Please keep us updated! Greetz, Peter. Ok, here goes. Just tried it now I have all the details sorted out, and this is how it went. Need I say more? One ST3500620AS OEM Dell (DE12 Firmware) now "fixed": ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- User Partition Format 5% complete, Zone 00, Pass 00, LBA 00004339, ErrCode 000 00080, Elapsed Time 0 mins 05 secs User Partition Format Successful - Elapsed Time 0 mins 05 secs --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I give the Pololu 23201a Serial Adapter A+++ grade. The price was €9.27 + VAT and shipping (kit, you had to solder it together). Thanks guys! Keep up the good work/advice.