...

 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{at}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]