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Laptop to IDE adapter $6.99 Compusa B&M or Online

W

wfay

Senior member
I was in Compusa today and saw this for the astonishingly low price of $6.99 in store and $6.92 online. It is a 44pin laptop hard drive to 40pin + power regular IDE adapter.

Of course when I needed one ASAP a few months ago none of my local stores had them for anything under $15. Now Compusa not only carries it, but their price is better than any other local stores, is cheaper than egay once you factor in the $10 shipping.

Adapter at Compusa.com

This isn't something you need to have around all the time but its good to have for the few times when you need to rescue a laptop drive that isn't booting etc. Definitely worth the $7 to have it in your PC repair toolbox...
 
Fot a Tool, I'd recommending getting a 2.5" USB enclosure.....much better, but bigger.

My $.02
 
For me, I only need to use a 2.5in HDD maybe once or twice every year max (recovering friends laptops) so $7 w/free local pickup for an adapter vs $25-30 + shipping for a usb enclosure is an easy decision. If Compusa carries such an enclosure I'm sure its more like $50 so that means ordering online and waiting a week.

Obviously if you have any intention of seriously using a 2.5in HDD in your system for any length of time, the USB or FW enclosures make a lot more sense. Laptop drives in enclosures are great for portable disk space or backup.
 
i think it's a good deal. how much do usb enclosures cost?
well, anyway, wish this was in-store, would snatch it up in a heartbeat! we have had several issues like that here (this year alone), and this would have been nice
 
Originally posted by: unclebud
i think it's a good deal. how much do usb enclosures cost?
well, anyway, wish this was in-store, would snatch it up in a heartbeat! we have had several issues like that here (this year alone), and this would have been nice
Click to expand...

"I was in Compusa today and saw this for the astonishingly low price of $6.99 in store and $6.92 online..."
 
Originally posted by: unclebud
i think it's a good deal. how much do usb enclosures cost?
well, anyway, wish this was in-store, would snatch it up in a heartbeat! we have had several issues like that here (this year alone), and this would have been nice
Click to expand...

I paid $30 shipped for my super slim one. It fits in my pocket (sans cable), does USB 2.0, and has a PS2 connector too (dunno if it's a mac connector of some kind or what, but it has a passthru and I plugged a keyboard through it with no prob.)

I've found that, oddly, the format on the drive in the enclosure is different from the format directly connected. Strange but such is life.

Nice thing about it is I can use my 2 gigger that has a bad boot sector with no problem. 😀
 
What do you mean the format is different? BTW, I think the PS/2 thingy is a way for the enclosure to get power. But the ones on Compgeeks are self-powered, so I *think* you can probably use yours without that cable (unless you are plugging it into an unpowered hub).

Compgeeks has these adapters for $3.68 or something, but of course there's shipping. If you are buying other stuff, could be cheaper.

Also, they have USB 2.0 enclosures for ~$20, 1.1 for $15. Tack on I would say about $5 for shipping, so it's about $25 shipped for the USB 2.0 at Compgeeks.
 
A question: can I duplicate a notebook computer's hard drive to an external USB enclosure? Including MBR and all data sectors? So if my laptop hard drive fails, I can simply swap the one in external enclosure in.




 
Compgeeks usually has these adapters (as does Package2You), a bit cheaper, but with added shipping costs. I've been planning to add one to my next order. This Compusa deal looks good if you just want an adapter cheap.
 
okay, i stand corrected -- was looking at the link which stated (Not Available In-Store)
would like a sku... thanks!
 
the problem with having a usb enclosure is the LACK of a MBR. you can put a HDD already created with a MBR into a HDD, but you cant put a HDD formatted in a usb enclosure and expect it to work (it very well may though) as an internal hdd.
 
Originally posted by: wfay
For me, I only need to use a 2.5in HDD maybe once or twice every year max (recovering friends laptops) so $7 w/free local pickup for an adapter vs $25-30 + shipping for a usb enclosure is an easy decision. If Compusa carries such an enclosure I'm sure its more like $50 so that means ordering online and waiting a week.

Obviously if you have any intention of seriously using a 2.5in HDD in your system for any length of time, the USB or FW enclosures make a lot more sense. Laptop drives in enclosures are great for portable disk space or backup.
Click to expand...

dunno where ur getting ur stuff but i've bought adapters like this from compgeeks for less than $10 shipped.

http://www.compgeeks.com/details.asp?invtid=HD-108 for $3.65
ppl near Oceanside, CA can opt for customer pickup. shipping elsewhere ranges ~$5.00 ground.
plus they have the 10% off coupon which saves u $.40.

not really that hot of a deal if u ask me.

//krunk (^_^x)
 
Originally posted by: weepul
* * * i've bought adapters like this from compgeeks for less than $10 shipped. http://www.compgeeks.com/details.asp?invtid=HD-108 for $3.65 ppl near Oceanside, CA can opt for customer pickup. shipping elsewhere ranges ~$5.00 ground. plus they have the 10% off coupon which saves u $.40. not really that hot of a deal if u ask me. //krunk (^_^x)
Click to expand...
CompGeeks: $9.29 shipped (to the East Coast)
CompUSA: $7.42 shipped (to the same location)

Maybe it's not a flaming hot deal, but IMO it's a decent price if you don't live near CompGeeks.
 
Originally posted by: weepul
not really that hot of a deal if u ask me.
//krunk (^_^x)
Click to expand...

i'm sure the 50 people on AT who live near Oceanside appreciate the cheap prices and store pickup from Compgeeks, saving the $5 shipping, and with the added bonus of immediate delivery of your goods.

the rest of us live far from Oceanside (Florida!), and the $6.99 instore price at Compusa (locations all over the US) is wonderful.
 
Originally posted by: may
A question: can I duplicate a notebook computer's hard drive to an external USB enclosure? Including MBR and all data sectors? So if my laptop hard drive fails, I can simply swap the one in external enclosure in.
Click to expand...

yes, but might not be easy.

1. You'll need a imaging program....Symantec Ghost (DOS Mode) is often used to image drives (make exact copy of one drive to another)

2. You'll need to see both drives at a DOS prompt...with USB, you'll need to load drivers.....
With the Compusa IDE adapter in this thread, it's much easier to do....just plug and go. This is assuming you have a desktop to plug the laptop drive into. Actually, take your current laptop HD, plug in the $6.99 adapter, and create an "image file" of the HD onto your desktop PC's Hd.... if your laptop drive dies, just get a new HD and restore from the image file.....very easy.

if you have more questions, PM me and we'll talk.

 
I actually bought one of these CompUSA IDE adapters to pull data off my dying laptop drive. Worked like a charm - no complaints.
 
Thanks for the headsup. This will come in handy when those large notebook drives come down in price and I have the time to put together a small, quiet system.

And don't forget to go through one of those cashback portals -- it'll cover all of the shipping and some of the tax! 😉
 
I'd be wary of this, looks like the exact thing I bought from somwhere else for $8, that completely fscked my laptop drive.

I was replacing my Compaq's 6Gb with a 20Gb and put the 6Gb on this to backup. It never got recognised by the computer when I plugged it in
(yes, all connectors were right way around) and when I put it back in the laptop it was dead, I guess fried....?

I'd say go with a USB enclosure instead, although they are usually pretty pricey.
 
my laptop HD just died ,it was 6.4GB. anyone know i can get a small one like 10-15 GB for cheap? i also heard there is some kind size barrier for notebook HD.
 
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