Hello-
Sorry for the dual post of this topic, but I accidently posted the first time before I edited my subject.
I have an IBM Deskstar 120GXP ATA100/IDE drive that is defective. I can still access the partitions which contain my data, and I would like to transfer it all to a new drive. Here's the quandry:
I plan to by a Powerbook G4 very soon and I would like to use the new drive as a file server on a wireless network. I need to connect the new drive to my PC (PIII 500 MHz Dell Dimesion XPS T 5 years old) in order to get the data from the IDE drive, but I would like the new drive to have firewire and/or USB 2.0 capability as well.
-The new drive will most likely be 80GB. I would have no problem purchasing the drive and case separately, but I don't know which drives/cases I should consider or where I can purchase them.
-Do I have to get a 3.5'' drive if I want to connect to the ATA card on the PC or are there other options?
-On the backside, what do I need to consider when I'm formatting the drive, since I plan to use it over a network with both PCs and Macs?
-Will I need to install an OS (most likely winxp) on the drive to have it accessible on the network, or are there wireless routers which it can plug directly into without an OS?
Thanks for helping!
gman

Chowhound
Comic Vine
GameFAQs
GameSpot
Giant Bomb
TechRepublic