A laptop is a portable computer that many users like to store their critical data. However, due to its diminutive size and portability, any computer is susceptible to breakage (for example, fall and crash). Do you like to know How to Use a Laptop Hard Drive in a Desktop?
In this instance, there is an outstanding possibility that the laptop’s hard drive will stay undamaged, allowing all data to be read. If necessary, I Can successfully use the computer in the future. There are various methods for connecting a laptop’s hard drive to a desktop computer.
How to Use a Laptop Hard Drive in a Desktop?
Two cables are required to connect a laptop hard drive to a desktop computer: a SATA cable and a SATA power cable.
SATA Cable
The SATA cable is the primary cable that connects the hard drive to the motherboard. Click one SATA port to the motherboard and the other to the laptop’s hard drive.
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SATA Power Cable
This cable originates from the power supply (PSU), and it is responsible for powering your hard disc. Without it, the hard drive’s moving magnetic mechanism will not function. As a result, you Should connect it to the hard drive’s power port.
After you’ve configured everything, follow these steps:
- Attach one end to the SATA port on the laptop and the other end to the SATA port on the motherboard.
- Then connect the SATA power wire from the power source to the HDD.
- Then restart your computer.
- Now, there are a few things you Would be aware of before continuing:
Copy the Data
If you’re one of those whose laptop has suddenly ceased operating and you want to access the info on your previous laptop. If you’re not going to utilize the drive as main, boot your PC after attaching it via SATA and a SATA power cable.
- You will see an option to boot from a specific drive; choose the laptop’s hard disc and complete the boot process by copying the laptop’s data to another drive.
- Suppose you do not see an option to choose which drive to boot from. Additionally, your operating system starts from an outdated desktop hard disc, and your laptop drive is not accessible after booting.
Then repeat the previous steps, but select the laptop HDD as your primary option.
Now, when you boot your desktop computer, it will only boot from the laptop’s hard drive. After that, you may quickly restore the backup and reapply the BIOS settings, bringing the primary industry back to its usual starting device. As a result, you can format this laptop hard disc for usage as a standard desktop hard drive.
These are various methods for accessing a laptop’s hard disc from a desktop computer.
However, if your laptop’s hard disc does not include an operating system (you were using it as a secondary drive), you do not require to modify the BIOS settings. Instead, plug in the cords, and you’re ready to go in search of a new boot.
Additionally, if you find it difficult to change the boot menu settings, you might try not changing them at all and restarting the PC immediately after inserting the cables. It works in the majority of cases. However, if the laptop drive does not appear after a fresh boot, you must adjust the settings.
Benefits of Connecting a Laptop’s Hard Disc to a Desktop
- When recovering data from a broken laptop using data recovery software.
- Even if the laptop is beyond repair and unable to be replaced, the HDD connected to the desktop PC will be efficient.
- Additional storage space on the disc.
Disadvantages
- The laptop could be running a whole different operating system. When connecting directly to the motherboard, a master-slave conflict develops.
- The desktop PC equipped with USB ports via add-on cards does not provide enough support for connecting a laptop’s hard drive to a USB port.
- Finding connectors and adapters for laptop hard drives equipped with SATA and mSATA technologies is challenging.
- Master-slave confusion occurs when two distinct hard drives with different operating systems are booted simultaneously.
FAQs – How to Use a Laptop Hard Drive in a Desktop?
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Is It Ok to Use Laptop HDD on Desktop?
Because a desktop HDD is significantly larger than its laptop version, it cannot accommodate a laptop PC. However, a laptop hard drive may easily fit into a desktop computer due to its abundant space. Nonetheless, you may use it externally by connecting it to your laptop computer via a USB cord.
Can a Laptop SSD Be Used on Desktop?
Yes, it is possible to put a laptop SSD on a desktop motherboard, but only under certain conditions. Indeed, no SSD is designed only for laptops. However, some SSDs are only compatible with desktop computers and not laptops. Both devices support SATA 2.5′′ SSDs if the relevant ports are available.
What Drive Has No Moving Parts?
SSD is a contraction for Solid State Drive. These discs are non-moving. Rather than that, all data is stored in nonvolatile flash memory. It removes the need for a needle to move to read or write data, making them substantially faster than SATA drives.
Can Laptop RAM Be Used in Desktop?
Due to the physical nature of laptops and desktops, it is not possible to use laptop memory on a desktop or vice versa. However, we can use them if your board supports a tiny ram port. Laptop RAM is SODIMM in size. Instead, most desktop computers make use of the DIMM memory size.
Conclusion
Are you curious to know How to Use a Laptop Hard Drive in a Desktop? I discussed whether I Could use a laptop hard drive on a desktop computer. Fortunately, because both desktop and laptop hard drives utilize the SATA interface, May Use a laptop poorly navigated in a desktop environment.
All you want to do is connect the 2.5-inch laptop hard drive using a SATA data and power connector.
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