Once in a while I’ll purchase an inexpensive computer gadget just so I have it on hand if I get in a bind. One recent purchase was a USB adapter set with regular and mini-USB connectors. When I ordered the power supply this week I also decided to pickup a USB 2.0 to IDE cable adapter for connecting a 2.5″ or 3.5″ drive. I’ve been wanting to have a 2.5″ (notebook) drive adapter for a long time as there have been several situations in which I needed to recover data from a small drive for friends and had to borrow one. This adapter cost more than a standard IDE notebook adapter but it plugs in via USB, which means I don’t have to pull apart a full drive enclosure or remove the drive from the current one that I’m using to backup iTunes media to.

USB 2.0 to IDE Cable Adapter for 2.5″ and 3.5″ Drives