SATA IDE to USB Adapter Cable for Hard Disk HDD - 2.5/3.5 - Supports SATA HDD, 2.5" hard disk, 3.5" hard disk, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, CD-RW, COMBO device, DVD-RW to computer with USB 2.0

I have used this type of adapter before and this DIGIFLEX version worked equaly as good. I have used this one on both SATA and IDE hard drives and a SATA read/write CD/DVD drive without any problems. My problem with VFM is that I had to buy a 240v to 12v/5v power supply, the unit itself would have justified a full five stars other than that. It was sergested that I use a 12v/5v power lead from my computer but I didn't relish the idea of poking holes in the computer casing. Technical support from DIGIFLEX® was not needed. The writen instructions are a little jibberish but the unit was easy enough to set up any way. All in all I am quite satisfied with my purchase.

Works as advertised, through as mentioned in the description, which could be clearer IMO and other reviews, if using it with 3.5 hard drive from a desktop computer you will need either an external power supply or to open up the computer and plug in to its power supply unit.

While the instructions leave a lot to be desired, using this product is not rocket science.I had 20 hard drives, IDE & SATA, different makes and sizes up to 2 Tb to check if data required to be transferred before re-formatting. Only 3 failed to be recognized by my Windows 7 system via this device and that was NOT due to this product, but an inherent problem in windows 7 sometimes having problems recognizing it's own previous non NTFS formats.The supply of power to the product may mean you have to open one side of the computer or use a spare computer power supply buy hey, how much do you want for the money?In my opinion an excellent 'tool' to have available, easy to use and extremely good value for money.

As anticipated, this product 'out of the box' looked poor value for money - a 'toy'.I bought this to bring across some old files from a 1990s Packard Bell desktop to my current laptop. It was fairly straighforward to hook up, particularly as I used the power supply from the old PC.The USB 'end' didn't seem to sit comfortably in the laptop socket and needed a bit of manoeuvring and coaxing to get it to work. After the sixth use (or fewer) it ceased to work, despite trying various permutations.Having said that, it was sufficient for the one-off job for which I bought it.I agree that you get what you pay for; and I agree that it might be a cheap clone of another product - I don't get why someone would mass-produce a sub-standard item where reliability and positivity are key requirements...

If you want to use this for a 3.5" HDD, you need to have an external power source. This power source is not supplied, and it seems to be very difficult to obtain due to the strange connector used. I couldn't find an appropriate power supply to purchase - I haven't found any adaptors from USB or standard AC wall plugs. From reading other reviews, it looks like other customers have managed to open up their desktop computers and take a power source from inside. However if all you're working with is a laptop then obviously this isn't an option. Thus, without a power supply, this product is absolutely useless.I feel that the product description should be more clear about this, since it seems I'm not the first customer to have this problem. YES there is one line at the bottom that says you need an adapter if using it with certain drives, however this as given as a side-note (which quite frankly is easy to miss if you're skimming a description), and also the first bullet point at the top states "Plug and play (No Power Adaptor supplied)" - which very much sounds like it's saying "no power adaptor supplied because you don't need one - it's plug and play". Plug and play should mean plug and play.

Had major issues with one of seller to begin with. Amazon took prompt action and resolved the issue. Was really impressed.Now come to the item itself. I have converted my sky hd's hard drive into a usb external hard drive for my TV with help of this setup. Due to bad review to some of the power adapters available on the marked i decided to use the power supply from the sky box (hard drive is sitting in the box)and the usb cable goes to the tv.I have also used it with 2.5" laptop hard drive and worked fine with out the need for any external power supply as usb cable will power it. On some occasions it did not recognize the hard drive but over-all its good.

Worked on 3 out of 4 drives - the 4th was doa and not getting power so the connector cannot be blamed. Had old power connectors on a cable so did not test the sata power to 4 pin adapter. Takes a while, especially with really old 30gb drives, but no problems at all. This is definitely the device to buy instead of the more expensive options. Real bargain.

A useful device for connecting drives through a USB port for things like erasing disks or copy information from drives in a broken device. It is reasonable value for the price. It is really only for the more technical user. The instruction leaflet is very poor. The item on offer has no power supply, although the instructions make reference to one. Some form of external power will needed for most devices; so you need to understand what you are doing and how to safely connect devices.