Well, I can backup again. I bought a new, 2.5" laptop HD and casing. The good thing about the 2.5" HD is that it doesn't need a power brick; it takes power through its USB connection. I connected it, and everything went fine. Maybe it really was the power adapter that was wrong with my 3.5" HD. Hmm... Well, at least I can backup. Next project: upgrading the HD on my Mac Mini :-) -- "Beauty is power; a smile is its sword." -- Charles Reade