I'm trying to get my old files off of an old Hard-disk. Old PC is XP newer PC is Vista. I removed the Hardisk from the OLD computer. I bought a USB to SATA/IDE cable. When I plug in the Hard-disk via USB, I hear the confirmation tone that you hear everytime you plug in a USB. I see a "ST340082 0AS SCSI Disk Device" in the "Safely remove hardware" icon in the tray. but I do not see the Drive. I can't really afford an External Hard drive. But I will eventually if I have to. Cna anyone help me please.
posted by Student of Man on Oct 27, 2009 - 12 answers

I broke my PC's motherboard :( Please help me pick a replacement and guide me through the installation process... [more inside]
posted by mullacc on Jul 3, 2009 - 4 answers

I'm in the market for a new laptop. Should I get a PC or Mac? What specs are important for me to look at when making a decision? [more inside]
posted by reenum on Jun 2, 2009 - 31 answers

So I'm installing a new Seagate 500GB SATA HDD in my PC, when I notice, for the first time somehow, a jumper that limits the drive to 1.5 GB/s. What's that all about? [more inside]
posted by Avenger50 on Jan 14, 2009 - 6 answers

Please help me put a friends PC together. Right now I'm getting error codes. [more inside]
posted by Solomon on Aug 31, 2008 - 5 answers

How do computer speeds vary with different core counts? Is a twin core 3000 as fast as a single core 6000? What about a quad core? Is there any point in multicore chips for home use and gaming, or does this need fancy threaded software to take advantage of it?
posted by talitha_kumi on Jul 31, 2008 - 11 answers

I want my computer to work exactly the same, but faster. I can't add any more RAM. Motherboard/CPU upgrade? [more inside]
posted by grrarrgh00 on Mar 2, 2008 - 16 answers

I just got a relatively new PC secondhand. What should I upgrade first in order to most successfully play games? [more inside]
posted by joshrholloway on Feb 9, 2008 - 18 answers

My computer seems to be restarting when there's a lot of activity going on - i.e. heavy downloading, many apps, etc. Please help! [more inside]
posted by zavulon on Dec 9, 2007 - 13 answers

Vista disk space filter: What's eating 190 GB on my computer? [more inside]
posted by gavia on Nov 3, 2007 - 8 answers

What is the cheapest PC video card available that supports Pixel Shader. [more inside]
posted by OlderThanTOS on Aug 30, 2007 - 13 answers

Neeerrrrrrrrdfilter: I want to play Bioshock. Help me find the most economical way to upgrade my video hardware so that it will run the game satisfactorily. [more inside]
posted by killdevil on Aug 22, 2007 - 20 answers

Yet another PC upgrade advice question. [more inside]
posted by squidlarkin on May 23, 2007 - 8 answers

Apple airport extreme--works fine with wifi macbook, but hardwired PC always needs to "reconnect" [more inside]
posted by 0217174 on May 23, 2007 - 6 answers

PC performance issues. 1) Is it a good idea to fill up all 3 of my DIMM slots, when my motherboard manual says that the max speed will be DDR 200 instead of DDR 400? The motherboard is an ASUS K8V SE Deluxe. 2) How do I best identify the bottlenecked hardware component that's causing framerate jerkiness e.g. when playing Oblivion (e.g. RAM, processor, AGP card)?
posted by thirteenkiller on Apr 26, 2007 - 14 answers

I want to put a new HDD in an old PC and would like to know how. (But please teach me to fish...) [more inside]
posted by Busy Old Fool on Jan 13, 2007 - 17 answers

Help me identify a hardware problem with my laptop. [more inside]
posted by Pontius Pilate on Nov 14, 2006 - 4 answers

COMBINING Hard Drives. Roommate has fast, great computer. I have slow, antiquated one with (among other upgraded parts I've procured) a fast new hard drive (personally installed). Want to install my current drive in her current machine so that all roommates can use one system and still keep my files/ preferences. [more inside]
posted by mireille on Aug 28, 2006 - 20 answers

I'm having trouble connecting my iPod to my PC and to an external speaker system. [more inside]
posted by grumblebee on Aug 6, 2006 - 10 answers

sata controller question for Dell 8300. [more inside]
posted by arh07 on Jun 25, 2006 - 3 answers

My desktop PC, which has been working happily for a year, has suddenly refused to boot - I get prompted to insert boot media. The two SATA hard drives aren't detected in the BIOS (as they used to be). What should I do to work out the problem and fix it? [more inside]
posted by wilberforce on Mar 5, 2006 - 14 answers

I recently purchased a new Dell Dimension 9150, I plan to wipe the Dell partition and install a fresh copy of XP Pro (I already have a full copy). Any problems/hiccups I should know about before I destroy the Dell partition?
posted by mhaw on Feb 15, 2006 - 14 answers

Please help with Windows XP PC with screen resolution issues. [more inside]
posted by keijo on Nov 2, 2005 - 16 answers

Where do you go for product reviews and comparisons? I recently bought a bunch of audio and PC hardware with mixed results. Consumer Reports is outdated, Epinions reviews are quite thin on the ground, and Amazon is trying to sell you everything. Google? Ha! Thousands of links to people with little "stores" fronting for Amazon...
posted by rwhe on Mar 3, 2005 - 11 answers

I would like to buy a voice chat headset for my Windows-2000 based computer to use in UT2004/other games and also with Skype. I would like a quality piece but I don't want to pay a lot of money. Suggestions?
posted by selfnoise on Feb 22, 2005 - 4 answers

[PCHardwareFilter] Inspired by the recent MacMini, I've been looking at Small Form Factor (SFF) PCs. (This isn't a question about the mac, I use a powerbook, but run an IT Division). What companies make SFF PCs that are good, reliable, and suprisingly decent little beasts. I'd love to hear reviews and accolades. I know of Shuttle... What else is there?
posted by warhol on Jan 16, 2005 - 11 answers

I'm in the market for a new computer, and wanted suggestions on a good website to go through to buy a custom built one. I'm looking for a site that is cheap but has all the latest technology to choose from and will assemble the system for me (no Pricewatch). Google turns out lots of different sites, but I wanted to ask MeFites about their personal experiences.
posted by Malachi Constant on Jan 10, 2005 - 12 answers

Let's say you had a wooden box you wanted to turn into a PC case. Where would you buy a metal 5.25" bay assembly? I'm talking about a U-shaped piece of flat metal that will screw onto the wood box wherein a couple of drives can be mounted. There's just way too much noise in Google on this one. Thanks!
posted by scarabic on Nov 19, 2004 - 7 answers

PC hardware problem: I recently had my power supply replaced and now the computer now only reads half the RAM it actually has plugged into it... [more inside]
posted by picea on Mar 1, 2004 - 4 answers

I have a old PC. I want to buy a big new (non-boot, second) hard drive. Will I have problems? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken on Jan 14, 2004 - 6 answers

Computer hardware: As part of her Christmas present, I want to buy my wife a video card for her PC (she's a serious geek). What's a good one? [more] [more inside]
posted by normy on Dec 23, 2003 - 11 answers