Every now and then, I need to extract data from a hard drive I've removed from a PC. That typically means I have to open up a PC, attach it to a connector, boot up the PC, and copy off the data.

NewerTech's Universal Drive Adapter aims to fix that little hassle with its USB 2.0 Universal Drive Adapter

At only $24.95 direct from NewerTech, this little gizmo is practically a steal. It supports SATA, IDE, and those pesky mini-IDE connectors you find in some laptop hard drives. It's just the thing to keep around the basement lab here. However, it does have a power brick that's larger than the device itself. But at least it's the "soap-on-a-rope" style brick.

Product: NewerTech USB 2.0 Universal Drive Adapter
Company: Newer Technology
Price: $24.95 direct
Pros: Can connect to IDE, SATA and mini-IDE hard drives
Cons: The power brick is larger than the device itself
Summary: If you have to frequently extract data from bare hard drives, this is a spiffy solution.