Don't know how to title this question...

[ex_matelot]

Forgive my ignorance please:

A laptop of mine running Win7 Ultimate has died. It was an old one anyway, I just need the stuff on the hard drive. I have another laptop running Ubuntu and a PC running Win7 Ultimate. I understand you can buy "hard drive cradles" and just remove the hard drive and plug it into another machine etc.

Could anybody give me some guidance on this or at least a pointer to search for.

Thanks.

[Saab Dastard]

There's a few solutions to access / re-use the hard disk. Your choice depends on what you want to do with it in the short / long term.

1) A USB cradle (https://www.google.co.uk/shopping/product/10606161040248166871?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=aek&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&sclient=psy-ab&q=laptop%20hard%20disk%20usb%20cradle&oq=laptop+hard+disk+usb+cradle&gs_l=serp.12...18878.20120.0.21329.6.6.0.0.0.0.84.420.6.6.0. les%3B..0.0...1c.1.xm34xP7CVs4&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=cc95e4ff6334a24d&bpcl=38626820&biw=1280&bih=920&tch=1&ech=1&psi=fPujUI2AO4jM0QWu_oGQDA.1352924172202.3&sa=X&ei=GPyjUOzlNoHU0QWEuICIBQ&ved=0CCwQ8wIwAg) that you can plug in to - quick, cheap, but not particularly robust and not really portable!

2) A USB caddy that turns the redundant HDD into portable USB storage.

3) use a 2.5 / 3.5" convertor (https://www.google.co.uk/shopping/product/11703030557914663188?hl=en&sugexp=les%3B&gs_nf=3&pq=2.5+3.5+hdd+adapter+kit&cp=13&gs_id=2u&xhr=t&q=2.5%203.5%20sata%20hdd%20adapter%20kit&pf=p&client=firefox-a&hs=Rvk&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&sclient=psy-ab&oq=2.5+3.5+sata+hdd+adapter+kit&gs_l=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=cc95e4ff6334a24d&bpcl=38626820&biw=1280&bih=920&tch=1&ech=5&psi=kf-jULGoIqOr0QWJ44CQDQ.1352925083003.1&sa=X&ei=l_-jULTPKPOr0AXst4GwBA&sqi=2&ved=0CE0Q8wIwAw) and fit it into a HDD bay in a desktop PC

4) swap it directly into another laptop

5) get an adapter kit (http://www.saverstore.com/product/20047961/Lindy-USB-20-to-SATAIDE-Hard-Drive-Adapter-Kit-2535-Drives) that supports USB to 2.5 / 3.5 PATA / SATA drives.

Obviously you will need to ensure that the solution is appropriate to the disk - i.e. SATA / IDE.

Please note that the links are given purely as examples of their type, not as suggestions or endorsements!

SD

[Shiny side down]

I did much the same with one of mine. Maplins did, maybe still do, a USB caddy for very cheap. Works well.

Install the drive, plug in on USB.

Afterwards, you also have an external hard drive for backups!

[ex_matelot]

Thanks, will I just be presented with a series of files, as if I had just gone into 'My computer'?

[ex_matelot]

Thanks chaps.