Kajper's Info Corner

Rachel Jones8 said:This was a big one for me... so if that's how it works, I'm assuming I should be able to just hook up my old hard drive to a USB port on my new PC once I pick one up, right? Check this out.
For real?

Basically, yeah, you nailed it.

Just send it to me already! I can't wait to see what's coming next. Wait, what? )

Just take that with a grain of salt, okay? I’ve got zero experience with a device like this. Plus, you have to consider it was slapped together by some random guy overseas who probably isn't exactly expecting you to come banging on his door when things don't work exactly how you planned.
It’s the same old story, isn't it? You read these instructions and suddenly it’s all about the tiny details—little warnings here, compatibility issues there. Honestly, those cheap adapters that try to bridge one standard to another? They’re basically just high-tech junk waiting to happen. Why even bother?

This thing promises just about everything. Just keep in mind it’s mainly designed for external use, so think of it more like a technician's tool.
One more thing though—this is basically a one-time use product for you, right? What else are you even going to do with it?
Why bother listening to those old hard drives rattling around on your desk? Just let a pro use some decent tools to clone everything over to a new drive so you can just chill out. I'm pretty sure you don't have more than 100 GB of actual useful stuff sitting on those old disks anyway, right? It won't even make a dent on a new one.
I think the crew was suggesting you look into an internal card adapter, maybe?

Controller?

So, you’re thinking about "permanently" installing those old drives into a new rig? Honestly, you'll probably be disappointed by how slow they are and how much noise they make within a week. Plus, let's face it—they're basically on their last legs. I can't even remember which motherboard you picked out. Does it even have a spare PCI slot left?
Your solution is definitely more universal—at least on paper—but honestly, it feels more like a tool for IT pros than for regular folks who aren't exactly looking to get hacked. Just grab those drives you need, deal with them, and call it a day... or, like I mentioned ages ago, just hook the old PC and the new one up to the same router and pull whatever files you want over the local network. Simple, right?

User, where on earth do you guys live? Even out here in the middle of nowhere, I can always find two little repair shops that carry the same basic parts and fix things up for just a few bucks. Not to mention all those self-proclaimed "experts" who are always ready to completely wreck your stuff. Seriously, just bake some cookies and call up an old friend who actually knows their way around a toolkit. Suddenly, you’ve got your own little private social network: you hang out, chat in person, and someone actually builds something useful for you... and hey, I won't ask for any copyrights on your Pancake exchange service! 😉

Michael Jackson10 said:Basically, yeah, pretty much...

(now don't go mad with me, because here comes the but part)

Nope, won't do that... you've actually become quite polite.

take it with a grain of salt, though, since I have zero experience with this kind of gear. Plus, keep in mind it was put together by some random guy overseas who probably isn't expecting you to bang on his door when things don't work like they should.
As usual, it's all in those tiny letters in the manual where they hide little warnings about limitations or compatibility issues... basically, those cheap adapters that convert one standard to another? They tend to be total e-waste.

Obviously, I'm not expecting anyone to give me a 100% guarantee that it'll be amazing and efficient. I just... want a take on what I wrote regarding what it actually allows me to do.

This thing promises everything, but remember it's mainly designed for external use—more like a technician's tool.
Another thing, this is going to be a one-time use item for you, so why bother?

Of course it's for external use. I need to hook the drive up from the outside, right?
I don't even have it yet, and I'm not even sure if I will. But if I do... I don't know, maybe... I'll just sell it on eBay for half price. See this ad I linked? It was live yesterday, now it's gone—probably sold already.
And if I can just cut out the unnecessary stuff, maybe I won't even need it.

You won't have to deal with those old drives humming away on your desk. Just let a repair shop use similar tools to move everything from the old drives to the new one, then just relax. I'm pretty sure you don't have more than 100 GB of "useful stuff" on those old disks anyway, so it won't matter much on the new one.

Yeah, I know... I could save everything and move it back later... but then I'll never look at it again. I really want this new setup to start... well, fresh. Even if it doesn't take up much space, I'd rather not copy over the clutter.

I think the group was suggesting an adapter that looks like an internal card, like a

Controller

which lets you "permanently" install those old drives into the new PC, but you'd quickly get fed up with how slow and noisy they are, not to mention they're nearing the end of their life.

True... but the local tech shop said they don't carry anything like that... that works with ATA ATAPI.
Plus, I figured I'd rather not jam old junk inside my new machine... I'd rather handle it a different way.

At this point, I don't even know which motherboard you picked, or if it even has a PCI slot...
Your way is more universal, at least on paper, but it feels more like a technician's tool than something for a regular user who isn't looking to play hacker. Just grab some disks, wipe them, and be done with it... or, like I said ages ago, just hook the old rig and the new one together via the router and pull whatever you need over the local network....

It’s the same board I asked you about in my last post.
Yeah, I think getting rid of them is the best move too, and that's the plan.
Over the router... like I said, I have no clue how to actually pull that off. I'll figure it out somehow... a little digging online and I'll be fine.

User, where do you guys live? Even in the middle of nowhere in the Midwest, I can always find two tiny repair shops that have the right stuff and fix things for a few bucks.

What would they even fix for you?

Not to mention all those self-proclaimed "experts" who are always ready to mess things up beyond repair. Just bake some cookies and call a buddy who knows their way around a computer, and boom—you've basically started your own little social network: hanging out, chatting in person, having someone actually do something useful... hey, I won't ask for any royalties for your "Pancake exchange service."😉

People who love to screw things up... thanks, but no thanks.
I don't really know anyone famous who actually knows how to tinker with computers. Maybe one person... and I can't bug them too much.
Besides, I don't think it's a great idea to start messing with a brand new computer while it's still under warranty.
There's plenty of time for tinkering later.

Look, just stop wasting your energy trying to force the old gear to play nice with the new stuff. You'll probably hire someone to handle the Wins installation and everything else anyway, so just have them transfer the essentials via a thumb drive.
It’s a total clean slate. Trust me, you'll forget all about what was on that old rig before you know it. I barely use 5% of what's on my current setup—though, honestly, I've got that "buy everything" syndrome where if it looks cool, I grab it.
That tech person could also hook both computers up to the router and set up an ad-hoc network for you. Just fire up the old one, set the IP addresses, the SSID, and enable full disk sharing. Unplug the monitor, boot up the new machine, do the exact same thing, and boom—the old drive shows up as a network drive. Then it's just simple copy-paste... Once that's done, the old PC can stay running to download torrents, act like a jukebox, or you can just kiss it goodbye...

Rachel Jones8 said:This was my main concern... if that's the case, I assume I should be able to hook up my old HDD to the USB port on my new rig, provided I pick up this
right?

I don't think that's quite right. If memory serves, those older drives use PATA—they won't work with a standard SATA adapter.

EDIT: My mistake. Just realized this one actually includes a PATA connector.

Also, a quick thought regarding migrating data from the old PC...
You mentioned having an external USB drive. It's always an option to just boot up the old machine, dump everything onto the USB, and move it over to the new one. Honestly, the simplest move would be to do that now and finally retire—or scrap—the old PC. A little effort there saves you $33 on the adapter alone.

Michael Jackson10 said:Look, just stop wasting your energy trying to force old tech to play nice with the new stuff. You’ll probably end up hiring someone to handle the Wins installation and all that mess anyway, so just let them move the essentials over via a thumb drive. Why make it harder than it needs to be?
You've got a clean slate, don't you? Trust me, you'll forget about it before you know it. What was even on that old PC? I barely touch 5% of what's on my current rig—though, let's be real, I've got a serious case of buyer's remorse when it comes to digital content. Why do I buy everything that catches my eye?

I believe it.
I guess I should probably take a quick look first.

Someone could just hook both PCs up to the router and set up an ad-hoc network. You fire up the old machine, set the IP addresses, pick a network name, enable full disk sharing, and plug in a monitor. Then you just boot up the new one, mirror those settings, and boom—the old drive shows up like a network drive. It’s a simple copy-paste job. Plus, the old rig can stay running to handle torrents or act as a jukebox, or you know, just kiss it goodbye.

I mean, I could... but I really don't want to bug him too much. If he just gets everything installed and gets my PC ready for work, that's more than enough.
Wait, I’ve still got one question. Just curious—how can they even talk to each other? Like, how can both be online at the same time if one doesn't even have an internet connection? 😕
Yeah... I guess we'll be saying our goodbyes soon. Unless the new guy ends up being a total letdown, then I might just come crawling back to the old one. Hopefully, that doesn't happen, right?

Adam Thompson said:I don't think that's right. If I remember correctly, old drives use the ATA ATAPI path, so they won't work with that SATA adapter.

EDIT: My bad. Just realized there's a connector path too.

Oh, and one more thing regarding moving all that data over from the old PC...
So you're saying you've got an external USB drive?

Yeah, I've got an external hard drive, but it's pretty small. Only 250GB.

You can just fire up that old PC whenever, move everything over to a thumb drive, and dump it onto the new one. Honestly, it'd be easiest to just do it right now and finally retire the old machine. A little bit of effort saves you a decent chunk of change, doesn't it? $33 Looking for an adapter.

What can you even do with an old PC if you don't have a keyboard, a monitor, or a mouse? Any ideas? 😕
Besides that... I can't really just leave this box sitting around for months, you know?
Yeah, obviously I’m gonna try to handle this the easiest way possible first.
Just clearing out this old hard drive since it was already maxed out... I had to do it before I ran out of space completely. Didn't get a new PC or anything, just had everything unplugged and left sitting there, but man, there's so much stuff on here. It's easily double what I thought.
Actually... looking at it now, so much is already up there, so I won't have to redo everything from scratch. Just some refreshing, adding a few photos and important docs. It’s not exactly a walk in the park, but I'm getting there...
I've already cleared out a decent amount of space and set up some folders for everything... so I'll try to get this organized.
You can grab those kinds of adapters on eBay for like ten bucks, so if I end up needing one... it's an option.

Forgot to mention... the computer arrived, but who knows when it'll actually be up and running.

Rachel Jones8 said:How am I supposed to do anything with an old PC if I don't have a keyboard, a monitor, or a mouse? 😕

It’s honestly not that hard—you just swap those three peripherals over from a newer machine to the old one if you realize you forgot to move something over.

Adam Thompson said:It’s not actually that much of a headache to swap files between three different devices when moving from a new PC back to an old one, especially if you realize you forgot to transfer something.

Fair point... maybe it isn't the smoothest way to do things technically, but it's definitely doable. It just gets annoying if you have to jump back and forth constantly.
The bigger question is how they could even sync up if only one device has an antenna.
(Not that I'm actually going to try it; for now, I'll just stick to using an external hard drive)

You should probably just download HD Tune and see for yourself what kind of transfer rates they're actually pulling.

Not sure what’s going on here, but check this out:

HD Tune: WDC WD1600AAJB-00J3A0 Benchmark

Transfer Rate Minimum : 1.0 MB/sec
Transfer Rate Maximum : 78.4 MB/sec
Transfer Rate Average : 56.9 MB/sec
Access Time : 16.2 ms
Burst Rate : 65.0 MB/sec
CPU Usage : 45.2%

That’s actually quite decent. It’s still a perfectly usable drive for what we need today.

David Sanders4 said:That sounds good. You could still use those disks for stuff today.

What are you getting at here? Like, I didn't even need a new computer, right?

Since I know you can't permanently wipe data, I wouldn't want to pass those disks around—I'd rather just toss them or destroy them. Doesn't make sense to hang onto them if they aren't worth anything, right?
The data is just on the disk... so what people call memory doesn't actually store things... is that just RAM?

Rachel Jones8 said:What exactly are you getting at here... that I didn't even need a new computer, or something else?

Not quite. The CPU is just too slow for what modern software requires these days. Honestly, pretty much everything else is outdated too, with the exception of the hard drive.

Rachel Jones8 said:Wait, I’ve still got a question. Just curious—how exactly can they communicate with each other? I mean, how can both be online at the same time if one of them doesn't even have an internet connection? 😕

User, I honestly haven't gotten the impression that you're quite this confusing until now.
I didn't realize you were trying to connect via Wi-Fi! You can always just plug one of those devices straight into the router with an Ethernet cable. You know, those ones that came in the box—the yellow or blue ones that are a bit thicker than a phone cord and have that bigger clip on the end? Sure, the cables they give you are kind of short, but they totally get the job done if you just need a quick fix. If you're looking to retire the old setup, that’s your easiest bet. If not, you could always just grab another wireless adapter for it... why not?

Yeah, I've got an external hard drive, but it’s pretty small. Only 250GB.
...
Forgot to mention... the computer finally arrived! But honestly, who knows when I'll actually get it up and running?

That drive isn't exactly tiny for what you're trying to do, especially since your old one looks like a full 160 GB. Honestly, you could probably knock out the whole transfer in about six quick passes, and I'm pretty sure all the important stuff would fit on there just fine. Why even mess around with those cheap adapters? You've got a portable hard drive right there—why make life harder than it needs to be?
Just ditch that old drive somewhere. Give it away, donate it, or whatever—just don't waste your money buying adapters specifically for it. Seriously, the adapter won't even be worth the market value. Once the drive finally kicks the bucket, you're just left holding an adapter you'll probably never touch again. Why bother?

Haha, "when will it be up and running"... like they're trying to flip the switch on a nuclear reactor or something!
I get it. Now you’re just waiting for the stars to align so your guru can swing by and handle the full install. Until then, why not get everything staged on your laptop? Once the new rig is up and running, you won't even need to touch the old one. Easy, right?

By the way, can a computer actually run without a monitor? It still sends out a signal to the port, even if there’s nobody there to see it—the PC itself doesn't really care, right? And with the right settings, you could even ditch the keyboard. Back in the day, a mouse was basically just a trendy accessory anyway, so why bother?

Rachel Jones8 said:What are you even trying to say here... that I didn't even need a new computer, or what?

Since I know you can't actually permanently erase data, I don't really want to be passing these drives around. I'd rather just toss them or destroy them. I'm guessing there's no point in keeping them since they aren't exactly heirlooms, right?
The data is just on the disk... but what we call memory doesn't actually store things long-term... isn't that just RAM?

There are actually specific programs designed for this, where they overwrite the disk multiple times with zeros (or some random junk, I can't remember exactly), specifically to hide any "incriminating" info. Recovering that would be a job for an agency like the CIA or the NSA with all their heavy-duty resources...
If you honestly think someone would be "impressed" by your old files, I'm pretty sure they'd find it too much work even with basic tools: just wipe the partitions, format everything, save some random nonsense over it, then wipe the partitions again... anyone would have way too much work to bother with it...
You aren't holding data so sensitive that you'd need to take a hammer to a magnetic platter. Honestly, Google knows more about you and your habits than you do...

Rachel Jones8 said:Since I know data can't be permanently erased, I wouldn't want to pass those disks along; I'd rather just toss or destroy them. I suppose there isn't much point in keeping them, given they aren't heirlooms.

You could always repurpose the disk 😬

Michael Jackson10 said:User, I haven't really gotten the impression that you were this confusing until now.
Didn't realize you were trying to connect to the router via Wi-Fi. You can always just plug one in directly with an Ethernet cable—you know, those yellow or blue ones that came in the box? They're a bit thicker than phone cords and have those bigger plastic clips on the ends. I know the cables they give you are pretty short, but they get the job done if you just need a quick fix. If you want to retire the old one, you're set. If not, just grab another wireless adapter for it... simple, right?

Now you know. 😉
Look, you didn't even ask. So there’s really no point in telling me "you could do this" or "you could do that," right?
Don't have any wires on me. Not that I couldn't grab some, but why bother? I'll just take the easier route.

That disk isn't even small enough for that kind of job, especially since your old one is a full 160 GB. You could probably clone the whole thing in about six passes, and I'm positive all the useful stuff would fit on there easily. Why mess around with those cheap adapters when you've got a portable hard drive right there? Use the path of least resistance, right?

Why at 6?
If the outside is at 250 and this one's sitting at 160, how am I supposed to pull that off in six rounds? 😕
It’s not even 160... it's closer to 250. 😛
The parts list is on the first page.

Storage.
Just checking in on this 149GB Western Digital drive. Running at a steady 37 °C via ATA. All good?
Just an old 111GB Seagate drive sitting at 35 °C. Doing okay?
Just ditch that old drive somewhere or give it away, I don't care. Don't waste money on adapters just for its sake—it’s not worth the investment. Once that drive finally kicks the bucket, you're just left with an adapter you'll never touch again. Why bother?

Haha, "when will it be up and running"... as if we're launching a nuclear reactor or something.
I get it. Now you're just waiting for the stars to align so your guru can finally swing by and install everything, right? Then you can easily get everything ready on a laptop.And once the new one's ready, you won't even need to turn the old one on anymore. Why bother?

Man, that was almost 10 years ago... that's a long time, isn't it? 😁
Doing that right now... starting by cleaning out my laptop to free up some space first. Then I'll tackle the rest, though only part of it needs doing since some of it was already downloaded. There's a lot of junk in there.

Michael Jackson10 said:I wouldn't have enough free time to even bother with that...
You don't have data sensitive enough to warrant smashing a hard drive with a hammer. Honestly, Google already knows way more about your habits than you do...

Since when did you become an expert on what I do or don't have? 😉

Ryan Thomas4 said:You're just repurposing the drive for something else 😬

I'm digging it. 🙂
Now that I've "built" my PC, should I start assembling watches too? 😁

I’m really hoping that picking out a potential life partner happens in a much different atmosphere—you know, maybe with fewer strict criteria and way less scrutiny than when you're hunting for a new computer. 🙂

As for wiping data, just run a strong enough magnet over the drive and you can be pretty sure everything becomes totally useless.

Jason Harris5 said:I'm really hoping picking a life partner happens in a totally different vibe—maybe with fewer strict criteria and demands than what we deal with on tech forums. 🙂

Problem solved. 🙂
Btw, what's wrong with the atmosphere? I think it's fine. If you guys are bored, maybe find some other topics... places where people act a little more normal. 😁

Rachel Jones8 said:S
Why 6 rounds?
If the outside is 250 and this one is 160, how does that work in 6 rounds? 😕
It’s just... it isn't 160, it's 250. 😛
(the parts list is on the first page)

Because I totally messed up the scale. 🙂
I've already switched over to terabyte drives, so I guess I wasn't paying attention.
Add a zero and my math works perfectly 🙂 , just not in your case...

How do you even know what I do or don't have? 😉

Even your worst possible combination wouldn't be some massive scandal on the Internet these days; people voluntarily post all kinds of wild stuff publicly...
I highly doubt there's enough material in those 160 GB to start a new WikiLeaks or Pornhub... the Republican Party, Libertarian Party, and Democratic Party are already in total chaos; if they got even 30 seconds on a tabloid news show, man, it would be wild...