Invest a few dollars in one of those USB drive adapters. It has IDE and SATA interface plugs on it, so you can access the HD from another PC that boots up.

The SATA interface on the DRIVE was dead. It also happened to have a USB interface which was intermittent...

Right, but you're not relying on the failing drive for boot up any more. You're using it for storage, which would allow you to wiggle/jiggle the connector more easily and possibly would have saved you a ton of time.

I'm not using it for storage.

It is a dead drive. It is no more.

It is an "ex" drive.

Anyway, the issue is not using a SATA to USB interface, the SATA interface on the drive is dead. It is a special drive in that it also has a mini-USB connector on the drive. So, there wasn't even a need for the USB to SATA interface. The wiggling wasn't on the cable, it was pressing the chips and components on the drive to reconnect whatever was intermittent.

See, I have the drive pulled apart. On an SSD, this means the cover is off and the PCB is exposed/removed.

I think Joe was saying get one of those adaptors to make it easier to get the data off because you can plug it into any machine you want without having to open the computers case.

Not that he was advocating trying to use the drive going forward.

FWIW I have two myself. Indispensable when you jack around with as much stuff as we tend to.

I've got the block and cable kind for portability and the dock kind that sits on my desk.

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/i...4kG-E8BQXOiN3w

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/i...p--Jm1hqWL8ZBC

I have 2 of those. And the SSD drive actually has a USB connector, so it isn't needed.

And it makes no difference, since those USB to SATA interfaces use the SATA interface, which is dead on the drive.

"Replacing with a standard 2.5" drive. "

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