How to transfer files via hard-drive and ide cable without using USB sticks or being on a shared network.

Please read the entire article before you attempt to transfer your files in case you have any questions.

If you are an avid personal computer user with an appetite for more storage, for your music and movie files, then you are going to want to know all of the ways to transfer your files two and from so you can best handle your data and not have to go to some computer outfit and pay out of your pocket needless expenses to do that. This Hub is going to show you one way if you are without USB (Universal Serial Bus) or networking ability.

Lets say that you have an older computer which still works or maybe not, certainly not as old as this pic what Batman had to deal with when he was crime fighting the Joker, but old enough where you only have a dialup modem for internet and no USB slots. You want to transfer your stuff to that new fangled sparkly vampire machine that you just got and want to get the feeling of accomplishment and not have to pay someone to do the deed. This instruction is for computers that have IDE cabling as opposed to SATA connected hard drives, which will be another Hub. Here is what you do.

TOOLS: you’ll need.

A Screwdriver, electric is fine, with a (Philips Head screw bit) – Which is the type that if you look at it, pointing towards you, you see a cross like shape (+).

A static guard wrist strap. Prior to opening a device or assembly, strap to your wrist and clip the free end of the grounding test lead to the computer's frame. This will cause any static electricity that may have built up on you to ground and discharge. Keep the strap on until finished with installing your hard drive. Make no shuffling of your feet as this builds up static.

Your Fingers. – This should be self explanatory. LOL!

1. Remove all connecting wires to the back of the pc.

2. Remove screws from the back casings of both computers and set them aside in two separate groups. This should free up each case and allow you to open each up easier.

3. Pull the casings off of both machines. On the older computer you may have to pull the entire case off, but as for more newer models only one side needs to be removed. Most cases sit on a sliding rail that you want to pull towards you after removing the screws.

4. Wrap the anti-static strap to your wrist and attach the clamp end to any part of the (Older) computers outer metallic case. See under TOOLS for how to use the guard properly. Use this also when working with the new computer.

5. Remove the screws to the casing inside of the older machine where the Hard-Drive or HD is located, there will usually be two screws attached. If after those are removed and you cannot slide the HD out easily then there maybe more screws on the other side of it holding it still in place and you will need to remove those as well.

 The power cable has the white plastic end sticking into the HD very tightly. You can grip it with two fingers and with gentle but strong force rock it side to side and pull it out.  Note the shape of it and the shape of the opening it came from that’s how you will re-attach later.

To remove the Data cable apply your left index finger tucked under the cables edge pointing away from you and your thumb pressing gently at the top of the plastic end piece sticking into the HD and pull that far away edge out of the HD with your right hand gripping the HD and your left pulling opposite your right hand. Once that side of the plastic end is slightly ajar then you can pull the rest of the cable out pretty easily.  Note the red line on the data cable side that is nearest you, for when you go to put this cable back on the HD it needs to be in the same position it was when you pulled it –being closest towards the power cable.

7.      Remove the 1 or 2 Jumper(s) -We want to set the HD to Slave Mode. This is the little plastic piece (either black or white and sometimes other colors) that is located in the area of exposed gold pins between the data cable and power cable ports. –First look on the top of the HD for a schematic of how the Jumper cables are setup. 

You will see written, something like [Jumper][Master/Single/][Slave] and under those reads [J50][On][Off] This means at where the jumper was placed before you pull it usually across the top and bottom pins of the far left side of that jumper area is the Master setting, or across the top rows two left pins. And Slave mode means no jumper added to any pins. Another schematic can show a visual of how the jumper should look when set in place for Master and Slave settings. –Note how yours reads and how it was set before you remove it.

8. Remove static guard from the case and affix the grounding test lead to the case of the newer computer.

9. Transfer the HD to the newer machine –On the new machine locate the HD that is the Master of that computer. This Master HD is usually located similar to the older computer in that it is on the middle connecting junction of the data cable and that has a free connecting ending terminal that you connect a slaved set HD to.

10. Connect the Slave HD to the end of the open data cable and a free power cable. –The slaved drive should follow the same pattern as the Master drive that is connecting to the Data/IDE cable. The red line should be closest towards you and the power supply. –Note Make sure the data cable fits both snug and evenly, for this can very easily not get connected fully and mess things up.

Connecting Your Hard Drives

40 Wire Cables
On the slower older 40-wire ATA cables, the Master device, usually a CD-ROM or CD-ROM recorder/burner still goes on the END, but you need to set the jumpers as Slave. Did you ever buy a new CDROM or CDROM burner, open up the package and see that the jumper was already on the Slave position? It's that way for a reason. This is true even if you don't have a hard drive in the Master position. The Master for 40-wire cables goes on the Middle connector. Only older computers (the AT type) have a problem here, and again, you should read the manual that came with the motherboard or contact the maker of the system. You could try it as a Master and it may work but that's not the way it should be. If you want to use the cable select with the older drive on a 40-wire cable, you'll have to consult the maker of the drive for the instructions. There was a standard to put the Master drive on the end of the 40-wire cable and the Slave in the middle but that was a very loose standard. Makers such as (IBM, Maxtor, etc.) have said that the user should set the drive using the Master and Slave jumpers on the hard drive, placing the Master in the middle and the Slave on the end.

80-wire Cables
On the ATA66/100/133 standard 80-wire cable, the Master hard drive or your boot hard drive goes on the END of the cable. This is true whether or not you use the Master/Slave style or the Cable Select style.

11. Re-attach the video, mouse, keyboard and power cables

Now you can turn on the computer and once you have windows booted up and running you can access (My Computer) and have access to your old drive that will have a letter for its name. The Master should show up as C: and the old drive may be D: or a different letter depending on what other drives you have that take up the lettering naming structure. Select the drive and from there you can find and select what pictures/documents/music etc you want to move to anywhere on your main HD by either copying or cutting and pasting to the new HD. I recommend creating a folder in ‘My Documents’ labeled Transferred Files and pasting your files there, then part out what you want where later. You can remove the HD and put it back in the old computer reversing the steps you took in removing the HD and still have that old computer usable or once you are satisfied with your moved files, to the new HD, then you can format (WARNING formatting will destroy all files on the Hard Drive so proceed with caution) the old HD and have a second hard drive that you can use as another area for storage. After you are finished and have transferred your files and formatted the old HD to use for more storage, turn off the computer and follow these remaining steps to finish the job.

12. Screw in and mount the Slave HD to a nearby area where the Master resides.

13. Replace the removed case wall and your done.

Terminology:

HD = Hard drive

Cable Terminal = End point of cabling either data or power cables.

Master = The name for the setting and hard drive that contain the operating system for which your computer runs on. Win98,Win2000,WinXP,Vista, Win7.

Slave = The name for a setting for a drive (HD/CDRom/DVD) which the computer can access in a particular order. Typically, the Master contains the Operating System that loads up and then slaved drives are accessible afterwards.

Grounding test lead = The metallic clamp on the end of the anti-static wrist guard.

Data Cable = This is the cable that connects to the Mother Board and to your hard drives/cdrom/dvd drives. Very noticeable with a red line following one side of the cable to all end points of the cable.

IDE = IDE devices use a ribbon cable to connect to each other. Ribbon cables have all of the wires laid flat next to each other instead of bunched or wrapped together in a bundle. IDE ribbon cables have either 40 or 80 wires. There is a connector at each end of the cable and another one about two-thirds of the distance from the motherboard connector. This cable cannot exceed 18 inches in total length (12 inches from first to second connector, and six inches from second to third) to maintain signal integrity.

The three connectors are typically different colors and attach to specific items:

The blue connector attaches to the motherboard.

The black connector attaches to the primary, or master, drive.

The gray connector attaches to the secondary, or slave, drive.

Along one side of the cable is a stripe. This stripe tells you that the wire on that side is attached to Pin 1 of each connector. Wire 20 is not connected to anything. In fact, there is no pin at that position. This position is used to ensure that the cable is attached to the drive in the correct position. Another way that manufacturers use to make sure that the cable is not reversed is by using a cable key. The cable key is a small plastic square on top of the connector on the ribbon cable that fits into a notch on the connector of the device. This allows the cable to attach in only one position

Some Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Can I connect an older ATA33 drive with my newer ATA66/100/133 drive?
A: Yes. But, you'll suffer a dramatic speed hit. Because of the slower drives controller, the PC will accommodate both drives by slowing down the pair to the older drives speed. Put your older drive on the Secondary IDE ribbon channel with your CDROM as the Master.

Q: What position should I connect my CDROM Burner if I want to put it on the 40-wire cable?
A: It should be the Master, and the hard drive (if you have one) Slave.

Q: Can I put my brand new CDROM Burner on the Slave position on my 80-wire cable?
A: I wouldn't. That would slow down the hard drive.

Q: Why does my motherboard detect my ATA100 hard drive as a ATA33 or DMA mode 2?
A: Some hard drives need to have a special driver that was supplied by the manufacturer to turn-on the ATA66, 100 or 133 feature.

What is the Future for ATA
In order for the ATA interface to cope with the increased data clock rate in the future, a proper terminator has to be applied to prevent "ringing" in the cable. This is not easily solved while achieving backward compatibility and will require cooperation between the major hardware manufacturers to make it work. Perhaps a solution is around the corner as there is a draft for a FireWire ATA interface.