Is there an adapter or something that converts the female end of an IDE cabe to male? The reason I ask is because on my xbox I have an external hard drive enclosure and I would like to have a connector on my xbox so I can plug the IDE cable right into that instead of having the cable coming out of the case.

Basically, you just have to make your own (to replace the one in the xbox).. I've done it several times, and it's a bitch.

Get your raw cables, female and male connectors, and crimpers here:
http://www.pccables.com/

Remember, make your cables as short as possible.. IDE starts to degrade after about 18 inches.

I know local to me there is a company that will make any custom cables one can desire if you don't have the tools or desire to do it yourself.