Help connecting internal SATA drive externally to retrieve files

Hi guys. I've got a really important question regarding a recently replaced Internal Hard drive. I just recently got my macbook (White model - 13 inch - late 2008) back from the apple store after being repaired. As part of the repair they have installed a brand new hard drive into the macbook and transferred the data from the old HD. However, their are a few important files missing that I really need to retrieve. (These files are mostly old photos that I kept in quite an obscure location somewhere "system --- Library --- Printers --- PPDs". So it is quite understandable they did not get transferred during the transfer. Don't ask me why I stored them there. They are photos that are very important to me, that I didn't want anyone to be able to find and that I thought would be safe. Pretty stupid I know, considering I had no backup prior to the fault it was really quite pointless.

Apple made the old HD available to me and I have that here with me, and as far as I know it is still fully functional (they replaced it as a precaution after they found evidence of some slight damage) but considering they were able to do a data tranfer I'm guessing it is still working and accessible. So could somebody please inform me of the best way to retrieve files from this HD? I know it is possible to connect via USB and use it like an external HD to drag and drop files but I just don't know how to go about doing this. I have an iMac and obviously the Macbook that I could use for this. I believe the HD is SATA, not that this means much to me but I think it's important regarding the cable you need to connect it.

Please let me know of any suggestions.

Thank you

The easiest thing to do would be to purchase an external enclosure for it or a SATA to USB adapter. Once you are able to connect it externally, you should be able to access its contents.

Thank you very much. Do you have any preference about which option is the best/cheapest? Am I correct in thinking that if you use a SATA to USB adapter you do not need an external enclosure? Would this then be the cheapest option? Although I don't want to risk damaging the HD before I've retrieved the files.

Also, once you have connected the HD to the computer do you need to run any particular software or should the HD mount on your desktop like a regular external drive?

Thanks again

ajhuk said:

Thank you very much. Do you have any preference about which option is the best/cheapest? Am I correct in thinking that if you use a SATA to USB adapter you do not need an external enclosure? Would this then be the cheapest option? Although I don't want to risk damaging the HD before I've retrieved the files.

Also, once you have connected the HD to the computer do you need to run any particular software or should the HD mount on your desktop like a regular external drive?

Thanks again

Click to expand...

They both come out to about the same amount of money (if you check the links I posted, you'll see the prices on OWC's website - which is a great vendor for Mac stuff, but you don't need to buy it from them). You are correct, the plain SATA to USB adapter is more like a tool than a permanent fixture. If you forsee having the need to do it with more than one drive, then it might be worth it. Otherwise, putting it in an external case achieves the same result, but gives you the ability to easily connect it at will.

The drive will mount like any other external drive would in either case, yes.