-> 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. :-\ 

This is a known problem for Linux as concerning
LG CD drives, read a FAQ on it sme time ago which is
why I wasn't lost in the woods.


-> 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. 

Not in this case.
Removed the stupid software sound card - modem and replaced with the
Turtle Beach card and external modem.
Still think it's the LG CD - ROM.

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

-> How/why are you losing hard drives?
                                 
Wellll, in removing the stupid jacks only ( no other components)
daughterboard for the sound card you have to separate the left side
case just to pull the darn cable off and through the machine :-(

In the course of doing same I failed to notice the IDE cable
partially unseated from IDE channel 0, poof.
No big deal, only a Seagate 340 Megger.

On another front I just pulled apart an old AT power
supply and was astonished at the crud accumulated
in there and shocked it still worked.

Cleaned I intend to place it in the 486 and clean that one
as it's likely just as bad.

New years present for me, big hard drive and
BIOS'ed I/O card!!!

--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5