In many homes there is a drawer, a box or a bag with several external hard drives. One from 2014 that held the children's school projects. Another from a relative who passed it on. A third that nobody remembers anything about. Hard drives do not last forever, and the ones in drawers are often older than people assume.
This guide helps you go through them calmly and safely.
Understand what you are dealing with
Most older drives are spinning hard disks. They have moving parts and are sensitive to knocks, heat, humidity and power problems. A drive that has sat unused can still work, or it can fail the first time it is switched on. There is no way to tell from the outside. So the goal is to read each one once, gently, and copy everything that matters.
Start by labelling and listing
Put a sticker or masking-tape label on each drive and give it a number. Make a simple list: number, brand, approximate size, where you found it, who it belonged to, and what you think is on it. This helps later, and it is useful if more than one person in the family is involved.
Get your destination ready first
Before you connect anything old, have a place ready for the copies. You will need a destination with more total space than all the old drives combined, and ideally a second destination for the second copy. Buy a new external drive if needed. Do not copy from one old drive onto another old drive.
Connect one drive at a time
- Use a stable power supply. If you live where power cuts and surges are common, use a UPS.
- Put the drive on a flat, hard surface. Do not move it while it is running.
- Connect only one old drive at a time. This avoids confusion and reduces risk.
- Listen. A steady quiet hum is normal. Repeated clicking, beeping, or grinding is not. If you hear this, switch the drive off and stop. Read our guide on clicking hard drives.
If a drive is not recognised, or asks you to format it, do not click "Format". That will erase it. Disconnect it and set it aside.
Copy first, in order of importance
If a drive is working but you worry it might fail, copy the most precious things first: family photos and videos, then personal documents, then everything else. Create a folder on your destination with the drive's number, for example "Drive 03 - Seagate 500GB - from Papa's desk", and copy into it. Do not sort or tidy until later.
Copying very large amounts can take hours. Let it run. If the copy shows errors for some files, make a note of which ones, and do not keep retrying them over and over, because repeated attempts can stress a weak drive.
Check the copy
- Compare the size and number of items in the original and the copy.
- Open a good sample of files, particularly videos, which can be the first to show problems.
- Write the date and result beside the drive on your list.
Combine, then protect
Once all drives are copied, you can merge them into one organised archive, dealing with duplicates carefully, as we describe in our guide on bringing family photos together. Then follow the 3-2-1 idea: keep three copies of what matters, on two different kinds of storage, with one copy in a different place, such as a cloud account in your name. Our free checklist can help you track this.
What to do with the old drives afterwards
Keep them for a while. Do not wipe or throw them away until you have verified the new archive and had time to notice what might be missing. When you are ready to let go, erase them properly or have them destroyed, and use an authorised e-waste recycler. See our guide on whether to throw away an old hard drive.
Things that make drives fail faster
- Humidity and monsoon damp in cupboards.
- Heat, such as a closed box near a window in summer.
- Being dropped or knocked, even months ago.
- Power surges, or being unplugged while in use.
Store drives in a cool, dry place and, if you can, in a bag with a silica gel packet.
If you would rather not do it yourself
If you have many drives, or any you are nervous about, it is reasonable to ask for help. Our risk assessment is a gentle first step, and you can also send us a note. We cannot promise to read every drive, but we can approach each one carefully and tell you honestly what we find.