Using a USB to IDE/SATA adapter.

[Detonate]

I use one of these adapters on a fairly frequent basis. To me, the biggest problem is the time it takes to scan a hard drive connected with the adapter. The speed is of course throttled by the fact it is connected via USB. As I do most of my work on infected hard drives from my desktop PC, I have found it is much faster to mount the hard drive directly to the PC via SATA or IDE.

[elitie]

Originally Posted by rjfvillarosa When you connect the adapter without a harddrive connected to it is it seen by your laptop?

no, windows doesn't make any autoplays when i connect the adapter without a hardrive. the light on the adapter lights up, but nothing happens beyond that.

[rjfvillarosa]

When you connect the adapter without a harddrive, it should show up in the toolbar near the clock as a usb device. If this is not happening then it looks like your adapter is faulty.

[elitie]

Originally Posted by rjfvillarosa When you connect the adapter without a harddrive, it should show up in the toolbar near the clock as a usb device. If this is not happening then it looks like your adapter is faulty.

oh man, do adapters break easily? i've only used this thing once since purchasing it...

[rjfvillarosa]

Originally Posted by elitie do adapters break easily?

Not that I know of.
I have got three of these adapters, two where the usb link cable is non-detacheable from the adapter and one that you can remove the usb link cable. If you can, try another usb cable.
The last one I bought from Maplins seems to have been updated, this one is similar but not quite the same:
IDE/SATA to USB 2.0 : USB Adaptors : Maplin Electronics
I paid £35 for mine about $60 US, which is a lot, but it came with a separate power supply for the harddrive and lots of molex and sata power cable adapters. The other two I bought in the States were about $25 each, they are very good but it's obvious they are not as robust as the one I bought from Maplins.
I do this for a living so I need to have tools I can rely upon. I can understand the reluctance to splash out on an expensive item you may not use very often.
Here are three reasonably priced versions.
StarTech.com USB 2.0 to IDE or SATA Adapter : Computer Adapters | RadioShack.com
GWC USB 2.0 to SATA or IDE Adapter AS1200
Vantec SATA or IDE to USB Adapter

[Charles6616]

04/07/2012 My 1 previous experience with an adapter was frustrating.

Today I connected a WD 80Gig drive to my 12 year old XP Machine. I used the Rosewill adapter. I tend not to use the direction booklets, print is to small anyway. I found the correct sequence of steps by trial & error.

1. Set the drive jumper to slave.

2. Make the IDE connection to the drive.

3. Make the power connection to the drive.

4. Plug the adapter into the USB port.

5. Turn on the power to the drive.

6. The drive will show up in Device Manager.

7. Path to the format utility is; Control Panel, Performance/Maintenance, Administrative Tools, Computer Management, Disk management, In the bottom of the split window, Select the new drive, Make active partition, Format as NTFS.

For a task seldom performed, clearly formated list of instructions is the way to go. Now I have to decide clone the drive, or fresh install, and of course it should be fresh for 12 year old system.

[glc]

Charles:

With a WD drive, remove the jumper or set it to CS. Reverse steps 4 and 5.

[thelocogringo]

I just purchased a SATA IDE to USB coverter Cable, I cannot get it to recognize my IDE DVD R/W drive, Everything I plug to it comes up as USB Mass Storage Device, and I can't get it to initialize in Computer Management, Any Ideas???