Hello and thank you for reading my post. I am (I'd say) about intermediate in terms of home PC hardware installs, but I haven't installed a drive in probably 5 years. This is relevant to my current problem, as many things have changed since then. I guess that knocks me back down to about a "novice +". 
I have a new Compaq Presario SR5113WM (due to affordability). The factory hard drive is a Seagate Barracuda 7200.10, ST3061815AS. The motherboard has a vacant IDE port that is blue, and not labeled on the motherboard. The other vacant port is black, and labeled "floppy"--which is self explanatory.
I am wanting to install the Western Digital EIDE hard drive from my previous (older) computer that was still running XP, so that I can retrieve the data on it, and to act as a secondary hard drive*. The Compaq Presario uses Vista.
*The older computer will not recognize the OS (XP) now, after a cross-country move in a rental truck. Therefore, I can't reinstall the Western Digital drive back into the older computer to retrieve or transfer data.
With the power off, I attached the 40 pin IDE ribbon cable to the (first mentioned) vacant port in the Compaq, and the power plug (marked "P3") and the smaller (about .5") 4 pin plug (marked "P8") to the back of the WD hard drive. There is no jumper shunt on the back of the Western Digital Drive, and I can only find one now. I had hoped that the newer Compaq/Vista would recognize it as a secondary drive and proceed accordingly. (If this is not the case, I still have the master/slave ribbon cable and one jumper shunt.)
When I powered the Compaq on, it went through the initial Compaq logo screen and then eventually to a single flashing cursor on the top-left of the otherwise blank screen on the monitor. Nothing more. (I ensured that the Vista was set to recognize the factory Seagate drive in order to boot properly.) Still nothing.
Unless there is a fairly simple solution, I was wondering if the WD drive would be compatible with an external USB hard drive enclosure "box" to solve the problem for only a small investment for around 30 bucks for a "box".
I appreciate your taking the time to read my post, and I hope I included enough detail to be clear. Thank you!
Richard
I have a new Compaq Presario SR5113WM (due to affordability). The factory hard drive is a Seagate Barracuda 7200.10, ST3061815AS. The motherboard has a vacant IDE port that is blue, and not labeled on the motherboard. The other vacant port is black, and labeled "floppy"--which is self explanatory.
I am wanting to install the Western Digital EIDE hard drive from my previous (older) computer that was still running XP, so that I can retrieve the data on it, and to act as a secondary hard drive*. The Compaq Presario uses Vista.
*The older computer will not recognize the OS (XP) now, after a cross-country move in a rental truck. Therefore, I can't reinstall the Western Digital drive back into the older computer to retrieve or transfer data.
With the power off, I attached the 40 pin IDE ribbon cable to the (first mentioned) vacant port in the Compaq, and the power plug (marked "P3") and the smaller (about .5") 4 pin plug (marked "P8") to the back of the WD hard drive. There is no jumper shunt on the back of the Western Digital Drive, and I can only find one now. I had hoped that the newer Compaq/Vista would recognize it as a secondary drive and proceed accordingly. (If this is not the case, I still have the master/slave ribbon cable and one jumper shunt.)
When I powered the Compaq on, it went through the initial Compaq logo screen and then eventually to a single flashing cursor on the top-left of the otherwise blank screen on the monitor. Nothing more. (I ensured that the Vista was set to recognize the factory Seagate drive in order to boot properly.) Still nothing.
Unless there is a fairly simple solution, I was wondering if the WD drive would be compatible with an external USB hard drive enclosure "box" to solve the problem for only a small investment for around 30 bucks for a "box".
I appreciate your taking the time to read my post, and I hope I included enough detail to be clear. Thank you!
Richard
