Okay, if you say so. Perhaps it's okay.

I'm not really following what you mean here, controllers and cables being two different things. Do you mean the systemboard has only SATA connections on it and no IDE controller at all? And which software are you talking about having trouble with SATA and USB drives? Must be the operating system, since that's the only software that gives a shit what kind of interface is being used.

Yes, there is a SATA cable connection on the motherboard, no connectors for IDE anywhere, everything but the internal hard drive and DVD drive (PATA) is USB. The software is disk recovery software, it boots off of a CD, loads a minimal OS (DOS), and ignores the BIOS and talks directly to the disk, or tries to.

Okay, if you say so. Perhaps it's okay.

Well, I don't know for sure that it is okay, but the worst thing would be hearing all kinds of clunking and other noises coming from the drive. That's a major physical drive problem.

I'm not really following what you mean here, controllers and cables being two different things. Do you mean the systemboard has only SATA connections on it and no IDE controller at all? And which software are you talking about having trouble with SATA and USB drives? Must be the operating system, since that's the only software that gives a shit what kind of interface is being used.

Yes, there is a SATA cable connection on the motherboard, no connectors for IDE anywhere, everything but the internal hard drive and DVD drive (PATA) is USB. The software is disk recovery software, it boots off of a CD, loads a minimal OS (DOS), and ignores the BIOS and talks directly to the disk, or tries to.

I see now. You say SATA connection, meaning SATA controller. Okay, got it.

As for the software, if it is DOS based then it doesn't have drivers for USB which would explain why it isn't seeing the devices. As for SATA if it saw the drive previously then it must have a driver for accessing SATA connected drives, but since yours is problematic it now can't see it. Hmmmm ...

I wonder if using a Linux LIVE distribution of some sort would allow for mounting and seeing the drive. Probably not, seeing as it appears to be either dead or close to it. How about running a drive clone creation package like Ghost, which would allow for at least getting a byte-by-byte duplicate of the drive's contents.

You know what? It's nearly two in the morning here on the east coast and I'm getting real tired and fuzzy headed. If you're interested in talking further tomorrow we can. I can get some more details and do some basic research.

Okay, but just to ease my conscience, stay on this thread when Glenn moves on.

The program has the drivers, because of what it needs to do to access drives, it locks up all the USB resources, and the mouse and keyboard freeze -- it isn't expecting to have the whole system run out of USB. If I don't load the USB drivers, the program works (because then the BIOS mounts the keys and mouse), but it doesn't see the drive onto which the clone is to be built. It doesn't do SATA data (says so in the manual), but can see SATA drives (through the interrupt). I'm waiting for their tech support to tell me he's seen this configuration before, but everybody seems to be surprised that the familiar stuff isn't there somewhere.

People don't need to know about memory architecture, or CPU internals, or what a bus is and the different types of busses there are in a typical system. But the same way I can look into my car's engine compartment and know where the battery is at, the radiator, etc, people should know some basic fundamental info about the computer.

Ustabe people needed to know if they had a 6V or 12 V battery (and which terminal was positive). After enough problems, standards and safeguards have evolved to avoid the most devastating user ignorance.

And you might say the same for what type of slot/bus, disk interface (SCSI/SATA/EIDE, etc.), memory speed, etc.... The good news is that (generally) people won't constitute a public safety hazard by mucking up their computer....

Cheers,

Zogby puts Congress at 11% approval as read on MSNBC just now. Perhaps contrary to Glenn's idea Congress isn't "progressive" enough, the American public thinks that Habeas Corpus for enemy soldiers overseas is absurd political gamesmanship. Or for that matter breaking up military units, to ensure rotation time. Then of course there's the issue of immunizing the telecoms being heinous, based on the idea that if they need immunization something awful was done. Like organizing telephone numbers. Horrors.

Meanwhile Hillary continues the Clinton family history of prostituting themselves for cash in any way possible, via shady donors and lobbyists. Even for a Clinton this is impressively sleazy.

http://campaignsandelections.com/nh/releases/index.cfm?ID=4136

Any commentary from the GG, or would it run the risk of making Tom Delay look benign in comparison? Hsuweet, heh.

Zogby puts Congress at 11% approval as read on MSNBC just now. Perhaps contrary to Glenn's idea Congress isn't "progressive" enough, the American public thinks that Habeas Corpus for enemy soldiers overseas is absurd political gamesmanship.

There's stuff (outside or RW speculation and Sh**ter's fantasies) on the polls in the comments here:

http://balkin.blogspot.com/2007/09/on-general-petraeus.html

Or for that matter breaking up military units, to ensure rotation time.

Oooooohh. ROFL. So that's the reason Rethuglicans don't like giving troops time off. I thought the song was supposed to be that the troops are supposed to be "dedicated" and don't need time off from getting shot at. Maybe Sh**te didn't get his 'talking points' fax....

Then of course there's the issue of immunizing the telecoms being heinous, based on the idea that if they need immunization something awful was done. Like organizing telephone numbers. Horrors....

Organizing telephone numbers isn't illegal. If they need immunity, their problem isn't that they "helped the nation" (as one RW hack put it) or "organiz[ed] telephone numbers". It's that they broke the freakin' law. Sad to say I actually have to explain this to our resident eedjit Sh**ter....

Cheers,