BYTECC BT-300 USB 2.0 to IDE / SATA Adapter

Pros: (1) Compact all-in-one. (2) Both IDE and SATA connectors. (3) Unique design with 3.5" and 2.5" IDE connectors. No 40-to-44 pin adapter cable to carry/forget like other solutions. (4) Green power LED, red access LED more visible than BT-200's internal red LED that lights the cord. (5) Hot swap SATA on the device. (6) Cool 4-pin molex power adapter included.

Cons: (1) Sporactically disconnects. (2) USB must be plugged in last for IDE (won't work if USB plugged in first or still plugged in from last use). (3) SATA connector partially blocks power to IDE drives if power is directly next to header (typically on CD/DVD drives and removable IDE cages). Still connects, but torques both the power and the BT-300. (4) Squishy case might not protect inards if you keep this loose in your bag. (5) Thin, flimsy USB cable. (6) Slightly larger than BT-200 (but still revolutionarily compact).

Overall Review: Finally! A SATA version! With this in my bag, I can troubleshoot just about any drive at my clients' sites. Kinda wish the unit had a mini-USB plug instead of a built-in cord so I could use my own cables (which I already carry around). Of course, that one time I forget my cable... :)

Pros: It works as advertised. I have saved the contents of many system drives that would not boot... From what I am reading amongst the other reviews, there may be some of these units with power supplies not wired correctly. They are easy to check.

Cons: It may not work as advertised. I have fried two of my drives learning it's "Quirks" the hard way. To check the power plug: Stare into the female end of the HD power connector and orient it so that the holes run right to left. Make sure the angled edges of the connector are on the top side. With the AC plugged in to the power supply check the voltage from the leftmost socket to one of the center holes. It should be 12 volts. Then check the voltage from the rightmost socket to one of the centers. It should be 5 Volts. On my unit imprinted into the top side of the connector (where the angled edges are) are the numbers 1 through 4. (1=12V, 2 & 3= GND, 4=5V) If you check the unit the first time before you plug it into a drive, any miswired units can be found before drive damage occurs. Send them back! My unit was not miswired. However I did surge 2 drives to death before I realised what was happening.

Overall Review: REMEMBER this above all else----> Plug the AC into the power supply BEFORE it ever comes near your drives!! If the power adapter is plugged into a drive, or into the USB box first and AC is THEN plugged into the power supply, you WILL get a SURGE into your drive electronics. Your drives may survive this a few times. Mine did not. Although this is a very useful unit for the Tech toolbox I am knocking one egg off for the power supply not being "surge proof" and for the fact that it is so dang hard to see which side of the connector is the top. I normally look for the numbers imprinted on mine. If I see them, I know I am looking at the topside of the connector. One more thought to remember: The power input connector on the USB box is upside down!(So the numbered side of the power supply plug must go to the bottom of the USB box, away from the silk screened side) To me this is counter-intuitive. Keep all this in mind, and everything will be just fine. Peace!

Pros: Fully supported by XP, No additional drivers needed. Works exactly as described. More useful than you can possibly imagine. FAST, will burn cdroms at 52x & dvds at 16x over usb2 no problem! IDE/SATA Harddrives even faster. Works on USB2.0 & 1.1*

Cons: when using with an ide cdrom, there isn't much clearance between the molex power and the bridge itself, but will work.**

Overall Review: CORRECT PROCEDURE FOR USE: 1. Disconnect Bridge from usb, power and all ide/sata devices. 2. attach bridge to ide/sata device. 3. attach power to device (or to bridge for sata). 4. attach bridge usb cable to PC usb port. 5. wait AT LEAST 30 seconds for windows to recognize the device and assign drive letters. 6. Use attached ide/sata device. PROPER DEVICE REMOVAL. 1. Stop device using "safely remove hardware" utility. 2. Disconnect bridge usb cable from pc. 3. Disconnect power from IDE device (or from bridge for sata). 4. Disconnect bridge from device. - *USB1.1 Compatible, but will run MUCH slower than USB2.0. **Using an x-acto knife I did a little trimming of the molex power plug for added clearance (DISCONNECT POWER FIRST & DONT CUT TOO DEEP!)

Pros: inexpensive, multiple adapter configurations. the notebook adapter worked, BUT...

Cons: as others have noted, the sata connector can fry a harddrive (after plugging in, mine is no longer functioning).... this is not a minor "glitch" ! Bytecc's website RMA/service page clearly states (in bold type no less) they "do NOT deal with enduser or consumer".

Overall Review: the quality is very uncertain - obviously many users are quite happy, but from the reviews several have had the same result. I used the notebook adapter several times and it worked fine - I plugged in my sata drive and -- got smoke! Now I have a fried PCB. But the notebook adapter still works fine! (I used an old drive to test) Apparently something was wrong with the sata connector on mine. BE VERY CAREFUL - backup your drives and test each connector on the adapter with a disposable drive before using. Otherwise you may be better off avoiding this adapter. As always, Newegg had been very helpful in following up on my concerns.

Pros: Fast, easy to use once you read the instructions. Copying my 500g drive over to it now. Good to have my pictures backed up in one place! Dozens of DVD's Should work in Linux and anything that takes USB storage.

Cons: No directions in box, just warning not to plug the power connector in wrong. It has small corners and could be pushed in wrong. Just like a normal plug from a power supply, 5v 12v, GND.

Overall Review: Google for the PDF install tips. below The order is important. If you have a SATA drive, plug into drive, then plug in power cord, let spin up a few seconds.. then plugin USB. WXP saw it and I used Disk Management in Computer Management, to make the drive active, then create partitions. If you have an IDE 3.5, you plug in the power connecton to the drive instead of the BT-300. http://www.byteccusa.com/download/Tips%20to%20install%20BT-300.pdf

Pros: Works perfectly, as it should every time. Reads sata, pata, and laptop hard drives.

Cons: Could be built a TAD more solid.

Overall Review: I manage a tech department for a large Laptop/Desktop retailer. There are a few other brands that try and do what this unit does lying around the store yet everyone borrows this one. It gets used DAILY and will read any drive IF YOU HAVE THE JUMPER SET RIGHT. Also, the people saying the molex connector doesn't fit snug simply aren't pushing it in far enough. When I first got mine I thought the same thing, but on further examination saw I could push it on a little more and now it's as snug as it should be. Great unit, affordable, versatile, and dependable.

Pros: It works!, I tried all three HDD interfaces (3.5" IDE/PATA, 3.5" SATA and the 2.5" Notebook IDE). All performed with no hic-ups.

Cons: Power adapter doesn't do anything for the 2.5" HDD interface. I guess this could also be considered a plus but beware, all the power for the 2.5" HDD will come from your computer's USB port. I’ve had trouble with other external 2.5 “ HDD enclosures that are only powered from the USB port.

Overall Review: This is a real handy tool for recovering data from HDDs. The only instructions are on the box and nothing on how to hook up the power adapter but if you know your way around computers you will have no trouble figuring it out. Here is how I used the power adapter: (1) PATA drives, plug the power connecter directly into the HDD. (2) SATA drives, plug the power connecter into the "Drive Mate". (3) For 2.5" drives, as best as I can figure out, the power adapter is not even needed, nor does anything even if you plug it into the "Drive Mate". Although it worked for me, I could see some people having trouble with 2.5" HDD with high power drives or weak USB power from the computer.

Pros: Newegg's delivery and processing are excellent. This product is less than a QUALITY device.

Cons: When it worked, it was worth every penny. However, this is the 2nd unit I have purchased only to have it fail after 3 or 4 uses.

Overall Review: Operating instructions are worthless. If there is a certain process that must be followed to ensure the life of the product then the manufacturer should have an operating manual. There is nothing.