I just got my
GWC USB 2.0 to IDE Adapter Cable Accessory from NewEgg today.
It comes with the USB adapter, 2.5" adapter, power supply (+5V & +12VDC Molex from 110-240VAC), and a flexible IDE-M to IDE-F adapter (useful for hooking up to a drive already installed in a computer). (Note the flexible adapter is not shown in the pictures and I do not know what the plug coming off the Molex plug is/can be used for).
First thing I did was test it out on a 2.5" untested 20GB Toshiba hard drive. Hooked the 2.5" adapter to the drive, the USB adapter to the 2.5" adapter, plugged in power to the wall, and connected the Molex plugs to give the drive power. Then I plug in the USB to my computer. I had the driver disk ready to go but
Windows did not need the driver disk! My laptop recognized the drive and it was shown in My Computer. I didn't want anything off this drive so I formatted it and will probably use it in my CarPC.
Next test I did involved my server. I had 3 harddrives and 2 optical drives (not including the Zip Drive and IDE-HD Bay that aren't hooked up). I can only run 2 harddrives and the 2 optical drives at a time. Since the third harddrive was already installed, this time I used the flexible IDE-M to IDE-F adapter between the USB adapter and the harddrive. Drive power was gotten from the power supply. I then plugged in the USB plug in to the computer. Again, Windows saw the new device and loaded it without any new drivers.
All in all, I am pleased with this product. The only thing I don't like is the skimpy instruction manual which really doesn't say much of anything. The only word of caution I would like to say is
be careful not to bend any pins. It's real easy to do if you're not careful and could cause some problems.
EDIT: Oh yeah, forgot to mention on both systems the OS is Windows XP Pro SP2.
Derek
Linear Mode
