So, which one should be used? MiniTool ShadowMaker can be a good option.Īt first glance, you may think it is only free backup software to back up Windows OS, file & folder, partition, and disk. As for this work, third-party software is recommended. What if you want to get data off an old hard drive so that the new PC uses the same OS, setting, data as the old PC? The simple method is to clone disk. You are used to using the Windows settings, applications, personal data, etc on the old computer and also want to keep the old disk on the old computer. Then, you may decide to purchase a new PC. Sometimes, your old computer can run from the old hard drive but it runs very slowly.

Of course, you can plug the old disk to your new computer every time for accessing files when you have a need instead of data transfer or copy & paste. Then, you can take some measures to get files from the old disk, for example, pull data from hard drive to your new PC. Just open the partitions on the old disk to use the old files and folders. Now, you can get data off an old hard drive. The disk connected to the PC should be recognized and displayed in Windows Explorer automatically without any software or driver. Some instructions on how to install the hard drive to the enclosure are shipped. Just choose a proper one from the internet.īesides, you can buy an external hard drive enclosure and install your old hard drive in it if you are planning to access the old disk data regularly. If you only occasionally need to use an old drive or just need to do it once, an adapter is available. The simplest option is to use a special USB cable adapter to connect the disk to your computer. The easiest way is to connect the old disk to your PC rather than putting it inside the PC. So, how to access files on the hard drive in Windows 10 becomes a common topic. Since much important information is saved on old disk, you may want to access the disk data.

I will show you details on how to get data off an old hard drive in this post.Īccess Files on Old Hard Drive Without Bothering to Put It to PC If you ever need to get at the data or files on an old hard drive, there’s easy way to do so without mounting the drive inside your PC. Depending on different situations, the ways to retrieve data from hard drive are also different. If you’ve been using PCs for a while, you likely have an old hard drive from previous computers sitting around. Just try one based on your needs to extract files from hard drive. In this post, I will show you different situations, as well as the corresponding methods to get files from the old disk. How to get data off an old hard drive? This is a common topic.

Boot computer without hard drive