Is there a cable that is 2.5" (44-pin) IDE on both ends, or an alternative to plug a SATA drive into an IDE laptop?

Here is a cable that would work. So if aesthetics are truly no big deal, here you go.

Added by barlop - This is 2.5" IDE both ends, despite the "Micro SATA Cables" brand name. And it has 2 reviews, both by people that know what they're talking about, both lowest rating, pointing out issues with it that they think are serious. One review mentions that the red painted side (denoting pin1) is on the wrong side (though i'd wonder how that makes a difference - and how one would determine what is the wrong side. Either side could be deemed pin1 and the painted strip ensures that it's not twisted). A criticism in a review is that pin 20 on it has not been removed so would have to be removed/bent, but that's doable , the procedure is " You clip the pin by using a small set of wire cutters or grabbing the pin with needle nose pliers and bend it back and forth until it breaks off preferably flush with the plastic so there is no way for it to make contact." as described in a post here +1 for the principle though!

The cable is this product on amazon Micro-SATA-Cables-44-Pin-Converter

You won't have to bother with further gender changers.

EDIT: by Carl B added information

There is a descriptive set up of pin 1 on the below diagram and a link to a potentialy better suited product here at cablesOnline.com 6" 44-Pin Female to Male IDE True Extension

Specifications:

•This Cable is used to extend 2.00mm, 44 pin Laptop Hard Drive cable

•(1) 44 Pin 2.5" IDE Female 2.0mm Laptop Connector

•(1) 44 Pin 2.5" IDE Male 2.0mm Laptop Connector

•Length: 6 inches

Note the interweave of the ribbon on the female end. So a stright cable like the first example may not be proper and thus the poor reviews and performance of the product to include incorrect pin 1 and pin 2 along with pins 43 and 44 orientation. This possibly cased the drive damage the reviewers were talking about.

Edit: added pin out of 2.5 IDE ribbon (a google images classic) - original source apparently from http://www.unitechelectronics.com/whyisitso.htm

I haven't tried this much, but this might help. It's a SATA-IDE connector, but i think it goes 2 ways. SATA->IDE and IDE->SATA, I don't know if one ever needs a gender changer for this. The power connector on it is not to power the drive, it's to power the circuitry on the board.

You may need a 2.5"-3.5" cable WITH a gender changer, as 2.5-3.5" cables that i've seen are female both end and you need the end of the cable that goes into the laptop motherboard to be male. Also you'd be plugging the 3.5" end into an adapter and then from there using a sata cable to a hard drive. That is different to the normal usage where the 3.5" goes to a MBRD, and the 2.5" to a drive. In this context, I'm not sure if you also have to be careful with which side is pin1 and whether pin1 is pin1 on both ends. (A good technical review of a 2.5" both sides cable in the other answer suggests the red stripe denoting pin1 might only apply to one end, but i'm not sure if that particular point is correct).

This guy demonstrating one, is plugging it into a 3.5" drive. So i'd expect devices that look like that to be 3.5" IDE, but adapting between 2.5" to 3.5" is a common thing, though I haven't done it in this context.

and bear in mind you'd be going the other way completely, with the IDE side towards the motherboard, and with a SATA hard drive connected to this adapter with a SATA cable. (I only point to that picture to demonstrate that it's a 3.5" adapter and how it is powered and what the power is and isn't for)

Added

added- any sata hdd or whatever hdd has to be powered itself e.g. from a computer's psu. the power supply going into the board just powers a chip on the board.