SRS re your laptop, I have hard drives from computers that died up to ten years ago that I can put into any other computer I have and they will boot up and run. All the programs will work and all the old files are still there. Of course they are Linux systems. Windows won't do that.

However, for not a lot of money you can buy a device which will connect an old hard drive to your current computer through a USB cable and you can brouse the contents and copy files to another drive or your current PC. If my memory serves me right 3.5 drives need a five volt power supply but 2.5 drives don't. You can buy either kind.