I was just curious if there was a way to adapt this hard drive to be plugged into a usb port. Or how to connect it to a laptop as a second hard drive.

Connect the hard drive to an USB hard drive adapter then plug the USB adapter with the hard drive into the USB port of a working computer. This computer will see this as an external storage device, you can then open the various folders and files and backup or copy them to the computer.

Remove the hard drive and connect it to an USB hard drive adapterand then plug this adapter into a working computer's USB port. The computer sees this as an USB mass storage device (external hard drive) and youcan open the various folders and files, then you can backup your data.

Connect your laptop's hard drive to an USB hard drive adapter then plug this adapter into the USB port of a working computer.
The computer will see this USB adapter/hard drive as an external storage device. You can then open the various folders and files on this hard disk and copy and or backup your data.

An external storage-device has four major components:

* the USB cable

* the power-adapter

* the disk-drive inside the enclosure

* the USB-to-disk-drive adapter inside the enclosure.

One of these components has failed.

Try a different USB cable.

Try connecting to a different USB port on your computer.

Try connecting to a USB port on a different computer.

Take a "multi-meter" and measure both the voltage and amperage output from the AC adapter, and compare with the specifications on the label on the adapter.

Open the enclosure, and remove the disk-drive, and then connect it as a "slave" disk-drive in a desktop computer, to see if it works at all.

Purchase a new, compatible, disk-drive, and install it in the enclosure, to "revive" your external storage device.

Get the part-number and serial-number from the label on your disk-drive, and access the manufacturer's web-site, and use "check warranty status", to see if they will replace the device, at minimal cost to you.

Note that W.D. has a "Customer Loyalty" program -- you can buy a new W.D. device, through the W.D. web-site, at a significant discount.

There exist commercial "data recovery" services that can try to repair your device, just long-enough to rescue and copy your files. For example, see: https://services.seagate.com/index.aspx?lng=en-US for a "no data - no charge" guarantee.

An external storage-device has four major components:

* the USB cable

* the power-adapter

* the disk-drive inside the enclosure

* the USB-to-disk-drive adapter inside the enclosure.

One of these components has failed.

Try a different USB cable.

Try connecting to a different USB port on your computer.

Try connecting to a USB port on a different computer.

Take a "multi-meter" and measure both the voltage and amperage output from the AC adapter, and compare with the specifications on the label on the adapter.

Open the enclosure, and remove the disk-drive, and then connect it as a "slave" disk-drive in a desktop computer, to see if it works at all.

Purchase a new, compatible, disk-drive, and install it in the enclosure, to "revive" your external storage device.

Get the part-number and serial-number from the label on your disk-drive, and access the manufacturer's web-site, and use "check warranty status", to see if they will replace the device, at minimal cost to you.

Note that W.D. has a "Customer Loyalty" program -- you can buy a new W.D. device, through the W.D. web-site, at a significant discount.

There exist commercial "data recovery" services that can try to repair your device, just long-enough to rescue and copy your files. For example, see: https://services.seagate.com/index.aspx?lng=en-US for a "no data - no charge" guarantee.

You have what is call a USB POWER Y ADAPTER: this is designed to provide extra current to your USB HDD drive from a second PC USB port. Plug the end with two USB connectors to your PC/LAPTOP and the single-ended plug to your drive.
Hope it helps! Let me know how you go.

The Coolmax adapter is an USB hard drive adapter that can connect various types hard drives to your computer. This is used for testing and and transferring data to and from hard drives connected to the computer via the computer's USB port.

This Coolmax USB hard disk adapter can connect a 2.5-, 3.5- and 5.25-inch IDE or SATA hard disk to a PC. The black adapter box connects the hard disk, while the secondary power plug/adapter powers the drive. In the case of smaller notebook or SATA disks, the power cable is plugged directly into the adapter (as opposed to straight into the IDE hard disk).
The red USB cable, meanwhile, can be used to power hard disks directly from the host PC's bus via another USB port.

Connect the hard drive to the adapter as detailed above, power up your computer and plug the Coolmax USB cable into the conputer's USB port. The computer will detect and see this as an external drive, most likely as a E drive (the next drive letter that is available). Click on this drive and open to open the folder/s where your data is stored then select the folder/s and/or data and copy them, then open the hard drive on the computer and paste the folder/s and/or files onto the new hard drive.

Laptops do not have IDE cables, the 21/2"hard drive is connected directly to the motherboard via a 44 pin socket.

What do you need an IDE cable for?
This cable would be difficult to connect into the laptop's motherboard hard drive connector.

Do you want to connect and test a laptop hard drives?
It is easier to use an USB hard drive adapter, all you need to do is connect the hard drive to the adapter and plug this adapter into a computer's USB port and the computer will detect it as an external drive (provided the hard drive is OK).

It appears that your USB hard disk is drawing power that exceeds what the computer's USB port can deliver.
If your USB drive has a power adapter, connect it to your USB drive before you connect it to the computer's USB port.
If your USB drive does not have a power adapter/connector then you need to insert your USB drive into a USB hub that is powered from the mains adapter. Connect this hub to your computer's USB port first and then connect the USB drive into the powered hub.

If none of this works then it is possible that you have a faulty hard drive. If possible test this drive in a computer, use a old computer.

External Hard Drive is mostly of the USB interfacing type. If urs one is the same, then it is just as simple as plugging in a pen drive in the USB port. If it has external power supplies then u can easily figure out how to connect. There are two parts in the power supply (if external power supply cable is provided), 3-pin main power supply connector and other is the adapter which goes to the external hard drive.plug in the other end of the adapter into the hard drive (there is a hole in it). connect the main power cable to the adapter extension. now for the usb Hard Drive, connect the USB cable to the USB port of the computer. Switch on the power supply to the Hard drive and u r ready to use ur brand new External Hard Drive. If it is a Firewire interfacing one then u may need to open the CPU box, and then connect the firewire connector on to the motherboard firewire port. It is easy to identify, it is a red colored port/connector.