Mike writes in:

Hi I have an old Compaq 7470 PC with a 1999 dated internal hard drive. I was wondering if it was possible to extract the contents (files) of the old hard drive by a simple connection to my laptop. I just thought there
might exist a connection that allows the drive to show up as maybe an external drive ( like a traveldrive ) from an ATA to firewire connection. Maybe my understanding of the process is a bit off however. Thanks for any info.

Yes Mike, it is that easy.

What you are looking for is a USB 2 or Firewire external enclosure. Though it is quite dated (4 years old now) we have an article about a FireWire enclosure which will give you an idea on what you are up against.

It is a relatively simple process. Good Luck.