Hard Drive Docks?

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Both are HP compaq desktops.  The 'new' one is a P4, the older one, can't totally recall, is about 3 yrs old?  I remember that dual-core PCs were out and popular but that I didn't buy one because they were still a good deal more expensive.

Will have to do some research.  *Haz teh interwebz @ home now!*

All of the HP/Compaq machines have a "service tag" somewhere on the case-- it's typically a white sticker that has a buncha numbers & letters.  Using that, on HP's website, you can easily identify the factory installed stuff, right down to the extra bolt-ins.   

One of the few advantages of that brand....

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Are those the narrow kind of desktops or the regular tower (is the CD/DVD unit horizontal or vertical if the box is horizontal?). There is a very big chance that you have the space to put your older HDD on the new box, if that is the case then we need to figure if you have an extra IDE on the motherboard available (if you you have only one both the CD and HD will be on it, you can hang 2 units per port).

If you are willing to go through with this I can guide you with the master/slave pins on the HDD, etc.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Are those the narrow kind of desktops or the regular tower (is the CD/DVD unit horizontal or vertical if the box is horizontal?). There is a very big chance that you have the space to put your older HDD on the new box, if that is the case then we need to figure if you have an extra IDE on the motherboard available (if you you have only one both the CD and HD will be on it, you can hang 2 units per port).

If you are willing to go through with this I can guide you with the master/slave pins on the HDD, etc.

2 per port is only for PATA (older, parallel-style).  And it is highly recommended switching to the [relatively] newer 80-conductor cables over the earlier 40 conductor type, to reduce signal cross-talk, when using 2 devices on the same bus [socket in the motherboard].

These cables can be had, cheap, at your local computer repair shop(s).  Sometimes your local computer recyclers will sell used, but in good condition, for even less.  [often they are the same place...]

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

I doubt the old computer has SATA and the newer one isn't that new so it may or not have the ports (SATA is one port per device). Still, the first mobos with SATA frequently have 2 PATA/IDE (or more if it's a mobo with onboard RAID). Bob's recommendation on the 80 pins cable stands (you can tell them apart because the individual cables are narrower, less than 1mm while the older ones are ~1mm thick).

[Aggie]

Will have to get back to you lads on this one - I'll be out of town for work starting tomorrow, through the remainder of the week.

Zono, the recently-purchased-working unit is the narrow type of desktop, the originally-purchased-broken unit is a regular desktop (getting confused on 'old' & 'new' here ).

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Even with the narrow ones there is a good likelihood of space for the extra HDD in.

Let me know when you have time (and are adventurous enough ).

[Aggie]

Let me know when you have time (and are adventurous enough ).

Will be adventurous enough when I have a new main system and this is the back-up!

Having time will happen after the former.  Should be caught up at work around December.