Question 1

Does the power supply unit have a on off switch? I can t tell from the picture. I need one with a on off switch
thanks

Accepted Answer

Yes there is.  This is one of the nicer adapters I have seen for internal drives -> USB.  I ordered it not even thinking about a power switch but was pleasantly surprised to find one. (Also the included rubber cases that come with it are a nice added touch for both 2.5 and 3.5 inch drives)

Question 2

will this work with windows 7 x64?

Accepted Answer

It has worked flawlessly on all win 7 flavors, windows server 2003, 2008, 2008r2, 2012, xp 32bit( dont know about xp 64 bit), and I do not know about any of the windows 8 flavors.
Plug and play

Question 3

I'd like to use a Iomega Ditto 800 tape drive (IDE) in an Supermicro-based server (no IDE port) running Centos 7.  What are the odds this would do the trick?

Accepted Answer

Boy, do I feel like a dummy! I did a search using the criteria "USB to IDE adapter", and this was one of the items that came up.  I just assumed that's what it was, and didn't pay attention to the actual description.  Incidentally, I have already tried a SATA to IDE converter, but it apparently wasn't recognized by Centos.  Since I have a drawer full of Travan 20GB tapes for the Iomega, I thought it might be worth a try using a USB to IDE converter.

Question 4

Will this work in Windows 7?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it works in Windows 7. I have a multiboot system and have used this adapter with Windows 7, Windows XP, Elementary Linux and LXLE.  I have encountered no problems with this adapter when using any of the Operating Systems mentioned above.

Question 5

I have a hard drive that was in an old computer that crashed. I am trying to get the photos off the back up hard drive that was in the computer. Is this what I need to hook into the hard drive, to hook up to my computer to retrieve the photos? thank you for your help

Accepted Answer

Assuming the hard drive is not damaged (physically or file system corrupted beyond repair) then yes, this should allow you to recover any remaining, valid data on the drive.
     If the Drive is physically damaged, your chances of recover is reduced, as noted by grinding or scraping noises from the drive.
    But if the computer just suffered a operating system crash or another; non hard drive related failure this product should be able to aid you in recovering your data.

So, yes this is what you need to recover data off a hard drive that is not currently installed in a functioning computer. Once you have used it to recover your data this can also be used to connect almost any internal type hard drive externally to back up data to allowing you to occasionally back-up your files so you don't loose everything should you suffer another major crash.

Question 6

is this compatible with windows 8?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it works just like a USB flash drive or external hard drive.  I currently run Windows 8.1 and use this all the time with it.

Question 7

Will this work with a  SAMSUNG 840 Pro Series MZ-7PD256BW 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)?

Accepted Answer

Hi Trace, I never used this with a SATA III device so I do not know everything I am reading points to it supports (SATA and SATA II) however, I would imagine as long as it has a SATA hook up it would work but it would be limited to a USB 2.0 connection speed. 
If I had a SATA III drive I would test it out and give you more of answer. I will say this tho this is a must have device if you do any sort of Data recovery or transfer it a life saver and it well built and for the price you cant beat it. 
I hope this has helped Also, if you go to there site and click on About Us you can contact them from there

Thanks
Barry

Question 8

Does anyone know could i use this to hook an external disk drive up to a laptop to install a new OS?  My girl friends laptop was made with out a disc tray and its been running weird so i want to upgrade her to windows 8.1 and our internet is just terrible here.

Accepted Answer

Hey there. It would be a lot easier if you create a USB bootable flash Drive to install the Operating System. There are tons of tutorials online. All this adapter would do is turn the internal Drive into an External, and you don't want that. I also recommend that you do a clean install vs an Upgrade. It will be cleaner and the Operating System will run a lot faster. 
What to do?
1) Backup all documents
2) Obtain Windows 8 DVD
3) Get a flash drive - minimum should be 8 GB, just to make sure you have enough space.
4) Plug in the Flash drive and make sure the Laptop sees it and can actually boot from it.
5) Prepare the flash drive; as I mentioned, you will see tons of tutorials...try "How To Install Windows 8 or 8.1 From a USB Device"
6) Install. Enjoy. Get a kiss from the girlfriend :)

Question 9

The hard drive I wish to connect this adapter to states it is a 3.5" disk but the pin connectors on the drive only number 20 and would only match with the 2.5" side of this adapter.  Will this adapter be compatible with my hardrive and would I be able to get the data from the hard drive if I connect the 2.5" side of the adapter to it?  Also, will it work with Windows 8?

Accepted Answer

3.5" drives usually have a 40-pin ATA connector.  The 2.5" drives have a 44-pin ATA connector.  So if your connector has 2 rows of 20 pins, then it's a normal 3.5" connector and this adapter should work just fine for you.

I've used my adapter on both Windows 7 and 8 without problems.  It is not necessary to install the provided driver CD since Windows 7 and 8 already have the needed USB driver.

Simply plug the adapter and provided power connector into the drive.  Then plug in the USB connector to the computer.  There is a power switch on the power connecter that can be used to turn the drive on and off.

Question 10

does it work with 3.5 inch drives?

Accepted Answer

No it does not

3.5" drives have larger disks which require a larger motor to turn.  Traditionally USB ports only provide 5v output which is not enough to turn these hard drives.

Since usb C allows for pass though and multiple voltages and amperage outputs it is possible that it can output the 12v to power the motor. 
However, I tried this on my Lenovo Yoga 920 that has USB C power input/output/passthrough and it did not spin the disks of a 2.5" drive

You will need to get a USB 3.0 to sata adapter with external power adapter for 3.5" drives

Questions & Answers