How to Transfer Data Between Two Hard Drives

From time to time, we may need to back up a good amount of data. One way to do this is to copy all the data to another hard drive. This guide is aimed at equipping you with the knowledge to perform this task.
Steps
Method 1
1. Open the computer case and unscrew the hard drive from the computer that you will not be using to transfer the files.
2. Unplug the power, keyboard, mouse, etc. from the computer you will be using to transfer the files.
3. Open the case of the computer that you will be using to transfer the files.
4. With the hard drive you just took out in your hand, search the exterior for a diagram showing the different jumper settings for the modes.
5. On the rear of the hard drive, remove the jumper and fit it over the two pins that match the diagram for the 'Cable Select' or 'Slave' setting.
6. Find the wide cable that the hard drive in the computer case is connected to.
7. Connect this cable to the hard drive you have in your hand. The colored strip (usually red) should be on the side nearest the power connector.
8. Find a power connector that is not hooked into anything. It will usually have 4 female pins.
9. Plug the power connector into the power slot in the rear of the hard drive
10. Plug the power, monitor, keyboard, mouse, and anything else you unplugged back into the back of the case.
11. Turn on the computer.
12. The hard drive should be displayed in 'My Computer' as another drive if you are using Windows.
13. Drag & drop the files from one hard drive to the other.
14. Wait for the transfer to complete.
Method 2
1. Determine what type of harddrive you have. There are many interface variations, IDE, SATA, SCSI and they come in many varieties (some may not be possible by this method).
2. If available: Purchase a USB 2.0 External Disk Housing that is suitable for your hard drive (See Image). In this example we have a good old IDE drive.
3. Ensure your drive is set to master or single drive, on IDE interfaces there is usually a small jumper. Consult your hard drive manual.
4. Open the case of the housing, plug in the drive power and data leads, note these are keyed. You can only put them in one way around. If you need to force it, you are probably wrong. Check and check again before doing up housing. The assembly varies but for the type shown there are two plastic runners that fit over the screw holes.
5. Plug the external power block into the housing and switch on the power. Note; for small notebook drives the housing usually gets its power from the USB lead.
6. Plug the USB lead into the housing.
7. Power up your PC and login if you have not already done so.
8. Plug the other end of the USB lead into your PC.
9. Wait for your system to find the USB device. If using Microsoft Windows, check in My Computer, you should find the device listed as a removable drive. It will have a drive letter, for example your PC's harddisk is usually C: and the CD/DVD drive D: so it may be shown as E: (Remember when finished, before removing click the safe to remove drive icon on the task bar near the clock). If using SuSE Linux check My Computer, although you might get a screen pop up with the device listed.
10. In My Computer open the drive to list its contents.
11. Open a second Windows Explorer window to find the data you wish to copy from. In SuSE Linux click on the blue house icon or open a Konqueror window and browse the directories to the data to be copied.
12. Copy the data to the external second drive
Tips
1. If your aim is to make a complete copy of the drive in your PC, then there are software tools, such as Norton Ghost. Though for such activities you might consider a removable drive caddy, which runs on the internal data bus. Ensure that the drive you are copying to, has enough capacity. When making copies of a drive it is usual to choose a drive of the same size or larger.
2. Why use an external housing? If you open up your machine you may void your warranty, you may also accidentally disconnect a lead or cause some other problem. You would not want to open up a notebook (usually it would only take one drive anyway)!
3. When copying data try doing it in small chunks, sometimes taking large blocks of data can cause systems to stall. So perhaps do a folder or directory at a time.
Tips
1. Compressing your files (WinZip, WinRAR, or compressed folder on Windows XP) cuts down on transfer time
2. Hard drive enclosures are available that allow you to transfer files from a hard drive via USB
3. Files can also be tranferred through a network with shared folders
4. You can set up a FTP server to allow files to be transferred over a network or the Internet
Warnings
1. Static shock can fry a computer! Use caution. Use a static strap if possible. If not, just touch the metal part of a computer before you start working on it.
2. Remember to disconnect the power plug from the back of the computer.
3. Beware of sharp edges within the computer case