How do I transfer data from one 3.5 SATA HDD to another?

Answer 1

There are a few ways to do this, depending on how much data you wish to move. If it is just a small amount, then the easiest way is probably to use something such as a flash drive to copy the data from the source drive onto it and then to copy (or move) it from the flash drive to the destination drive in a second data transfer operation. This insures that you have the data in a minimum of two places at each point in case of data copy errors.

On the other hand, if you want to copy a larger amount of data, then you would want to get some sort of "hard drive dock" or "external hard drive enclosure" and put the destination drive into it so that you can do a direct copy from the source to the destination. (I advise using copy rather than move so that if there is an error, you still have the original file on the source drive. You can always delete the original later once you verify that the data copy is completed correctly.)

Finally, if you want to make an entire copy of the source onto a second hard drive (such as upgrading the C: drive of your computer to one that is larger), then what you wish to do is a drive clone. For that, you need a destination drive that is at least the same size (though if you are doing this, it will probably be larger, right? :-) ) and some type of disk cloning software such as Norton Ghost, EaseUS Disk Copy, etc. Of course you will also need some way to hook up the destination hard drive to the computer, so once again you will need some sort of hard drive dock or external hard drive enclosure. Further, depending on the capabilities of your computer, I might advise looking for an eSATA or USB3 connection for whatever mount you purchase for the destination hard drive. Both eSATA and USB3 are faster than the typical USB2 connection that is common on computers nowadays, so this will save you time during the drive clone process, something that is definitely at a premium when you are copying an entire hard drive, block by block. However, if your computer does not have either eSATA or USB3 available, then you will be relegated to typical USB2 (unless this is a desktop and you have an available SATA hard drive connector and SATA power connection in the computer).

I hope all this gives you some insight into how to accomplish this task. If you have other questions or otherwise need further assistance, please feel free to drop me a line. Also, if you are in the northeast Kansas area and would like some professional assistance, let me know and I will be glad to schedule time with you through my company. I'm always glad to help.

Answer 2

The easiest way - is to attach both drives to the computer - then drag & drop the files you want from one drive to the other.