Re: [tlug] format over SATA->IDE->USB connectors?

[Jim <jep200404@example.com>]

Gernot Hassenpflug wrote:

>   Some weeks ago I asked about whether there were any issues with
> formatting an IDE drive over a IDE->USB converter cable. The answer
> was: none, and if there was a problem, it was likely a faulty
> connector cable.

After I used dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/hdx to wipe an IDE hard drive, 
I could no longer access that IDE hard drive using the IDE-USB converter, 
so I could not partition it, so I could not format it. 

I plugged the wiped drive back into a regular IDE cable and had 
no trouble partitioning the drive. Once partitioned, I could access 
the drive again using the IDE-USB cable, and format partitions. 

I got the impression that my IDE-USB converter would read the 
partition table to figure out how big the drive was. Without a 
partition table, it was clueless. Of course, the proper solution 
would be to not read the partition table for the drive size, 
but to ask the drive how big it is. 

I have no experience to offer about your SATA-IDE converter. 

Jim