I purchased some of those new-fangled "round" IDE cables the other day. They're much easier to work with and they probably do allow better air flow in the cabinet. These cables are 24" long. I was under the impression that the IDE Spec limited cables to 18". The salesman said "I'm sure that they're OK, otherwise no one would be making them and we wouldn't be selling them". Well, with logic like that I promptly opened my wallet and .... Has it got anything to do with the old ATA/33/66 vs. the new ATA/100/133? Or the old 40 conductor vs. the new 80 conductor? Anyone have any clues about this? The system *seems* to work fine. Perhaps, my data is quietly being corrupted, bit by bit ............ :-( Fritz Kolberg