BG> With the current winter extremes of temperature, try reseating all
BG> your ISA cards, particularly the HDD controller (or even relocate it
BG> to another slot). Chances are that it's the controller, and not the
BG> WD250 that's throwing the error.

BL> Thanks for that, Bill. That did occur to me, but it's only failed
BL> once since, and I'm waiting to see exactly what happens. I'll wriggle
BL> the shit out of every socket in the computer, the next time it fails.

BG> Given the previous problems you've had with HDD controllers, and the
BG> fact that the ISA socket has been flogged to death due to all that
BG> substitution and eventual replacement, it's quite likely that the
BG> slot itself is a bit dodgy, especially given the age of your
BG> motherboard.

Its very rare to get a socket failure like that. And dead easy to prove
by trying another one.

BG> I was talking with Dave Meeds last week (the dealer who sold me my
BG> WD-A2250), and he told me that the failure rate of the current crop
BG> of WD Caviars is amongst the lowest in the PC industry, which is
BG> another reason I'd suspect the controller or the ISA slot.

It may well be very low, but the socket failure is actually considerably lower.

--- PQWK202