-> WC> Blasted H.P. LG CD-ROM isn't liked by Debian Linux which
-> WC> Knoppix is based on :-( 

-> I'm really not happy about the way third party hardware
-> manufacturers play fast-n-loose with their drivers. There are
-> too many 'models' with very little to differentiate them from
-> one another. I suspect some electronics engineers trying to
-> look busy by rearranging the components at random with some
-> weak excuse their idiot managers can't understand. :-\ 

LG was specifically named in a FAQ cabout Linuix as having a problem.

-> WC> Boots the ramdrive but fails and locks up with soundcard in
-> WC> :-( 

-> That's the other shoe that drops when trying to use Linux -
-> soundcard on the motherboard or combined modem/soundcard with
-> no Linux driver.                                                  

No, not in this case.
I installed the Turtle Beach sound card and removed
the software modem - sound card.

Boy was that a PITA, you had to really pull the machine apart to
get to the stupid daughterboard they put in thgere for just the inputs
to the sound card. ( not a single component on the board
just the jacks)

-> WC> My last hard drive toasted so I'm ramdrive only here. 

-> How/why are you losing hard drives? 

Wellll, in pulling the entire machine apart to get at just that one
little useless daughterboard I failed to notice the IDE connector
had partially pulled out of its' socket when removing the left
side panel.
Poof, toast.
Only a Seagate 340 Meg so no big deal.
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5