I found my old PC in the attic, and I need a boot disc...

[The Fifth Horseman]

So what if the HDD can't be booted from? Doesn't mean it's completely gone.
Buy a USB hard drive enclosure . Install the hard drive there.  Copy whatever you need from it.

[Ironwolf]

In that picture your drive is not plugged in, the sata cable is loose and so is the power cable.

You can also often buy an identical drive and replace the controller card and fix it. I helped someone once save their thesis that took 2 years to write by this method. When it booted and worked they were jumping up and down.

[Ankhammon]

In that picture your drive is not plugged in, the sata cable is loose and so is the power cable.

You can also often buy an identical drive and replace the controller card and fix it. I helped someone once save their thesis that took 2 years to write by this method. When it booted and worked they were jumping up and down.

Good one IW, didn't think about the controller card.... and I guess his thesis wasn't on data security.

[Eoraptor]

Good one IW, didn't think about the controller card.... and I guess his thesis wasn't on data security.

Controller card swaps can work, but it requires a lot of technical knowhow and a very clean room to do that sort of work. plus, you have to have the luck to find the exact drive hardware for the donor board.