Ah sure. Those SATA>USB adapters can be extremely annoying. I've had really bad problems with a couple of the USB3 variety and I'm not sure why. I've used a couple that have prevented me from migrating to a SSD using Samsung's software. For some reason, the software claims there's no drive connected at all. Then I'll swap out for a USB2 adapter I have and it all works fine. I recently ordered an Anker USB3 adapter, though, so I'll see if that one works better.

I'm very curious to hear what the SMART results are.