Connecting IDE hard drive to PC running Windows 7

I ave two old Seagate hard drives fating back to the 90s and would like to retrieve some data form them.

 

I understand that they have an IDE interface and bought a kit online that claims to be able to connect both types of drive.

 

However when I connected the IDE drive using an external power source I got a power surge on the USB port.

 

Can anyone suggest how I can connect up this drive safely and retrieve data?

 

WTIA

Can you link us to the kit you purchased? Are you powering up the IDE drive on the adapter with the PSU before plugging into the USB?

Here is the link t the kit I purchased (which sipped with no instructions):

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00BIE996S?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

 

Yes, I believe I was  powering up the drive on the adapter before plugging it in. 

I can't see anything about it that I'd expect to create such a difficulty, I've used a fairly similar one in the past before I got my current USB3 one.

There can be some motherboard USB ports/controllers that report surge status unnecessarily under obscure circumstances, so have you tried it on more than one computer? If it does it on all computers, then it's probably just a faulty unit. If it works OK on someone else's system, then yours probably just has the annoying quirk in the way its USB controller operates.

Edited by Platypus, 15 November 2015 - 08:13 PM.

I've used an external drive bay to power drives from other units and retrieve files.  No matter how old, if it was good when shelved, it might work.  One problem may be that the drive won't fit in the enclosure, something to look for.  Otherwise, I've left them outside the cases as long as it isn't for long periods.

I will try it on my laptop and see what the results are.

 

It definitely won't fit inside my desktop PC as it is small form factor.

 

So the kit I have is definitely OK for both IDE and SATA drives?

 

Seagate support claimed that I could not go via USB for the IDE drive and needed an IDE connector  and tried to sell me their data recovery service...

I've been accessing IDE drives with a USB adapter for years (obviously since there were IDE drives before there were SATA...) so it does work. Some old small IDE drives seem to lack the ability to communicate properly with the USB bridge chip, but they simply do not be detected at all.

Thanks, I can report some success with one IDE drive - connected to my laptop no problem and able to read files.

 

As for the other IDE drive, it just didn't come to life when I plugged it in so I guess it is dead. 

Yes, if it doesn't spool up when power is connected, it has probably died. Many hard drives have a surface mount chip fuse on the circuit board adjacent to where the Molex power connector plugs in. Someone with electronics knowledge can identify and measure if it has gone open, sometimes they just fail through fatigue and the drive isn't faulty as such.

Thanks. A Sata drive spun up originally but started to produce nasty burning smell, and now does not power up.  so I suspect it has also expired.