Second PC Question - Newbie

[steveflanuk]

Hello to all

I have recently bought a new PC and it is working fine, etc, etc. My old PC is now, sort of, redundant, however, I was wondering if it is possible (without ripping things out of my old PC, etc.) to simply connect my old PC to my new PC and use the storage space on my old hard drive at all - i.e. via a USB connection or something.

Also, would my old PC still need an operating system, or can I just use it for storage?

Thanks in advance

[bassman]

Aloha steveflanuk and welcome to http://www.pcguide.com/ubb/pcgubb.gif
You could connect the two machines together as a network. If both have Network Interface Connections then you would simply need a Crossover cable, plug it in to both machines, set up a network between the two, and you are off and running.
In this situation, your old machine would need an OS as it would be a standalone system. Two other alternatives would be to buy a USB external HDD holder or just install this HDD into the new machine. This would not be that difficult to do. No Ripping required ;)

EDIT wa happen to my image tag:confused:
EDIT2 dooohhhh, got it.

[steveflanuk]

Bassman - many, many thanks for the very quick reply.

As I said I am a newbie with things like this, so please bear with me with these further questions :)

1. What is a Network Interface Connection?
2. What is a USB external HDD (Hard Drive Driver I'm assuming) holder?

[bassman]

As I said I am a newbie with things like this
Hmmm, I seem to have missed that ;)
A Network Interface Connection is a port on the back (typicaly) of your computer. It looks like a standard phone plug only slightly bigger.
A USB HDD holder is a device you can buy, install a hard drive (HDD=Hard Disk Drive) and use that HDD for storage. It is my ubderstanding that you do not need an OS for this. If you use this method, it would require you to remove the HDD from the old machine but you would not have to open the new machine.

[Sylvander]

"wa happen to my image tag"
You missed out the i in the trailing img.

"What is a USB external HDD...holder?"
It's an external HDD case.
I fitted my old [8.5 GB then 80 GB] spare IDE HDD into this ViPowER 9054v "Smart Family" casing for IDE interface (http://www.vipower.com.tw/P_ExternalEnclosure.php?model_no=VP-9258V).
It must be connected to a USB socket using this VP9208 USB 2.0 "Smart Cable" (http://www.vipower.com.tw/P_ExternalEnclosure.php?model_no=VP-9208) [the USB circuitry is built into the plug on the cable].
The idea is that with the USB in the cable and not in the enclosure, the cable is more expensive and the enclosure less expensive than otherwise, so if you buy a single cable and multiple housings [one for each of the different kinds of drive], you save on cost.