Hard Drive

[Iceboy]

Do I have to take this out of the casing to dock it and format it, presuming it's an SSD?

 

[Tim Locke]

That is a regular HDD, a spinner! It should just plug in to SATA cables and work. Did it have a cover that you have removed? Some HDDs do and some don't. SSDs are usually smooth THIN cases with the connections on one end

The other side is covered of course to protect the disks and the heads from dust

 

[Bighorn]

I plug such drives into a dock connected to a computer to work with them. Also have a cable kit for doing it.

 

[Grizzly]

Comparison of a HDD (3.5" like yours) and a SSD which comes usually only as a 2.5" drive:

A SSD in SATA looks always like the one on the right (IMHO), while the left one can be a 2.5" drive as well as you can see from the next picture:

 

[Iceboy]

This was attached to it in the old computer. Does it plug into the docking station somehow?.

 

[Bighorn]

My drive docks accept just putting the drive in them, no cable needed as the dock itself is connected to the computer/s.
Examples:

Amazon.com : drive dock

 

[Grizzly]

I have this one and am loving it:
Amazon.com docking station

especially I love the disk clone feature that does NOT require a PC...

a docking station is basically an adapter to a USB-port in which you can plug in a drive. Usually one does not need the cables that connect the drive to the computer (internally).

 

[Bighorn]

Actually, on mine the cloning won't even work if the USB is connected to a computer. I have an Eaxer that has a USB Hub feature, 2 USB 3 ports and 1 USB 3 port that is a charger.

 

[Iceboy]

I'm hoping this one will do me, I said in another post I was getting this, but I had second thoughts about the hard drive after I removed it.

 

[Bighorn]

It should be fine.

 

[Grizzly]

you might get it faster ordering from amazon. Hongkong is pretty far away

TenYua All In 1 IDE SATA Dual Hard Drive HDD Docking Station Dock USB HUB Card Reader Hard Disk Docking Station Reader UK Plug : Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

Buy

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[Iceboy]

Ordered thank you for the tips and help with this matter, once it arrives I'll let you know how I get on