Can I use this adapter to transfer data from my old laptop hard drive?

A

amodoko

Member
Hi, I found this adapter on ebay and was wondering if it would work to do what I need. Basically, I have an old hard drive (very old... came from a Dell laptop that only had 128 MB RAM and a 12 GB hard drive and has Windows 98 on it) and I want to temporarily transfer some of the data from it to a newer Dell laptop with Windows 8 . I counted the pins on the old hard drive, and it has exactly 47 pins coming out of the laptop's hard drive.

The ad shows an adapter for 44 pins and also says I need an external power adapter in addition. So maybe my hard drive is not an IDE if it has 47 pins.

I did some quick research online and it appears that you generally don't need an extra power source to power a 2.5 inch laptop drive. So why does the seller say I need a power adapter?

So will this item work with my old hard drive to do what I need it to do? Thanks. Here is the link on ebay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/321506462968?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

P.S. I know I could just buy a 2.5inch IDE enclosure, but I kind of want a quick and cheap cable I can just use for both SATA and IDE laptop drives.
 
Thanks! I barely will ever use it though. I just need to transfer about 10MB of documents so the speed of it won't be an issue for me. For now I just need something cheap to get by with (for 3 bucks, I'd be happy it it lasts a week, that's all I really need it for right now).

Do you think that the ebay one will work though based on its technical specs? It says it needs a power source, but I believe that is for a 3.5 inch disk. I'm just trying to get data off of a 2.5 inch hard drive so I'm wondering if this will work. Shouldn't this ebay item work on a 2.5 inch laptop hard drive without a power source?

It also mentions the need for a 44 pin connector. Don't they mean 43 pins (plus an extra four for something else) since one pin is always missing?
 
I agree with voyagerfan99, skip that crappy one. Here's one that's a few dollars more ($8 instead of $3) but contains a power brick and power connectors. http://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-2-0-to-IDE-SATA-S-ATA-2-5-3-5-HD-HDD-Adapter-Cable-Cord/361089222964?_trksid=p2047675.c100010.m2109&_trkparms=aid%3D555012%26algo%3DPW.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131231084308%26meid%3D9d9ea72dd5234f10aebe25ca990b6c1a%26pid%3D100010%26prg%3D20131231084308%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D24%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D321506462968

With the one you linked to, you'll need to open your computer case and connect the drive to a power connector from your PSU. The adapter won't be able to power the drive, even a 2.5 incher.

Also, the one I linked to is shipped from the US so you won't have to wait a month to get it.
 
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Awesome, thanks! I'll get that one instead then. Seems to have everything I would need, is cheap, and from the US too. Thanks for that!

If you don't mind, would someone be willing to answer a couple of questions I have. I'm a bit confused about a few things, regarding this topic, and would like to understand some things a bit better.

1) Why do many sites say "44 pins" when my IDE drive has 47 pins in total? If you exclude the 4 pins my drive has for power, I believe, then it really is a 43 pin drive. Shouldn't sites be saying 43 pins or 47 pins for 2.5 inch drives?

2) Why do I need extra power source for a 2.5 incher when many external hard drive enclosures say that you generally only need one USB connection. I remember one time I used an external hard drive enclosure for a 2.5 inch laptop, and I could have sworn I only used one usb cable (maybe I'm not remembering correctly). For example, if you look at this random ebay ad, it only includes one usb cable for power for an external hard drive enclosure:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-5-IDE-Har...US_Drive_Enclosures_Docks&hash=item35c31f88e3

3) And if the answer to number 2 is that you can use just 1 usb cable for a hard drive enclosure for power for a 2.5 inch drive, why can't one use 1 usb cable with an adapter (like the extremely cheap ebay one I listed in my original post) to power up a drive?

4) Last question, there are other ebay ads that are similar to the one you suggested I buy, in the previous post, that are almost identical except they include the power cord in addition to the power adapter, but also have a slightly different "red" cable. The sellers mention that the item can be used for both 2.5 and 3.5 inch drives, but I see no extra power source for a 2.5 inch drive. It seems that they believe the lone adapter is enough to power it, or maybe I'm not understanding something. So my question is, what is the difference between this one...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271688541618?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

... and the one you mentioned. Would both work to power a 2.5 inch drive? Because it seems the one you suggested includes a different red power cable I believe. So is the seller suggesting their lone adapter is enough to power the drive in the ad I just posted above? Or is there a power plug in the ad I'm just not seeing?

Thanks for your help guys, yeah I can get a little obsessive sometimes when I'm trying to understand something. I already decided to get the one you suggested, but was still confused about a few things. Thanks again, much appreciated.
 
I found my answer to questions 2-4. Apparently, after talking to some computer guys online, the lone adapter from my original post IS all you need. It provides enough power through one USB cable and no other power source is needed. I'm not so sure why there was confusion about that here when I originally posted my question, but you only need the lone adapter apparently.
 
amodoko said:
I found my answer to questions 2-4. Apparently, after talking to some computer guys online, the lone adapter from my original post IS all you need. It provides enough power through one USB cable and no other power source is needed. I'm not so sure why there was confusion about that here when I originally posted my question, but you only need the lone adapter apparently.
Click to expand...

Yes, I knew that, because I use an adapter like this all the time.
 
Yes, however, the other member (strollin) above said the adapter would not be enough to power a 2.5 inch hard drive so I got confused and decided not to get it (I don't know much about computers). I guess I'll just cancel my order and get the 3 dollar one now since I'll probably only use it a few times ever.
 
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