IDE cables are 2" wide flat ribbed cables, usually gray or black. SATA cables are 1/4" wide flat cables that are thicker, usually red or blue.
I believe what RJF is leading up to is removing the drive and connecting it to your computer to format it - as long as you are not booting from it you can format it in Windows. Regardless what type of drive it is, you can connect it to your computer via USB with one of these:
IDE/SATA to USB 2.0 Cable Adapter w/One Touch Backup - Turn 2020-OTB