It’s usually a hassle to pull data off a hard drive when a computer refuses to boot. But Newer Technology’s NewerTech USB 2.0 Universal Drive Adapter can eliminate the hassle. The USB adapter cable allows any hard drive or optical drive to be connected to any computer via USB. The adapter is compatible with 2.5-, 3.5-, and 5.25-inch drives with IDE and Serial ATA interfaces. Not only useful in emergency situations, the USB adapter also gives older drives a seconds life, allowing them to be used externally without needing an enclosure. The USB 2.0 Universal Drive Adapter has been tested to work with all popular hard-drive brands, including Maxtor, Seagate, IBM, Hitachi, Samsung, Western Digital and Fujitsu It also works with optical drive brands such as LG, Lite-On, Panasonic, Pioneer, Plextor, Sony, Teac and Toshiba. When connected to a USB 2.0 port, the plug and play adapter provides a transfer speed of up to 480 Mbps; it’s also backward compatible with USB 1.1.