I run with the DriveLink some 3.5 "IDE hard drives as backup media. On my home PC use is absolutely no problem. The hard drive is detected immediately after switching on the Drive Link and appears as a normal drive. In my notebook, however, it comes after the activation sometimes - not always - to a Windows message that a surge on the USB bus was found. This is then deactivated automatically, so that the second bus connector hanging mouse is no longer available. This occurs mainly when the Drive Link is connected / activated after Windows startup. However, the USB bus takes no hardware damage and is for a computer restart active again. The transfer rate over USB 2.0 is the way the backup completely acceptable. Conclusion: For me, this tool was a worthwhile investment.