[olug] problems with external USB device

[T M]

Hi Sam,  your corruption issues sound serious. i use a drive
externally for two reasons, infrequent access or easy placement in a
safe/firebox ... so they might not be relevant.  also, all of my units
are self powered.  all the hdds were picked up at bargain prices, such
as 200GB for $20 -- which is to say they are not top-of-the-line hdds,
just your run of the mill WD's and Maxtor IDEs.  could occasional
glitches in the usb power line be causing the corruptions? my previous
reply focused more on response to the issues in the original post.

hth
mike