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-hard-drive-need-help-bad/22751/12 "2000-06-22T04:09:26Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*\*
> Ummm. Okay, I got the connector. How do I figure out which side the power goes to?
> \*\*
go to [http://www.fujitsu.com](http://www.fujitsu.com) and go to US support area
or
[http://www.fcpa.com/support/su\_support\_frame.html](http://www.fcpa.com/support/su_support_frame.html)
go to discontinued drives
go to MHC2040AT drive type
go to jumpers
---
### Author:  [@GaWd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaWd)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2000, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-hard-drive-need-help-bad/22751/13 "2000-06-22T09:10:24Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*\*
> **Bill H.**
> I don’t know if this can be done. I’ve never actually seen it done, although it may be possible.
>
> You are right, having two drives set up would be an easier solution for copying the contents. I was just pointing out that without a special adaptor, another solution is available.
> \*\*
Bill, I don’t believe there are any laptops on the market today with the ability to add a second hard drive.
With todays portable storage solutions, there is no real need for 2 drives, IMO. With USB, FireWire, SCSI ports, Docking stations and network transfers today, and the cheap price of today’s HDD’s, it’s just a waste of space.
An extra drive slot would really muck up the footprint and weight of a lappy.
**Scylla** , I believe that power is included in the ribbon cable for your HD, and if you line the red stripe up with pin 1, you’re in business!!
-Sam
---
### Author:  [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2000, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-hard-drive-need-help-bad/22751/14 "2000-06-22T13:19:29Z")
Well, I went to the Fujitso website, and couldn’t find anything helpful.
I looked at the old cable, and saw that one side was a little thicker than the other. I assumed that was where the power was, so I took a chance and plugged it in that way.
It worked!
I got my data back!
Thanks guys!
where do I send the check?
---
### Author:  [@aenea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aenea)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2000, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-hard-drive-need-help-bad/22751/15 "2000-06-22T16:36:06Z")
I’m glad you got your info from that drive.
This won’t help you now, but for future reference - the drive you were hooking up has two sets of pins. The long rows you obviously figured out is where the cable goes, the four small pins are where you would put the jumper if you needed it. Always point the red of the cable toward those 4 pins, and you are in like Flynn.
Unlike a larger drive, the cable supplies your power to these little drives, so no additional hookup is needed.
I work with a bunch of different makes and models of these small drives every day. We use them as one of the components of the product we make.
---
### Author:  [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2000, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-hard-drive-need-help-bad/22751/16 "2000-06-22T23:31:40Z")
So Scylla, do you stil have the power adapter for the laptop? Someone gave us [thrift shop] one with no power adapter. 15v 1amp or there abouts…
---
### Author:  [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2000, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-hard-drive-need-help-bad/22751/17 "2000-06-22T23:41:22Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*\*
> It worked!
>
> I got my data back!
>
> Thanks guys!
>
> where do I send the check?
> \*\*
I’ll take it, if no one else speaks up. Always glad to take credit for others’ work.
---
### Author:  [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)
#### Post date: [June 23, 2000, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-hard-drive-need-help-bad/22751/18 "2000-06-23T03:07:20Z")
It’s a Targus replacement for a 1600 series compaq replacement. I only have the power tip for that model, but you can buy others at the Targus website cheap. Model number pa150u. Output is 16v/2.2a, OR 10V/3.5A depending on the tip.
Check it out at the website, if you think it will work, it’s up for grabs (I bought a model 1900 compaq as a replacement so the adapter is no good to me.)
---
### Author:  [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)
#### Post date: [June 23, 2000, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-hard-drive-need-help-bad/22751/19 "2000-06-23T03:12:35Z")
More info here:
> **[Targus Products](https://us.targus.com/collections/all)**
>
> Shop all Targus products including laptop bags, tablet cases, docking stations & privacy screens. Free shipping on all eligible orders.
---
### Author:  [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)
#### Post date: [June 23, 2000, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-hard-drive-need-help-bad/22751/20 "2000-06-23T15:56:30Z")
Thanks. I don’t really do specific laptop power adapters. They are kind of interchangable. As a matter of fact, I use a camcorder battery charger adapter to test some laptops. But its the tip thats the catch. The tip of the supply is big & few adapters are that big. The center post is large & that fools a lot of universal adapters. But I use some wires & paper & rig it to test them.
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-hard-drive-need-help-bad/22751.md?page=2)