Unless they are in some oddball format.

Here is a guy doing it with a Sony Vaio laptop:

If you post the model Dell you have I can find instructions specific to it for getting out the hard drive. Different manufacturers put the drives in differently.

I've gotten enclosures from NewEgg.com, similar to this one: https://www.newegg.com/rosewill-rx100-pu3-25b/p/N82E16817182291?Item=N82E16817182291&Description=hard%20drive%20enclosure&cm_re=hard_drive_enclosure-_-17-182-291-_-Product&quicklink=true Best Buy sells them but for much higher prices.

Once you get the hard drive into the enclosure, just plug it into a USB port on a working computer and you can search and copy any files onto the computer you are using.

It's a simple process, especially these days - I have done for twenty years with desktop computers. My Dad used to give me his old computers and I'd pull the hard drives out, copy his data off and store the old ones. He had lots of personal and financial data that I did not want anyone to see and I was not sure it could be completely erased.

For your fan, you might be able to replace it. YouTube has lots of "how-to" videos on various computers for various parts, but knowing the exact model is important. The hardest part is probably finding a replacement fan - NewEgg.com sells them too.

BUT before you try to replace it, see if you can open the laptop up enough to get to the fan and use canned air to blow any dist or debris out of it. It may just be clogged up.

ETA - here is a video about how to replace the fan:

My husband was my hardware guy, and he could have done this, miss him a lot for things like this. I did change batteries in phones, iPhone and android, so maybe I can do this. I saw several how-tos.

I checked prices for new laptops and looks like I could just get a new one and transfer what I need. And then try changing the fan

Than the 286s I started learning on - even laptops. I'm at the point I no longer build my own computers, but I do select the components and pay someone to assemble them. I don't have time now that I am retired to keep up with the technology, LOL.

For the last twenty years just about every computer component is plug and play so the most complicated part is keeping track of all the parts and how they go back together. YouTube and the Support section of the computer manufacturers are great resources.

I think getting a new laptop, then pulling the hard drives out of the old ones to transfer data might be a good routes. Of course, if you can clean or replace the fan on the HP, you could use it as a backup computer.

Last edited Thu Feb 6, 2020, 03:35 PM - Edit history (1)

The laptop I need to get the hard drive out of is a Dell Inspiron N5110 I found this step by step instruction with a video:
https://www.parts-people.com/blog/2013/10/16/dell-inspiron-15r-n5110-hard-drive-caddy-removal-and-installation/

I'm thinking if I do this, I probably won't get the laptop back in one piece. But if I can pull the hard drive and copy it onto one of the other computers (or my theoretical new one) That won't matter so much. I am going to a birthday party later today, so I will put off working on it until tomorrow.

I did have a cooling fan platform to set the HP on, and it is an HP 2000 Notebook PC. I did a search for fans and several came up, however, I think I will try to locate another tech to get the right one, and install it.

Thank you for your support and advice.

As you can see from the videos, replacing a fan on a laptop is much more difficult. But the hard drive can be handy once you get your files off it, for transferring stuff or even backup.

Good Luck!

What I did for my hp laptop was to go and and buy an external cooling pad fans in it. Solved that problem.
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/targus-dual-fan-chill-mat-cooling-system-black/8848369.p?skuId=8848369&ref=212&loc=1&ref=212&loc=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA7OnxBRCNARIsAIW53B8sAkrL5plV1pU7KM5wTsrdJWR61dlfZ5nqScQXCWjPJMpZN_YGYEgaAoWcEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

I have a cooling pad I got for my husband's previous laptop, more to keep his lap cool. When I get it back, I'll try that.

Screw that! It bugs me to no end when companies drag things out, don't communicate and then act like you're the one who's impatient. I'd be mad, too. And I'd leave a bad review.

and I got the idea they were giving me a bum steer. But I didn't want my computers to come back worse :/ I think 2 months is plenty of time to fix the computers, or be honest and tell me they can't or don't want to. I now have email on 3 computers that is going to be hard to organize. I am tempted to go back to paper and pen. :/

Ty for the support.

and that's all I can say that is upbeat. I got my laptops back, in my opinion the HP is worse than when I dropped it off, in that the fan is making horrible noise and the battery port is jammed. I tried to get the system information, so I could start looking for a fan. But so far no luck.

Thank you for advice. I'll see if I can follow up with something positive.

and search for the fan as a replacement/spare part.

Only the fan designed for your laptop model will fit, just any old fan won't do.

Fair bit of laptop surgery required to swap it over.

I wouldn't change the HP fan myself, but I might be up for getting the hard drive out of the Dell.

I started looking for a fan the other day. It took some time to find the specs on the HP, and then I couldn't hang in and search.

I am going to get a new laptop, and consolidate everything I can on it, and maybe stay ahead of stupid platform and browser obsolescence for a few years.