If you do not often change computer and want to recover / check data or just simply if you find an old hard disk, you will be probably blocked, especially if it still has the old IDE, the current connectivity being the mostly the SATA. 
If your old computer still works, not too worries at this level, except that the computer will be very leeeeent and the screen very mooooche. Personally, in this case, I prefer to remove the hard drive from the Tower, it allows me to bypass the min 10 launch of the old Windows and other programs that in the end I wouldn't need, since I have the "raw" data. Not to mention the fact that I have to connect the Tower, monitor, keyboard and mouse… about reconnecting, 2 min, startup, 5 min, transfer on usb key or external hard drive, it depends on the size of files and the amount, but if it is IDE, strong chance that your ports are USB 1, therefore very slow… and must not forget the transfer to the new computer… In short, it takes a lot of time! After that, you have different choices:
- either you buy a SATA-IDE adapter in your computer, but still need to have the room
- either you buy an external adapter as the "USB 3.0 Multi Hard Disk Link" of Sandberg
The USB 3.0 Multi Hard Disk Link, or in french 'Link multi USB 3.0 hard disk', which is not very explanatory ^^ the "multi link" means that you can bind 2 drives, one IDE SATA set. 
The specifics:
- Compatible with 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch and 5.25-inch hard drives
- Compatible with drives in IDE 40 pins and 44 pins
- Supports hard drives of high capacity up to 6 TB
- Compatible SATA 1 SATA 2 and SATA 3
- USB 3.0 high speed
- Can work with a drive hard IDE and one SATA connected simultaneously
- Supports disk drives (CD, DVD, Bluray, etc) in IDE or SATA
- OTB: One Touch Backup, opportunity to just backup by pressing a single button
- PNP
- Compatible with Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, Mac OS 10
The contents of the box:
- The adapter
- 3 USB cable
- A cable molex – 4 pins for the power of IDE 40 pins
- A charger
- The operating instructions
Frankly, what to say about this device? Everything has been said! Just read the description of this unit to understand what it is! You connect a hard drive to this device and this computer and trendy sector, and that's good, automatic detection, no drivers needed, the hard drive or the disc drive is automatically detected as external hard drive! And the best part is that 2 hard drives (one IDE and one SATA) can be read at the same time on your computer! A switch ON / OFF, a touch to make backups easily, a power cable for hard disks in 40 pines, they even thought of 44 pines, USB 3.0 high speed for a max speed, double reading… Frankly, I don't see what's missing! Come on, you story to really look for flaws:
- not anti-vibration system
- OTB (one touch backup) requires the installation of software on your computer, this can not be done offline as the dock fd-2002 and which would thus enable to automatically to make a copy of the hard disk in IDE to HDD in SATA
In conclusion, I recommend this excellent adapter if you have hard disks or optical drive in IDE! Especially if you have several, and you often have to change. And even if you know it don't keep you more than one hard drive in IDE and you will use that last once, this device is all simply useful to connect everything which is in SATA, everything to make your internal hard drive can be used in ex dull or to continue to use your optical drives in SATA! The product link: http://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B00N9SCEG8/ 