StarTech.com USB 2.0 to IDE SATA Adapter, 2.5/3.5" SSD/HDD, USB to IDE & SATA Converter Cable - Replaced by USB3SSATAIDE

The product was well packaged and included more than I realized... the single power cable was actually 3 power cables, one standard U.S., a two (round) pin European and a third massive three pin with a fuse in it, I believe it's specific to the U.K. There was also an auxiliary jumper from the the PS to the Adapter to augment low current USB ports if needed. The PS seemed more than adequate and stayed cool to the touch in operation. Documentation was good and I didn't need the drivers provided. A working HD was easily seen by XP and Windows 7. I also use a Windows 98 VM with the usual non-standard upgrades expected in something that has become mostly a hobbyist OS and that had no problems seeing the HD either.Seeing is not the same as using. The issue here is not the product, but the nature of the application itself. I started with a "good" HD that refused to power up. My best guess is that it just went bad sitting in the drawer, but it was an unexpected pain in the neck that left me wondering if the product worked. I tried a second HD that was seen by all three versions of Windows but wasn't mounting. Windows 7 was a bit more helpful in deducing that the drive had been wiped by the previous owner and once it was initialized all was fine. The lesson here is to first familiarize oneself with the adapter using an absolutely positively working HD first and then move on to sorting out the spares in the decommissioned bin.Based on the reviews I read of the various adapters available before I bought the StarTech, my priorities were to pick a product that (a) didn't start a fire (b) didn't kill my HD (c) didn't pollute my PC with a bunch of mickey mouse interfaces or drivers and (d) worked. I think I got a good deal with the Star Tech.

I purchased this adapter in order to clone the hard disk in my Toshiba A-135 laptop, which has no provision for a second HDD. The Startech adapter separates the communications adapter from the power supply and powers the comm adapter (not the drive) from the USB port, although the comm adapter can be powered from the separate power supply if you choose. The power supply has three outputs, one each for IDE or SATA drives and a third to power the comm adapter, if desired. There are separate indicator lights and power switches on the power cord for the SATA or IDE outputs. The switching power supply includes 3 cords to accommodate USA or overseas power sources. The adapter has communication status lights for the USB, SATA and IDE ports, which are helpful and reassuring.I first attempted to test the adapter with two (very) old IDE drives that had been out of service for many years, one of which I knew was working at the time it was replaced. Windows Vista recognized the adapter and (eventually) loaded a driver for the disk(s), but it would not mount the drive. Presumably, I could have formatted the drive since it appeared in device manager, but since I wanted to see what was on it, I did not.Satisfied that the device was communicating with Windows and that the power supply functioned under load, I connected my new drive, a Sandisk 120GB SATA III SSD, which was immediately recognized by Vista and the driver installed. I used Macrium Reflect (free) to clone the C drive and the process proceeded flawlessly, transferring 50+ GB in about 1.25 hours. When I replaced my C drive with the Sandisk SSD, it booted without incident.The Startech device performed flawlessly for the primary purpose for which I purchased it and I have therefore given it five stars. Since there is question regarding the old IDE drives that I attempted to read, I consider evaluation of the IDE interface incomplete. I may update this review later if I try other IDE devices.

I bought this to copy data from an old IDE hard drive onto my laptop. It worked perfectly for that use case. While I have not doubt it will also work well with SATA drives, I have not tried it for that use.If customers have difficulty with this product, I recommend the following steps. These recommendations are based on difficulties I sometimes had using an older generic IDE/SATA to USB adapter:1) Disconnect everything2) Connect the adapter to the SATA or IDE connector on the hard drive. IDE is not spec'd to hot connect, and it's possible that the adapter's SATA port also does not support hot connect. In any case, it's best that neither the hard drive nor the adapter be powered when connecting.3) Plug in the wall wart, connect it to the power adapter, and connect the power adapter to the hard drive. You should hear the drive spin up (unless, of course, it's a flash drive).4) Connect the adapter's USB plug to your computer. A new hard drive should now show up on your computer.At this point you should be able to use the drive the same way you'd use any other USB drive.When finished, disconnect the USB port, unplug from the wall, and disconnect power and the adapter from your hard drive.

My mom's laptop crashed and burned so she had to get a new one. She had several pictures and files on her old computer that she wanted to save, but the laptop wouldn't even boot up. I took her laptop to several local computer store chains and was told it would be about 100.00 to get the files off of her old laptop. She wasn't really sure exactly what files were on there or what she needed to keep so we didn't know if it was worth that to find out if there were things she needed or not. I noticed the stores were using this product to connect the hard drive, so I went home and found it to buy. Her laptop was old, so most of the other adapters didn't have the correct pin configuration to fit her hard drive. This one worked great. I was able to connect the hard drive from her laptop. This adapter provided the power needed to the hard drive, and I was able to go through her files to find any documents she might need or want to keep. Plus, it was really affordable!