Retrieving files from a older PC

Any hard drive from a desktop computer (and many older laptops) can be easily transferred into a USB Drive Enclosure like the one shown below:-

This one is for a desktop hard drive (3.5″) – whether an older IDE one or a newer SATA. It can be bought from PC World for about £30-40. Those for a laptop hard drive (2.5″) are usually cheaper and have the advantage of not (usually) requiring a power socket connection.

After connecting the power and drive connectors, you simply pllug in the power and a USB cable, simply plug it into any PC. Within a few minutes, it will show up in Windows as a new drive – just like a USB memory stick – with a drive letter like E, allowing you to access the files.

As it’s come from a Windows PC, you’ll need to look for your Windows profile – which will usually be under the “Users” directory.  Then look for the directories which contain your files such as Documents, Music or Pictures.