I saw this lament in my referrer logs, of all places. Perhaps someone read it, then wondered if I had an answer? I’m not the only one searching for inexpensive flash storage for older PCs after all.
The exact solution the author sought, a USB-IDE converter to attach a thumb drive as an IDE device, doesn’t exist as far as I know. But I can think of two things that are almost as good.
David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He started his career as a part-time computer technician in 1994, worked his way up to system administrator by 1997, and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He invests in real estate on the side and his hobbies include O gauge trains, baseball cards, and retro computers and video games. A University of Missouri graduate, he holds CISSP and Security+ certifications. He lives in St. Louis with his family.