...   
      
    BK>>  How long till PCMCIA is history? I have a lot of cards for that.   
    BK>> Hmmm...wonder if there is a USB to PCMCIA adapter. Hmmm...   
      
    ML> i doubt it... PCMCIA is already pretty much dead AFAIK...   
      
    It is still there in larger laptops, but the netbooks don't have   
    it. Or do they? OTOH, it's been a long time since I bought any   
    new computer, so it may already be gone and I don't know it.   
      
    BK>>>  Many current laptops don't even have serial or parallel. Really   
    BK>>> don't much need them for a netbook.   
      
    ML>> agreed there... i had to really dig and be creative the   
    ML>> last time i had to rescue some data off of a XP laptop... i   
      
    ...   
      
    ML> it wouldn't help in the scenario i described... while the   
    ML> destination machine had USB ports, there were no good   
    ML> working drivers for them... this is why i still have a   
    ML> parallel 100M ZIP drive daisy chained with a parallel   
    ML> scanner on that box... and the ZIP has to be first in the   
    ML> chain or it doesn't work... evidently the parallel chain   
    ML> port in the scanner doesn't support all the needed   
    ML> functionality that the ZIP needs... at least they both have   
    ML> parallel chain ports ;)   
      
    Ah, the good old Zip drive. I still have a couple parallel port   
    hard drives, and a Backpack CD writer.   
      
    ...   
      
    ML>> very old serial transfer program called zip... i believe it   
    ML>> was out before laplink but i may be wrong on that... it   
    ML>> allowed me to transfer the data at 115200 with validation   
    ML>> to ensure that it was all correct on the receiving end...   
      
    There is one that I have that goes a lot faster, and another   
    155K jobbie that works fine. Can't even recall the names, but   
    they are on the image file for the 486sx20 I used to use that   
    finally died.   
      
    ...   
      
    BK>>  If they are completely failed nothing will read it. However, if   
    BK>> just the boot sector is failed, the rest of the disk can be read   
    BK>> bit by bit. Ghost will do it. Slow, but not unreasonable.   
      
    ML> yeah... dd has definitely done right by me... much faster   
    ML> than ghost ever wanted to be... just not as fancy and   
    ML> definitely more manual ;)   
      
    BK>>  Oh, I also have SATA to IDE or USB adapters.   
      
    ML> we have exactly one SATA drive here ;)   
      
    BK>>  I have been doing this a lot and for a long time.   
      
    ML> yep... i think we have about the same amount of time   
    ML> beating these beasts into submission ;)   
      
    BK>>  I have a whole box just filled with adapters.   
      
    BK>>  I esp buy them when they go on sale cheap.   
      
    ML> i used to but i got rid of most all of them some time   
    ML> back... too much trouble and there's a time when one must   
    ML> say "that's enough" and move on...   
      
    Yeah, I have gotten rid of most of my 486 desktop stuff. Still   
    have a couple laptops though. Go on the web with Win 98 on a   
    486DX100 laptop.   
      
    Ok, not very often, it is quite slow.   
      
      
      
   BOB KLAHN bob.klahn@sev.org   http://home.toltbbs.com/bobklahn   
      
   ... "Give me the splendid silent sun with all his beams full-dazzling."   
   --- Via Silver Xpress V4.5/P [Reg]   
    * Origin: Doc's Place BBS Fido Since 1991 docsplace.tzo.com (1:123/140)