When connecting the cable without an attached hard disk, Windows couldn’t install the device (it just did not recognize what it was). But when a hardrive is plugged in, Windows immediately recognizes the drive instead of a strange cable so compatibility issues should be a problem. If you think you got a defective cable try attaching a hdd to it ;)
The connector itself is nice and sturdy with a good grip and looks like it’s a solid cast, so long time wear and tear shouldn’t be a problem and I reckon this cable will last a lifetime, or until they find something newer than USB…..
So only 3.5 inch harddrives? No! Contained in the kit is a 2,5 to 3,5 adapter plug so you can even backup laptop harddrives with this baby without any hassle. The only downside I could find on this is that the power-plug-jumper-like thing is detachable and one must watch the polarity on that when connecting it, else your laptop disk will be far from being backed-up (!) Oooh just the thought of it… the smell of burning harddrives in the morning, and the cursing and swearing of the computer tech afterwards is enough to put a smile on my face, unless it was my harddrive ;)
Only thing that kept bugging me was the size of the power supply. I mean check out the dimensions against the cable… it’s just a small little hard drive, not a full laptop! Then again if you’re constantly repairing PCs then this could just as well stay in place on your desk for quick reach.
Performance
Let’s have a little look at the speeds of this thing, its so small can it be fast?, one might wonder.
But as we know looks can be deceiving, as this baby performs just as well as the Vantec NexStar3 reviewed here. This cable clocks at 27Megabytes per seconds using USB2.0, so we’re ok in the speed department.
