The power connector is like an SVHS connector. I find them awkward but I've connected and disconnected countless times with no problem.

I use and recommend the SATAVault external enclosure, which has both eSATA (SATA II; some enclosures are only SATA I) and USB 2.0 outputs. It's cool, fast, and reliable and has a removable tray for hot-swapping drives. Unlike many enclosures it has no fan. I read numerous horror stories about drives burning up, but I've used a Seagate NL35 drive in one with no problems and without the drive's becoming hot. The vented aluminum case conducts heat much better than many other cases. See http://www.satagear.com/SS-302i-Silver_SATA_3.5_inch_Enclosure.html.

If this doesn't meet your needs try Vcom's AutoSave2; it's saved my life several times. Just the other day my Quicken data wouldn't load, and I easily restored the most recent version using AutoSave.