Question 1

I see a number of similar devices that are apparently powered from the USB.  I have an older computer and am pretty well convinced that the usb powered cables won't work except for an SSD.  Is that so?  I need it for an actual disk-type drive. Also, in the picture showing the parts of this kit, I don't see a plug on the power supply.  How is the power supply powered?  I'm replacing an older unit with a few broken bits.

Accepted Answer

Hello, Usually you need supplemental power coming from a system's power supply to power the drive and be able to access it (when used in a tower). If you plan on using it with a laptop it comes with an external power supply that plugs into the wall and uses one of the included cables to connect the PSU to the adapter to provide power to the drive, I would recommend checking the diagrams that show how it is used or contact the manufacturer for more details. You should have no problem with powering the drive as long as you use the included power supply. Hope this helps! https://www.tripplite.com/usb-3-superspeed-sata-ide-adapter-usb-cable-2.5in-3.5in-5.25in-hard-drives~U33806N/ Newegg Support

Question 2

Can you use an old hard drive to see whats in the inside?

Accepted Answer

If the drive is good then yes - you can connect the drive to this device.  Once connected to your PC, the  system will see it as an additional  hard drive on the system.   You could then browse it to see the data.  Make sure your old drive interface is SATA or IDE.

Question 3

Will this work with a 5.25" SATA blueray drive?

Accepted Answer

it should because usb3.0 Superspeed is universal but just in case please check sata blueray drive's info

Question 4

What operating system does this work with, I didn't see it in the description? Windows 10?

Accepted Answer

It does not need drivers.  It says: '...works with all USB-enabled operating systems, ...".  I used it on Win 7 64-bit, and it worked very well.

Question 5

will this work on a western digital hd ?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it should work on any HD regardless of brand.  I'm assume the drive has a regular IDE or SATA interface.

Question 6

Has anyone tried this with Linux?

Accepted Answer

The product is compatible with all USB-enabled operating systems.

Question 7

Does this package include everything to recover data on very old 3.5 or 5.5 IDE type hard drives that required a 4 pin power connector from the computer power supply to drive (spin) the hard drive?

Accepted Answer

This package contains everything to connect old and new HDs to computer via USB.  It does not  contain any recovery SW.  I even used it to connect some really old laptop IDE drives.  In the first picture from left, you have the 2 standard pwr connectors to choose from. For laptop ATA, 3rd black USB connector from left, the pwr is part of the ATA connection strip.  The standard IDE, SATA and laptop ATA connectors are part of the same connection block.

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