Well, if Linux says it's time to format your 500GB drive, and that drive is indeed 500MB, you've got a major problem!!!! :-) Yeah, I'm sure we were saying the same thing. And if that drive were indeed 500 GB, as in Gigabyte, then I would assume that Linux could indeed write to all parts of that drive. If you want to test this. just copy a DVD a hundred-odd times with different names until you fill the drive. It's easy enough to wipe the drive clean afterwards.... John, I am not sure what to make of your reply. I quoted "controller" because I was fairly certain that the MB (or in-slot board) was indeed just an interface to the "real electronics that run the drive". I think we are saying the same thing. Beyond anything else I should be asking, I am curious whether the interface board could be sufficiently dated as to prevent a recent Linux kernel from successfully talking to the on-drive controller of a new[er] IDE drive. More specifically, if Linux says "it's time to format your 500GB drive" and that drive is indeed 500MB, then is it safe to assume that Linux can write to the entire drive? Bill Wilhelm K. Schwab, Ph.D. University of Florida Department of Anesthesiology PO Box 100254 Gainesville, FL 32610-0254 Email: [log in to unmask] Tel: (352) 846-1285 FAX: (352) 392-7029 ____________________________________________________________________________________ Get the Yahoo! toolbar and be alerted to new email wherever you're surfing. http://new.toolbar.yahoo.com/toolbar/features/mail/index.php