HELP! ...a question for any computer geeks out there

[Joeguy 941]

I had a laptop that died, well the screen fried and it would have cost more to fix it than to buy a new computer.  I had some files I wanted to keep and the guys at the computer repair sold me an external hard drive case and popped the laptops hard drive in it.  I didn't need any of the files immediately so I just put it away in a drawer.  That was a couple of years ago.

Now I would like to retrieve some of those files on that hard drive in the external case.  All the original Microsoft Win10 operating system files are still in place on the external hard drive along with my saved files.  

If I plug in that external hard drive through a USB connection, will the MS system files on the external drive interfere with my computers Win10 system files?...might they cause some sort of conflict?  If I don't click on the MS system files on the external will my computer even see them?  Can I delete any or all the system files from the external without my computer system files freaking out?

I'm pretty sure I can just use the external like any other external drive and delete MS system files from it with impunity, but I'd like to get a second opinion..or a third, or tenth.

 

 

[ThirdOnion 4,898]

You are probably better off asking this in a forum dedicated to computing, but you should be just fine.

Edited July 8, 2021 by ThirdOnion

[Cleric 1,385]

1 hour ago, Joeguy said:

I had a laptop that died, well the screen fried and it would have cost more to fix it than to buy a new computer.  I had some files I wanted to keep and the guys at the computer repair sold me an external hard drive case and popped the laptops hard drive in it.  I didn't need any of the files immediately so I just put it away in a drawer.  That was a couple of years ago.

Now I would like to retrieve some of those files on that hard drive in the external case.  All the original Microsoft Win10 operating system files are still in place on the external hard drive along with my saved files.  

If I plug in that external hard drive through a USB connection, will the MS system files on the external drive interfere with my computers Win10 system files?...might they cause some sort of conflict?  If I don't click on the MS system files on the external will my computer even see them?  Can I delete any or all the system files from the external without my computer system files freaking out?

I'm pretty sure I can just use the external like any other external drive and delete MS system files from it with impunity, but I'd like to get a second opinion..or a third, or tenth.

 

 

No, it will not corrupt any files. It just affect which drive, the internal or the external, is chosen to boot from. It depends on your boot device order. 

If the USB has higher priority, then the system will attempt to boot up from your corrupted windows inside the external drive, which obviously not gonna work. The internal drive is untouched.

 

If the internal drive has higher priority, it will boot up from the windows installed there and the external drive will acts like an ordinary USB drive. 

Edited July 8, 2021 by Aegis

[Joeguy 941]

ooooo...perfect.  Thank you so much for a solid definitive answer.