Question 1

I have several old hard drives but no longer own a PC, we only have a laptop now.

So, if I buy this, do I need anything else or can I just plug in the old hard drives and view them / transfer photos, files etc from the old drive to the laptop?

Many thanks

Accepted Answer

I bought this but have not yet used it, however, on the package I have in hand it says: Connect any 2.5 or 3.5 SATA/IDE hard drive externally to your computer through any available USB2.0 port. The Sabrent USB-DSC5 Adapter is a case-less solution that makes swapping hard drives easier than ever before. Transfer data quickly and easily through USB 2.0 at speeds of up to 480Mbs and 52x CD-ROM speeds. Installation is simple and driver-less so this is a perfect solution for data transfers or data backup. 
And elsewhere on the package: Supports any drive capacity Hi-speed USB2.0 interface, Plug&Play, Hot-Swappable
Contents of package: USB to STA/IDE adapter, Power adapter, Power cord, User Manual
I bought it myself for your reasons....many hard drives awaiting transfer or at least examination of data, after junking the rest of the PC. But I have not yet had time to try it. Sounds like it will work fine. Hope this helps you

Question 2

my hard drive has 39 pins will this converter work?

Accepted Answer

One side is 43 pin openings the other side is 40 pin openings and 39 will go into both so it is more of your configuration of the pin connector you are connecting, either IDE or SATA. Look at the pics and find you pin connector layout.

Question 3

Will this work for both 2.5 and 3.5 IDE hard disk drive, as well as, 3.5 floppy disk dives (both 1.44mb & 120mb)?

Accepted Answer

I have used it on 2.5 and 3.5 IDE disk drives. Primarily for data recovery with no issues. I imagine that it would work on 3.5 floppy drives since they are IDE. However, you may need the drivers for it to work on newer versions of Windows. Those drivers will most likely be written for XP or prior. Using Windows 7 XP mode or a virtual environment of XP helps with legacy equipment. If you do not know what you are doing I recommend taking your data to an IT professional or company who knows what they are doing. Not everything can be learned by watching a YouTube video or by a Google search. The risk and reward is yours to decide. I hope this helps you make your decision.

Question 4

I want to transfer data from a WD5000LPVX (2.5 in) SATA hard drive to a Windows-8 O.S. laptop.  Are the specs for this device compatible with this mission?  Thanks - Ken

Accepted Answer

If the data is Windows compatible it will work fine.  Please remember however if you are transferring program/application data then the data will transfer but the program will not run.  Programs have to be installed.  If you have the installation files on the old disc they may or may not work, since some programs look for installation data on either a cd, dvd or (ugggh) floppy disk.

But documents, mp3's pictures, etc. should all transfer fine.

Please also remember that email has to be "backed up" and "restored", so email data may or may not be importable.  Just some food for thought,

Good luck.  I've had great luck with mine.

Question 5

Will this work with Windows 8.1?

Accepted Answer

Yes I think it will. I use it on Windows 7 with no problem. All you need is a USB  port. Any drive you hook up to this tool will get power from either the enclosed power source or from the USB connection. Just make sure to securely plug in  all connections. I have had no problems with this tool.

Question 6

Want to look and copy music and files from my old hard drive using this product onto my new windows 8 laptop. Which driver should I use to be able to see the files on the old hard drive?

Accepted Answer

This should come up with no additional drivers needed. It hooks to the hard drive (whether 3.5 inch IDE, 2.5 inch IDE, or SATA in both sizes.) The device then gives you an additional hard drive on your machine. I use four different ones and have them basically hooked at different times as backup drives for work I do. It is an easy to use device requiring no additional software on the machine. (I have used them with XP and Win7--which is my main OS now.)

Question 7

I bought this, when I plug it in to my Windows 7 Laptop, computer recognizes it but says no driver found.  I am trying to retrieve data off of a IDE hard drive that was in a Windows XP Desktop Computer.  Does this mean the hard drive is bad?

Accepted Answer

are you plugging it in before you connect the hard drive?  With the drive connected it might not recognize the device correctly  Once it ID's the Saberent USB device you can then connect the drive.  If windows doesn't see the drive, it may be roached.  and the only way (expensive) is to take the drive to a data recovery service.

Question 8

Is there a hdd size limit with this adapter? Can I use a 4TB hard drive with it?

Accepted Answer

Hi. I really like the convenience of this adapter. However, it only works with drives up to 2TB in size. There are other adapters out there. Best of luck.

Question 9

I've had problems with this type of device when the power plug on the device is directly adjacent to the the IDE interface because the housing on the USB device covers the power plug. I'm apprehensive about trying another one. Is there a guarantee it will fit all IDE interfaces?

Accepted Answer

I have used these adapters on multiple IDE  disk drives, with the caveat of the drive not having failed. On working drives, I have used both laptop IDE (2.5 inch) drives (and am currently working with three Sabrent USB adapters mounted to laptop drives for data backup.) I have recovered data from desktop IDE drives that will no longer boot, and saved the data to other locations for my users where I used to work. The key is the drive has to be able to be accessed. If an IDE drive does a complete failure, this will not help. Only a data recovery company has a chance to retrieve data from a hard drive.

Question 10

I can not get this to work with windows 8.1
is there one like this that will work with 8.1 ?

Accepted Answer

I do not know....  I bought mine and used it with Windows 7.... It stopped working after I used it twice... The power supply failed.... However it does still work if  I plug the hdd into the computer power...  It allowed me to recover files from an external drive that the interface failed on... So at the time it was worth what I paid for it.

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