Integrated drive electronics (IDE) refers to interface hard disk drives used to connect internally to the motherboard. Desktop hard drives require a 40-pin cable to connect to the motherboard, whereas laptop hard drives require a 44-pin connector. Unlike IDE, the universal serial bus (USB) connects externally to the motherboard through a USB port located on the device panel. An IDE-to-USB adapter allows you to connect an IDE hard drive to a computer through a USB interface.
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Put on an antistatic wrist strap on your wrist to protect the IDE drive from electrostatic discharge (ESD). Remove the IDE hard drive from its antistatic bag.
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Use a pair of tweezers to set the jumpers on the hard drive. Configure the hard drive as "Slave" or "Cable Select."
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Insert the 40-pin interface on the side of the adapter into the 40-pin connection on the rear of the IDE hard drive.
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Connect the 4-pin peripheral power cable to the 4-pin connection located next to the jumpers.
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Plug the power supply into a wall outlet. Plug the USB cable connected to the IDE/USB adapter into a USB slot on the computer.
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Install on the computer any software included with the IDE/USB adapter.
