Neverside

Using old compter as external hdd

I have a Gateway laptop and a Compaq desktop sitting next to the laptop. Can I use the Compaq hdd as an external hdd of sorts? I mean, could I hook up the laptop to the desktop using a USB cable? Oh, and the desktop doesn't have Windows on it... Only Ubuntu Linux.

Thanks!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817145656
^that would work if you wanted to use just the harddrive. If you wanted to be able to acces the entire computer, then you'd have to use some kind of network.

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http://www.gkzn.net !

Why do I need an "external enclosure"?

Because you don't want it to be internal. Or at least that's what I think you are saying.

It would be easier to set up a network, and cheaper than buying external enclosures for all the drives.

Well I just spoke to someone at Best Buy, and he said since I A) already have a router and B) am using Linux, that I should use Samba. What is Samba? Is it a good choice?

It's a free implementation of Windows' networking system. Basically, you can access another computer on the network through the smb:// protocol. I can access my dad's computer from Ubuntu through smb://192.168.1.3 or smb://steve, and in my file manager, I can manage his shared directories.

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Free-Speed Nation

Okay, cool. So after I install Samba on my Ubuntu computer... What do I do then? (And where do I get Samba?)

Ubuntu's wiki is extremely helpful: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/SettingUpSamba

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Free-Speed Nation

Looks like this project is going to be on hold for a while... The computer I was going to use has stopped sending a signal to the monitor.

WTF d00d! That would be a damn big external hard drive if you leave it inside that computer. Also, why are you listening to some people at best buy? Locke may be the only exception. External enclosures work a lot better and are actually portable. You will probably run into a lot more problems if you try to set up that computer as a file server. The enclosure is quicker and just works. Although, if you are serious about the external drive thing, then buy something from western digital or maxtor that is an actual external hard drive. I've had bad experiences with the enclosures as one fried and another fried my hard drive.

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halo2 <3